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The Tollgate Farm News Volume 19 Issue 9 September 2013

MSU Tollgate Gardens Volunteer General Meeting in the Conference Center

Thursday, September 19, 7:00 PM Thursday evening, September 19, join Tollgate volunteers in the Conference Center to learn about dahlias. Keith Berven, Ph.D., will provide an introduction to dahlia forms,

discuss growing dahlias, and suggest how to enjoy winning blooms and impressive flowering displays in your garden.

Keith Berven is the vice president of the Southeast-ern Michigan Dahlia Society and a member of both the Michigan and West Michigan Dahlia Societies. He has been growing dahlias for over 14 years and showing them at local, regional and national dahlia shows.

Dr. Berven is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Oakland University in Rochester. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Maryland.

Tollgate Garden Volunteer Important Dates and Events Sept Meetings Oct Meetings

19 TGV General Meeting 7:00 PM 1 TGAC Meeting 7:00 PM

8 Fall Fair Meeting 7:00 PM

Sept Activities 17 TGV General Meeting 7:00 PM

14 Fall Fair Clean-up 9:00 AM Oct Activities

20 Fall Fair Set-up 9:00 AM 5 Plant Division and Potting 9:00 AM

21 Fall Fair (Set-up 8:00 –10:00 AM)

10:00 AM TO

3:00 PM

12 Fall Clean-up 9:00 AM

19 Fall Clean-up 9:00 AM

28 Plant Division and Potting 9:00 AM 26 Demo Garden Clean-up 9:00 AM

Quick Notes and Reminders More Volunteers Needed. See page 3 for details. Sign in at the Conference Center for AM assignments. After 11:30 AM,

sign in at the Volunteer Communication Center If you have an AM slot please park your car in the paved lot Bring cookies (without nuts) for guests and deliver to Activity Center. Lunch will be provided for all volunteers in the Activities Center. You can

bring a dish to pass (in disposable container) for volunteer lunch if you wish (not required).

Photo by Cindy Prentice

DahliasDahliasDahlias!!!

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GREETINGS

Greetings All,

August has come and gone. The summer has flown by. If you are interested in bird watching, now is a good time to visit the Tollgate pond. Good fishing for our aquatic-minded feathered friends has led to many egrets, blue and green herons and a king fisher or two being spotted around the pond.

Fair Time: The next big event of the Tollgate gardening year is the Fall Fair. The Fall Fair committee has been working hard all year to put together the details of this, our biggest “for the public” event. We need the help of the Tollgate volunteers on the day of the fair to man all of the activities that have made the fair so popular with our visitors. Have a good friend? Bring them to the fair too! You can host an activity together. You do not have to be a member of Tollgate to help out at the fair and on the farm. All volunteers should park in the main parking lot. Our guests on the day of the fair will be directed to the hay field to the north of the parking lot. Lunch will be provided to all volunteers in the Activity Center.

Although diligent work on recent activity days has the site looking good, it would be much appreci-ated if folks could come to Tollgate before the day of the fair to weed and spruce up the proper-ty. We want the farm to look its best for our guests. The fair is our prime opportunity to let the public know about Tollgate and all that we have to offer. With your assistance, we can make all of

the planning and preparation that the fall fair committee does throughout the year translate into a really great event.

Friday Fair Prep Day: I will be conducting a general set-up for the fair on Friday, September 20th, beginning at 9:00 AM. We will be picking pumpkins, setting out tables and chairs and putting up tents. We will plug along until all is in readiness for the fair. Anyone that would like to help with the Friday set-up would be welcome and greatly appreciated.

On the day of the fair, I will be out and about beginning at 8:00 AM. If you would like to join me in last minute preparations, I would welcome your help.

August was a busy month around the farm. September promises to be even more action packed as the summer winds down with a flurry of activity. I can’t wait to see you all at the fair!

Recognition Dinner: Remember to reserve the date for our end-of-the-year recognition dinner. The Recognition dinner is scheduled for Saturday, November 9th beginning at 4:00 PM. Although November seems like a long time away, it will be here soon!

from the Tol lgate Farm Manager

Roy Prentice

Photos by Larry Bolam

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Bakers NoteBakers NoteBakers Note Goodies and HELP is needed for the upcoming Fall Fair. If you have been a member of the “Food Team” in the past and I have not contacted you for help this year, please contact me.

As usual we depend on your generous donations of goodies to feed our guests. Costco and the other stores make wonderful cookies and are always welcome. NO NUTS, PLEASE!

Many Thanks, Yvonne mainwoods@gmail.com

With just a week until the fair, we are finding ourselves a little short on volunteers. Come on down and give us a hand in our largest communi-ty outreach event of the year. There are spots open from set-up to tear down and all in be-tween. This is a Fun way to get your volunteer hours in. You can either sign-up at the Farm in the Volunteer Communication Center (VCC), or you can give Betsy Wilds a call, or drop her an e-mail and she will set you up. You can even show up the morning of the Fair and I am sure that we can find something that you can help with. There are also a few spots still open for the hospitality group. So if crafting is not up your alley you can sign up with that group or we can use your help all around the farm. Set-up starts at 8:00 AM the day of the fair and we can also use help with the clean-up and tear down too after 3:00 PM.

Please remember that in the morning we will sign in at the Conference Center and in the PM slots we are signing in at the Volunteer Communica-tion Center. You should try to be at the farm at 9:00 AM if you have a morning spot or by 12:00, if you’re going to volunteer for the afternoon shift. Betsy will be there to check you in and will have your assignment for you. Morning volunteers should also make sure you park in the paved lot next to the welcoming table. That lot will be for the exhibitors, handicapped, and the VOLUN-TEERS. If we fill that lot early, it will be much easier to direct traffic to the back lot.

This year we are doing something different for lunch, The Fall Fair Committee will be providing

the main meals and a pasta salad, but if you still want to bring side dishes, we can use all kinds, from salads to deserts. The big difference this year is that you should bring all food in disposa-ble containers or you will need to clean your container yourself for transport home. The girls in the kitchen just have way too much to do to do all those dishes too. We can also need cookies and baked treats for our guests and volunteers, just remember no nuts please.

I want to give a special thanks to all the people who have been working so hard all year to make this fair the best it can be. There have been lots of people that have spent many hours preparing and setting up this event and without them it would be impossible. I also want to remind you that the fair will go on Rain or Shine, and alt-hough all will be under shelter this year please dress accordingly.

We hope to see all of you on the 21st at the Fair and thanks again for your support.

You can contact Betsy Wilds at: betsywilds389@yahoo.com or call her on her cell at 734-846-7888

Dennis Roggers

Submitted by Dennis Roggers

FallFallFall FairFairFair

Photo by Mike Janczarek

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NNNotes from the President

There is no perfection or failure when it comes to gardening-only learning and process. Go out there fearlessly and get some dirt under your nails — Gayla Trail

FALL FAIR APPROACHES!!

This fun filled, family oriented season finale is our most popular Tollgate event! Saturday, September 21st 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. All volunteers are encour-

aged to enjoy the day as a volunteer to assist with the many children oriented crafts and act as Tollgate Ambassadors. Extra volunteers are always welcome as we are in need of runners and coverage for breaks. Please see the related article with contact information in this issue on page 3.

NOMINATIONS

A call for all interested members! September brings the time to make nomi-nations for the officer positions on your Tollgate Gardens Advisory Council (TGAC). All elected positions are voted on every year. This includes President, Vice Presi-dent, Treasurer and Secretary. Serving as a TGAC board member contributes to our organization in ways that do not require physical labor and thus opens another opportunity to participate. These hours are consid-ered towards (re-) certification and this opportunity is open to any member. You may nomi-nate yourself or any other willing Tollgate volunteer. Please consider this opportunity for the growth of our organization as well as your own personal enrichment. We will take verbal, written or e-mailed nominations before or on the date of the September 19th membership meeting. Feel free to contact me with any questions on the responsibilities of these officer positions, also located in the volunteer section of the web page under the by-laws tab.

PLANT DIVISION DONATIONS

Please keep us in mind for all your other fall plant divisions.

We greatly appreciate the wonderful variety of plants that our members donate each year towards our Plant Sale fundraiser. Our gardens at home are a great source of variety that keeps our plant sale popular and profitable! Any non-invasive, healthy plants (with the continued exclusion of hostas) are a welcomed addition. Those that bloom in the spring are a great eye catching advantage at sale time. Shade plants that sold well last year were ferns, bleeding hearts, Solomon seal and ginger. Act now and donate your divisions. See the Nursery notes article on the following page.

Please see the calendar for our activity days since there is still plenty to do! Fall Fair prep clean-up days, and division activity in preparation for the plant sale in the spring to name a few.

Thank you for being a Tollgate Garden Volunteer.

Renee Cottrell, President

Photo by Larry Bolam

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The fall crops are emerging.

Your fall divisions will be much appreciated for next spring plant sale. Our Scheduled division days will be Saturday, September 28th and October 5th. We have decided to test and divide select hosta on the site this year but will hold on taking any outside donations unless they have been parent plants that you have tested and found to be healthy. Early bloom plants are good sellers, shade companion plants, natives, and drought tolerant varieties also sold well. We do not need any more low sedum, chives, or tropical donations.

As a reminder this is our preferred procedure:

Drop off plants already potted and use pencil on the markers provided at the potting bench in the nursery. (There is a plastic coffee can on the potting bench or in the nearest tool shed for labeling plant name and bloom color).

If you need to pot divisions here at Tollgate there are pots available at the potting station or the nearby storage shed that is located across from the Nursery. Use compost in the bin provided, water well.*** If you cannot pot the plants you need to contact me by phone or e-mail so volunteer help can be arranged to pot your donated divisions before they die.

We will use the large holding area in the front portion of the shade structure as the location for division drop off, donated, potted and labeled plants. From here we will relocate to the appropriate shade or sun location.

Renee Cottrell rmcottrell4@att.net, 248-398-2562

NURSERY NOTESNURSERY NOTESNURSERY NOTES

Photos by Darretta Ferasin

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Photos by Darretta Ferasin

Workday ActivitiesWorkday ActivitiesWorkday Activities

THE HOSTA VIRUS X HVX Update

The American Hosta Society’s HVX research project with the University of Minnesota and Dr. Ben Lockhart is wrapping up and a report is expected by the end of the year. It has been confirmed that the transmission of the disease is slow and infected debris will infect uninfected hosta. New hosta plants should not be planted where an infected hosta was removed.

Please use the Tool Disinfecting Kits when working with hosta on the Tollgate grounds. These kits and instructions are located in the tool shed.

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Volunteer Activity Day and Meetings Information

248-347-3860 ext. 400

● The Tollgate Gardens Advisory Council next meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 1, 2013 at 7:00 PM in the Tollgate Office Building. All Tollgate Gardens Volunteer members are welcome to attend.

● Listings to contact individual Council Members and Area Garden Leaders are available at all general meetings and in the Volunteer Communication Center.

● Tollgate Volunteer Membership is renewed annually. The 2012 Tollgate Garden Volunteers membership is from December 1, 2012 to November 30, 2013.

Farm Manager Roy Prentice - 248 347-3860 ext. 251 e-mail - prentic1@msu.edu

President ........................... Renee Cottrell Vice President… ............... Peg Palmer Secretary… ........................ Dave Komraus Treasurer ........................... Sue Janczarek Membership ...................... Nancy Roggers PR ....................................... Yvonne DeMattos Fall Fair .............................. Dennis Roggers Programs ........................... Jackie Stengel Hospitality ......................... Yvonne DeMattos Farm News Editor ............. Darretta Ferasin

For membership questions or to update your current membership information send e-mail to:

tollgatemembership@gmail.com

MSU Tollgate Gardens Volunteers For general information and questions

Contact Roy Prentice

Tollgate Garden Advisory Council

Activity Days Activity day hours are 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM unless otherwise noted on the Tollgate Garden Volunteer Important Dates and Events listed on the first page of the Tollgate Farm News or by the Area Garden Leader (AGL).

Lunch will be provided - veggie alternatives are available upon request.

This schedule does not exclude you from working independently on the site. However, on non-scheduled days, your efforts will need to be self-directed with guidance from the garden area clipboards located in the Volunteer Communication Center.

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Tollgate Volunteer Information

THE TOLLGATE FARM NEWS

Tollgate Gardens Volunteer Office 28115 Meadowbrook Novi, MI, 48377-3128 www.tollgate.msu.edu

Trowel Hand Pruners Loppers Garden Scissors Your Favorite

Weeding Implement Hand Saw

Plant Division Forks Shrub Rake Sun Screen Gloves Knee Pads Insect Repellant

List of Suggested Gardening Implements to Bring

from Home as Needed

Garden Tools Available for Use at Tollgate

Spades

Garden Rakes

Brooms

Wheel Barrels

Weed Buckets

Leaf Rakes

Garden Hoe

Long Handled

Garden Forks