volume vii issue 9 the scoop - master gardeners of

M a s t e r G a r d e n e r s o f R u t h e r f o r d C o u n t y Volume VII Issue 9

THE SCOOP SEPTEMBER 2011

Master Gardeners of Rutherford County

Hosts The

7th Annual

FALL GARDEN EXTRAVAGANZA

Saturday, September 24, 2011

8:00 A.M.— 4:30 P.M.

Farmers Market Building Lane Agri-Park

315 John C. Rice Blvd Murfreesboro, TN

Admission: Adults $5.00 - Children Under 12 Free

Proceeds from this event will be used to fund Rutherford County 4-H Scholarships

FEATURING

TAMMY ALLGOOD — Host of Tennessee Volunteer Gardener and Author of The Complete Southern Cookbook presents:

Using & Keeping Your Home-Grown Veggies

MIKE BERKLEY — Co-Owner of Grow Wild, Inc. & Designer The Clinton Library Land-scape presents:

Natural Designing With Native Plants

MITCHELL MOTE — UT-TSU Extension Agent presents:

Practical Vegetable Gardening

KEVIN GUENTHER — Award-Winning Landscape Architect & Founder of “The Sus-tainable Living Guild” presents:

Gardens: The Pathway to Resourceful Living

PLUS VENDORS — DEMONSTRATIONS — FOOD CONCESSIONS — DOOR PRIZES

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

It’s Never Too Late 2

Pickle Workshop 2

Compost Corner 3

Harvesting Grapes 4

Opportunity for Hours 4

MGs at the Market 5

Greenhouse Gardening 6

Recipe of the Month 9

MGRC Officers & Project

Leaders

9

Calendar & Events 10

THE SCOOP Volume VII Issue 9

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE By: Jack Smith, CMG, TMG Advocacy Board

I intended to write a short piece for the Au-

gust issue of The Scoop about this year’s

Summer Celebration held in Jackson. How-

ever, I forgot about it until it was too late to

get it to the Editor.

For those of you I saw in Jackson, and there

were five or six Rutherford Master Garden-

ers and two from the Rutherford Extension

staff in attendance, I am sure you will agree

the program this year was just as exciting as

the ones past. From “New Plants and De-

serving Oldies” presented by Don Shadow

to “Out of Africa” by Jason Reeves, to “A

Day in the Life of the Dixon” by Dale

Skaggs, Director of the Dixon Gardens in

Memphis, all were excellent presentations in

the auditoriums where one could stay

COOL!

If you wanted to get hot sun and hot fresh

air you could go outside to the tents and take

the AgResearch Wagon Tour of the research

and Education Center; or you could “Check

Out The Mail” with Carol Reese and Jason

Reeves to learn how to use plants around

your mailbox; or you could “Roll Out the

Barrels” with a group of West Tennessee

Master Gardeners to learn how to capture

rainwater to use in your gardens. You could

even check out the tent for “Plants for the

Birds, Butterflies & Bees” or check out the

“Old Timey Garden Wisdom” tent and learn

something about vegetable gardening. Then,

if all of the exercise and the HOT & COOL

temperatures finally got to you, you could

go to the 4-H tent to get a couple of ham-

burgers, chips and a cool drink.

This year, as in past years, The 2011 Sum-

mer Celebration was a, “dripping with

sweat”, success. If you have never been to

this annual program on the second Thursday

in July, you should start making plans to

attend in 2012. You will not be able to take

in all of the programs you want to attend;

but I guarantee the day will be one of learn-

ing, enjoyment, and just plain fun! Mark

your 2012 calendar.

The Pumpkin Harvest Display 2011 at the

West Tennessee Research & Education Cen-

ter features fantastic displays by Jason

Reeves, will be open September 29 through

November 27. This is one event you will

want to attend. Jason, as usual, will have

one of the most spectacular presentations in

the state. ◊

Pat Whitaker, Rutherford County Extension, will be offering a lecture and workshop on “The Secret Life of Pickles” on October 13 from 10:00-12:00 at the Extension Center. Bill Hettig, Master Brine Pickler, will be leading the workshop. Participation will be your choice of: Pickling Lecture & Handouts & Pickle Sampling Free Pickling Lecture & Workbook, Mastry of Brine Pickling $ 5.00 Pickling Lecture, Workbook & Perfect Pickler Kit & Workshop $30.00

For information contact Rutherford County Extension 615-898-7710


THE COMPOST CORNER the Compost “Food Pyramid”

By: Mark Murphy, CMG

T he USDA Food Pyramid, originally created in

1992, was recently replaced with a circular

“plate” design. Though the graphic style may have

changed along with some of the dietary recommenda-

tions, I think those charts have served as an effective

reminder that we need a good balance of foods for op-

timum nutrition and health.

Speaking of balance, it can be challenging to strike a

good balance between all of the materials and ele-

ments necessary to achieve an efficient composting

process. To help visualize those requirements, I created

a simple “food pyramid” for the compost pile.

Organic Matter - At the top of the graph is Or-

ganic Matter, the biomass that provides the raw mate-

rial that will become the “black gold” compost humus.

A good mixture of “Green” (nitrogen-rich) and

“Brown” (carbon) materials is ideal. Grass clippings,

fruit and vegetable scraps, and coffee grounds are com-

mon sources of Green matter. Some examples of com-

postable Browns are leaves, paper, wood chips, and

pine needles.

Oxygen and Water - Organic Matter, Oxygen,

and Water combine to make the “big 3” of composting.

To have an effective aerobic compost pile, those three

items must be present. Hopefully, with a little effort on

your part (and a little bit of luck), those items will com-

bine in the right proportions. The Oxygen and Water

are needed to sustain the microorganisms that will

“feed” on the Organic Matter. That microbial activity

creates the end-product of humus-rich compost.

As the compost pile “settles” under its own weight,

much of the air (and oxygen) is driven out of the pile.

Also, the respiration of the microorganisms further re-

duces the available oxygen. Thus, it is often

necessary to turn (or mix, or stir) the

compost pile to infuse it with fresh

air. If the microbes are al-

lowed to dehydrate,

they will become

dormant or die,

and the

compost

pile will stop “working”. So, strive to keep the pile moist

by applying supplemental water if needed. I have often

heard the analogy of the pile being damp “like a wrung-

out sponge”… evenly moist, but not saturated or water-

logged. Too much water will only serve to drive the air

out of the pile and suffocate the microbes.

pH - The composting microorganisms are most active

when a favorable pH is present in the compost pile.

However, as the microbes decompose the organic mat-

ter, organic acids are often released. When composting

items that tend to be acidic, such as oak leaves or pine

needles, it can be helpful to add some Lime to neutral-

ize those acids. Aeration of the compost pile also helps

to normalize acid levels.

Temperature - The size of the compost pile can

play a significant role in its ability to maintain an effec-

tive internal temperature. When building a new com-

post pile, the traditional recommendation is to make it

at least 1 Cubic Yard in size. When the compost pile is

of a sufficient size, it is able to maintain moisture and

heat inside the pile, regardless of outside atmospheric

conditions. That brings up another strong point for

turning/mixing the compost pile. Since the materials

that are on the edges of the pile often dehydrate when

(Continued on page 8)

Organic

Matter

Water Oxygen

Temperature pH


Please remember too, that with the help of Jan-elee Wise, one of our new interns, we are now hosting an information table at the Saturday Mar-ket on the historic square in Downtown Murfrees-boro each Saturday from 8:00 to noon. Janelee will have all of the materials for our information table at the Saturday Market, so all we have to do is show up and talk to folks. I know that some of our members have indicated that their schedules did not allow them to volunteer at the Rutherford County Farmers Market during the week, so here is an opportunity to volunteer and get in some hours on a Saturday. Anyone interested in helping out with the Saturday Market can simply call Jan-elee Wise at 308-1025.

As Master Gardeners at the Market begins the month of September, please note that it will be very important for us to use these opportunities to promote our Fall Garden Extravaganza to the greatest extent possible. Whether working our


I can’t say thank you enough to those or you who continue to volunteer at the Farmers Market.

With your help, we have provided much needed and much appreciated concessions at the Farmer Market for three and a half months now. We have just two more full months to go, including Septem-ber-where almost all volunteer slots are filled up. Hang in there, we are almost done!

With your help, for the month of August our total Concessions sales were $282.30, while total ex-penses were $155.89. Our concession sales to date total $1043.50 and total expenses to date are $429.29. So, after expenses we have now raised $614.21! Proceeds from concessions sales will be used to support our Dwayne Trail 4-H Scholarship Fund, as well as to help fund many of our other on-going service activities throughout our community.

Our August First Fridays at the Market Program was presented by Linda Lindquist, who gave a very interesting and informative program on making hy-pertufa planters. Everyone in attendance was very engaged in Linda’s demonstrations, and I am sure they will be putting their newfound skills to work around their gardens soon. Our next program will be on September 2nd at 8:30 and again at 10:00am, and will be presented by our own Jack Smith who will be covering fall gardening.

Thanks also to everyone for continuing to assist Janie Becker, the Farmers Market Manager, with the promotion of Terrific Tuesdays and with the sale of the new Farmers Market Totes, as well as with gathering culled and spoiled produce from Market vendors to add to the on-site Compost Bins at the Butterfly Garden Pavilion.

MASTER GARDENERS AT THE MARKET By: Reggie Reeves, Project Coordinator, CMG

Hypertufa Lecture—Fridays at the Market Program


MARKET

Information Table, Concessions, or giving a Program at the Rutherford County Farmers Market, or working our informa-tion table at the Saturday Market, over the next several weeks we will have many opportunities to inform and excite folks about our Fall Garden Extrava-ganza. The success of this event will be directly related to how well we have got-

ten the word out about it. ◊

Any Master Gardener or Intern who would like to participate in any of these Master Gardeners at the Market oppor-tunities is welcome to contact me, Reggie Reeves, via e-mail at [email protected] , or by phone at 615-210-3050 We typically try to com-plete sign-ups for the following month at each of our monthly meetings.

(Continued from page 4)

HARVESTING THE GRAPES BY: By Dr. W. Anderson, CMG; Dr. T. Johnston and Dr. N Phillips, School of

Agribusiness & Agriscience, MTSU

O n Monday August 15th, Dr Phillips, MTSU students and I harvested

1000 lbs of grapes. If clusters weigh ½ pound, the estimated yield for the vine-yard was 2.3 tons or 4600 lbs of grapes. Hopefully you were all able to harvest a portion of the remaining 3600 lbs of grapes before the birds gleaned the vines?

I walked the vineyard this morning and noticed that the birds were not roosting on the wires on Gresham Lane. All the clusters I saw on the vines in the three rows were picked clean. The birds have been really busy. All the grapes Dr. Phillips and I picked on August 15 will be used in a class at MTSU.

◊

Opportunity For Community Service Hours at the

Main Street Saturday Market on the square. The Saturday market will con-

tinue through the month of October. We can use one volunteer each week to

help at the Master Gardener Info table giving out fliers and talking about the

Master Gardener classes.

Contact Janelee Wise: [email protected] or 616-308-1025.

mailto:[email protected]



GREENHOUSE GARDENING — FEATURES & ACCESORIES By: Marilyn Rogan, CMG

W elcome to the fourth article in a series in-tended to help you decide whether a green-

house is a proper investment for your gardening ad-ventures. In this article we will look at basic features and selected accessories that are commonly associ-ated with greenhouses. This will help in understand-ing the level of investment and type of commitment required to build and operate a greenhouse.

ACCESS

A basic feature of any greenhouse is access. If you can’t get in it, there’s no sense having it. Many times we don’t think about the simplest things until it is too late, getting inside the greenhouse, a simple thing, but a pedestrian door opening is 30 inches. What about a wheelbarrow? Okay, that’s a 40 inch pedes-trian door. How about a rototiller, that required 48 inch pedestrian door.

If you have a large growing area, it might be neces-sary to get a garden tractor, estate tractor or other rather large implement inside? Perhaps you’ll need a larger door or a double door where half of it allows for pedestrian access and the other half allows for equipment and other larger items to pass through. Such large access points could also be a way to vent the structure, so consider louvers and screens as well.

VENTS

One of the first features necessary for any green-house is a means of controlling the climate – most importantly, venting excess heat, especially in the south. Without vents, a greenhouse will quickly over-heat. Vents are also necessary to allow insects to enter the greenhouse in support of pollination. There are three basic types of vents, automatic electric automatic hydraulic, and manual.

Manual vents will be the least expensive to install, but they require operator interface at least twice a day. Unless you can be there in the morning and eve-ning to open and close these vents, then manual vents are not for you. They are inexpensive and cost nothing to operate is their advantage.

Automatic hydraulic vents operate based on the tem-perature they sense. When the fluid inside them warms up a bit they open. When it cools, they close.

The weight capable of being lifted by hydraulic vents is generally limited, so these should be used in smaller greenhouses that have smaller and lighter vents and windows that require opening. They usu-ally are installed at or near the roof line, where warm air will accumulate. I have these in my 12’x16’ green-house and they work great.

Automatic electric vents are another good choice. They are somewhat costly, but allow a greenhouse gardener to coordinate their operation with the in-ternal temperature of the greenhouse. Thermostats can be used to switch live load powering the vents. Typically set the vents to open when the greenhouse is warm and close when it starts to cool down. This preserves thermal energy within the structure and allows you to be someplace else. One advantage of using a thermostatic control for this type vent is they can be coordinated with an exhaust fan. And, the thermostat can be centrally located so vents and fans are operated based on internal temperatures that better reflect overall temperature within the struc-ture.

FANS

Fans inside a greenhouse are necessary for two basic functions. The first is to ventilate the structure so it doesn’t overheat. Overheating can kill plants and hasten the deterioration of greenhouse film. You can control your fans usage and conserve energy by set-ting the exhaust fans to come on after vents have already been open for a while. Perhaps have set points of high and low temperatures and when met turn on and off.

The second use for fans is to circulate air within the greenhouse. This is less a concern for the hobby gar-dener, but still very necessary in the south. However, if you have a commercial operation where the struc-ture can be rather large, air circulation helps reduce humidity and minimizes areas with stagnant air. In addition, to helping reduce humidity, moving air also discourages pests that would like a nice sheltered environment in which to set up house.

In large or commercial greenhouses you might con-

sider rollup sides as an alternative to vents and fans.



GREENHOUSE

Like manual venting, a manual rollup side would require

an operator to be present in morning and evening to con-

trol ventilation. This type application is most often found

on Quonset hut style greenhouses.

HEATERS

If you are going to use your greenhouse year round due to

the type of plants that you are growing, then you will

need to heat the greenhouse in the winter or cold

months. In our area you will need to add heat from No-

vember thru March. Commercial growers will usually use

propane and/or natural gas ceiling heaters. However, for

the smaller gardener an electric heater with a fan will

likely be fine. If you find that a smaller gas heater will

work well for you, you may need to use a fan as most do

not come with a fan. Adding a fan will help distribute the

heat more evenly.

For smaller or specialized applications, one might elect to

use soil heating cable in or under beds, or heating mats

under flats. Hydroponic heating can also be used in bench

configurations. One of the advantages of such in/under

soil heating methods is heat is applied to plant roots, just

where it’s most appreciated. A disadvantage is that it isn’t

conducive to rearranging plants, tables and benches. Each

time the configuration changes, the heating system must

change with it.

SHELVES AND BENCHES

As is the case in most work areas, shelves are a handy

way of keeping tools and resources available, yet in their

assigned place. Shelves can hold small tools, supplies and

other items that are useful for planting and managing

crops.

Workbenches and tables come in handy for potting

plants, setting up seedling trays, processing your harvest,

of just about any activity. It is advisable to make a layout

of your greenhouse prior to purchasing shelves and

benches, etc. This will minimize error in usage of space.

Allow space for grow lights, propagation with heat pads

and shelving for mature plants and potting space.

WATER

Water is an essential for your operations, having an inside

water source is very worthwhile. These usually are a

freeze proof type hydrant that obviates draining water

lines in the winter. Larger greenhouses should have sev-

eral water sources to maintain plants.

It is easy to install a drip type water system on a timer to

water the plants and save you time as well as being able

to water when you are not present. Drip systems are not

extremely expensive to operate and conserve water us-

age.

I recommend a potting table with a sink as your work-

station for the smaller greenhouse. It is not only conven-

ient, but allows you to complete your potting in one loca-

tion and then clean up afterwards.

.ELECTRICITY

In planning your greenhouse location, make sure you

have both water and electricity access. And if you want to

use gas, make sure you can add a line to the greenhouse.

You will need to make sure all lines are laid to meet the

local codes. Electricity will be needed for any size green-

house for ventilation/climate control, air circulation, heat-

ers, seedling heat mats, lights, and perhaps pumps.

You might even care to have a radio or phone system and

power tools, so plan for many electrical outlets. I have

outlets on the wall about every two feet. Be sure they are

ground fault plugs since you will be using water around

the plugs or possibly have wet hands.



The Scoop Volume VII Issue 9

COMPOST

GREENHOUSES

the weather is dry or windy, or freeze during winter

conditions, mixing the compost can help bring those

“outside” materials in contact with the active microor-

ganisms at the core of the pile.

Feed your compost pile well, and it will help you grow

fantastic fruits and vegetables that will keep you well-

fed. ◊ Garden on!

Send your questions or comments about Compost/Composting to [email protected], and we’ll try to address your concerns or include your input in fu-ture installments of The Compost Corner.


LIGHTS

Lighting will be much less frequently used resource in

a greenhouse, but nonetheless important. If you in-

tend to work after dark or use lights to get seedlings

started, then various forms of lighting will be desir-

able. In a commercial operation or one that involves

hydroponics or aquaponics, lighting is more important.

Having adequate lighting in the greenhouse allows for

usage during early morning or late evening operations.

It may also eliminate shaded areas in the greenhouse.

It may be wise to provide supplemental light for plants

in these areas, or if you are starting seedlings in Janu-

ary/February when natural light isn’t sufficient.

It is advisable to use light fixtures overhead that are

covered glass domes which seal the bulb in glass pro-

tecting it from moisture.

SUMMING IT UP

So, based on this overview of features and accessories,

it should be clear that a greenhouse is much more

than simply a clear covering over a gardening struc-

ture. It’s really much more like a small plant growing

environment that requires certain basic features to

make it work well, and more advanced features if

we’re trying to maximize what we’re able to get out of

our investment.

The next edition and last edition of this series will ad-

dress greenhouse operations. The intention is to give

you some idea of how to use a greenhouse with all of

its features and accessories to your best advantage. ◊


“Kind hearts are the garden,

Kind thoughts are the roots,

Kind words are the blossoms,

Kind deeds are the fruit.”

By: John Ruskin



MEXICAN CHICKEN From: Katherine Smith, CMG

INGREDIENTS :

4 large chicken breasts*

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 can Ro-Tel® tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 cup green pepper, chopped

1 cup onion, chopped

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 cup grated Kraft ® sharp cheese

1 large bag Doritos® type chips

INSTRUCTIONS:

Boil chicken. Remove skin and bone.

Combine the following: soup, Ro-Tel®, tomato sauce, pepper, onion, garlic powder, chili powder, 1/2 cup

cheese.

Grease 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Line bottom of dish with some of crushed Doritos® type chips. Place chicken on chips. Pour remaining ingredients over chicken.

Bake at 350⁰ for 30 minutes.

Top with rest of chips and 1/2 cup cheese and return to oven until cheese melts. * Deli Roast chicken may be used.

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

2011 MGRC OFFICERS

2011 MGRC OFFICERS

President Linda Lindquist

Vice President Judy Cunningham

Secretary Karla Hagan

Co-Treasurers Emily Arnold

James Dickson

Newsletter Editor Katherine Smith

Website Coordinator Bob Ellis

Event Coordinator Doretha Jackson

County Director & Master

Gardener Coordinator

Anthony Tuggle

Sam Davis Home Judy Cunningham Butterfly Garden Nancy Nelson Garden Basics Jack Smith Farmers’ Market Reggie Reeves 4-H Classes Keith Miller St. Claire Senior Center Garden Ed Burnett Habitat for Humanity; Vineyard & New Community Garden Warren Anderson

2011 MGRC PROJECT COORDINATORS

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30


DATE EVENT LOCATION CONTACT

Sept. 10 & 11 Marie Humphreys Fall Open House & Native Plant Sale Weekday 9:00-5:00 Sunday 1:00-5:00

Reflection Riding Arboretum & Botani-cal Garden — Chattanooga, TN

423-821-9582

Sept. 24 Fall Garden Extravaganza

8:00-4:30

Adults: $5.00

Children under 12: Free

Lane Agri-Park Farmers Market—Murfreesboro, TN

[email protected]

Sept. 29— Nov. 27

Pumpkin Harvest Display West Tennessee Research & Educa-tion Center—Jackson, TN

west.tennessee.edu/events

Sept 29 & 30 20th Annual Urban Forestry Conference Ellington Agricultural Center Nashville, TN

urbanforestryconference.org

Coming Events

Market on Square Farmers Market

September 2011

1st Fri. at the Mar-ket-Fall Gardening 8:30-9 & 10-10:30

Farmers Market

Farmers Market

Farmers Market

Farmers Market

Farmers Market

Farmers Market

Farmers Market

MG MEETING

6:30 PM Extravaganza

Market on Square

Market on Square

Brown Bag—Veg

Grdn—Fall & Winter

Care

UT/TSU Rutherford County Extension

Lane Agri-Park

315 John R. Rice Blvd.

Suite 101

Murfreesboro, TN 37129

Phone: 615-898-7710

Fax: 615-898-7999

Email: [email protected]

Editor Email: [email protected]

“The Scoop” is the official newsletter of the Master Gardeners of Rutherford County, Tennessee and is

published by email the first week of the month. Those members without email and who are not able to

attend meetings may receive the newsletter by U.S.Postal mail. The deadline for articles, pictures,

events, etc. to be included in the newsletter is due the last Friday of the month.

Meetings are held on the third Monday of each month at the Lane Agri Park at 6:30 p.m., unless speci-

fied. Membership is $25 for a single or $35 for a couple at the same address. All memberships are valid

January through December and are pro-rated for new members only.

Please note: Master Gardener Certification requires 40 hours of training plus 40 hours of volunteer ser-

vice. Recertification requirements are 25 volunteer hour, plus 8 hours of continuing education per year.

Attendance at meetings counts as 1.5 hour of continuing education and 1.5 hours of administration.

Trade and brand names are used only for information. UT/TSU Extension does not guarantee nor warrant

the standard of any product mentioned; neither does it imply approval of any product to the exclusion of

others which also may be suitable.

Programs in agriculture and natural resources, 4—H youth development, family and consumer sciences

and resource development. University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agricul-

ture, county governments cooperating, UT Extension, and Tennessee State University.

M a s t e r G a r d e n e r s o f R u t h e r f o r d C o u n t y

www.mastergardner-rc.org

We’re on the Web:

www.mastergardeners-rc.org


volume vii issue 9 the scoop - master gardeners of

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