JUNEAU COUNTY

MASTER GARDENERS NEWSLETTER

November 2014

UW-Extension Juneau County

This day is mainly centered on a harvest meal with family and friends gathering for camaraderie and to give thanks. One of the images that are associated with this holiday is a cornucopia filled to the overflowing with fruits and vegetables.

The annual observances of thanksgiving began casually in American colonial times a time to be thankful after the season of harvest. Traditionally the menus usually included turkey, bread-stuffing, cranberry sauce, squash, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. These simple foods recall the rustic values of the Pilgrim lifestyle. Added is the fact that most of these foods are native to North America, highlighting the natural bounty that greeted these early settlers in their adopted homeland.

Enjoy this day, remembering and giving thanks for our current bounty

blessings, freedoms and way of life. And let us all pray that it will continue.

Juneau County Master Gardener Meeting Minutes October 27, 2014 6:00pm

The October 27th meeting was held at the Elroy Public Library. There were 23 members and guests present for the pot-luck, meeting, and silent auction. Everyone introduced him or herself. Thank you to all who brought delicious dishes to share.

Approval of Minutes: Minutes from the September meeting were approved as written.

Treasurers Report: Irene Klingemann: Beginning balance: $1926.42 Income: September meeting plant sale $3.00 donation for yard work $50.00, (8) dues @ $12.00 each: $96.00 Total income: $149.00 Total expenses: $0.00 Ending balance: $2075.42

Correspondence: Maureen Fox read a thank you note from Leah Day for yard work assistance. A thank you note from Dwayne and Vada Olson for donations to the Necedah food pantry was shared with the group.

Craig Saxe’s Report: Don Gingrich gave Craig Saxe an update on the Adams County Master Gardeners group: the president passed away, and the group will name a new president and continue. A high school agriculture student will be job-shadowing Craig from November 3 through January 15. Questions about Farm Progress Days were asked. The last time it was held in Juneau County was 1957. The sponsoring county keeps all funds after expenses are paid.

Membership Report: Karla Riley thanked all who have turned in hours for 2014.

President’s Report: Maureen Fox updated the group on future WIMGA meetings: the 2015 state meeting will be in La Crosse. The 2016 Midwest Regional meeting will be held at Chula Vista in Wisconsin Dells. There are grants available for projects, and members are urged to check the Master Gardener website for information.

Secretary’s Report: N/A

Historian’s Report: N/A

Training: Craig Saxe shared his slides from his recent trip to Costa Rica, and he explained the agriculture and life style of the area during the presentation. The group also watched Craig’s slide show of beautiful plants and flowers growing in Costa Rica, which played during the lunch and prior to the meeting.

Projects updates: Project for Leah Day was completed.

Old Business: Dues for 2015 are now due.

New Business: Dixondale onions are available for ordering; contact Maureen Fox. The Elroy Methodist Church will have a brunch and auction on November 15. A motion was made by Lutrelle Manna to donate $100 to each of the five Juneau County food pantries (for a total of $500.00). A second was made by Bev Kozlowski. The motion passed.

Other Business:

Meeting reminders:

Adjournment:

Respectfully Submitted by Lutrelle Manna

NOTICE: Mandatory Child Protection Training Reminder that all UWEX staff and volunteers are required to complete a class on mandatory reporting of possible

or probable child abuse or neglect. Those of us present at our April meeting have completed this requirement. Those of you who were unable to attend have the option to complete this class online.

Go to http://wcwpds.wisc.edu/mandatedreporter/ to get started or use the link on the MG website (under for MGVs and For Facilitators). The training counts as 1 hour of continuing education. Even though some people may not volunteer with youth, we all have the potential to interact with youth at some point and this is important information. Training must be completed by this October when timesheets are due.

Let’s have some fun !!!!

Turkey Trivia Quiz

How much do you know about the turkey?

Take Aristotle's Turkey Trivia Quiz and find out!

1. When was the first Thanksgiving

celebration? 1492 1567 1621 1777

2. Where was the turkey first domesticated? Canada

Mexico and Central America New Zealand India

3. What is a female turkey called? a rooster a cuckoo a chick a hen

4. What is a male turkey called? a larry a clark a harry a tom

5. What great American statesman lobbied to make the turkey the national symbol? Benjamin Franklin Thomas Jefferson John Adams Andrew Jackson

6. What sound does a female turkey make? gobble cluck chirp peep

7. What sound does a male turkey make? gobble click chirp peep

8. About how many feathers does a mature turkey have? 1,500 2,000 3,500 5,000

9. Which state produces the most turkeys annually? Kansas

Ohio Arkansas Minnesota

10. How fast can wild turkeys run? 5 mph 15 mph 25 mph 45 mph

11. How does Arkansas rank among the other states in turkey production? first third

eighth fourteenth

12. What Native American tribe celebrated the first Thanksgiving with the colonists? the Wampanoag tribe the Sioux tribe the Choctaw tribe the Arapaho tribe

13. Can wild turkeys fly? If so, how fast? No. Yes, up to 25 mph

Yes, up to 40 mph Yes, up to 55 mph

14. Approximately what percentage of American homes eats turkey on Thanksgiving? 49% 67%

82% 90%

15. Approximately what percentage of American homes eats turkey on Christmas? 34% 50% 67% 89%

16. What is the name of the skin that hangs from a turkey's neck? snark wattle garble swag

17. Which U.S. president specified that Thanksgiving would fall on the last Thursday of November? Martin Van Buren Andrew Jackson William H. Taft Abraham Lincoln

18. Which president attempted to move the Thanksgiving holiday to the fourth Thursday in November to create a longer Christmas shopping season? Franklin D. Roosevelt Dwight D. Eisenhower Harry S. Truman Gerald R. Ford

19. Which country consumes the most turkey per year per capita? The United States Israel

Spain The United Kingdom

20. What is the best way to defrost a turkey? with a hair dryer in the refrigerator in cold water in the microwave oven

Page # 4 of 8

Juneau County Master Gardener Projects :

Anyone interested in helping on any of these, please contact person listed. This is a great way to accumulate volunteer

support hours towards certification.

Adopt-a-Highway – Maureen Fox, 462-4228

Cleaning trash along Highway 58 South of Mauston

Boorman House – Irene Klingemann, 847-7562/Brigitte Varga, 847-4239/Margret Hummelbeck, 562-3856

Garden renovation around the Juneau County Historical Society Boorman House

Watering and Shade Garden – Marion & Jack Koca, 847-4580/Gail Novotny, 547-0715

Hosta Garden & O’Brian Building – Kari Olson, 562-5302/Bonnie Davey, 562-5230, Karla Riley, 847-2506

Buckhorn State Park Project – Maureen Fox, 462-4228

Maintain plantings and gardens around the office and cabins

Carl W. Nelson Animal Shelter – Rosemary Aney, 847-5558

Planting annuals and maintaining flower bed

Dave Brendle Park – Jan Brendle, 565-7290

New project in process

Elroy Fair – Bev Kozlowski; 462-5401

Manning booth for distributing MG information and plant sales

Grayside Community Gardens – Arris Sullivan, 562-5181/Irene Klingemann, 847-7562

Update community garden

Juneau County Fair – Sarah Huggins, 319- 899-9402/Debby Bollig, 547-9238/Marsha Lubinski, 847-5166

Entering an Open Class Booth with MG information

Juneau County Courthouse – Lutrelle Manna, 666-2096

Lawn Clean-up & Possible Plantings

Mauston Courthouse - Lutrelle Manna, 666-2096

Planting annuals and maintaining flower bed

Mauston Food Pantry Flower Beds – Marsha Lubinski, 847-5166

Planting annuals and maintaining flower bed

Necedah National Wildlife Refuge - Karla Riley, 847-2506/Arris Sullivan, 562-5181/Audrey Traver, 427-3761

Start-up project

New Lisbon City Planters – Arris Sullivan, 562-5181

Planting annuals and maintaining flower beds/planters

Sea of Change transitional house - Debby Bollig, 547-9238

low maintenance landscape plantings

Wonewoc Library Seed Exchange - Sarah Huggins, 319- 899-9402

Start-up project

Note from Gypsy Dear Friends

Time to put away the tools. The party's over. Time to rest and wait for the new catalogs.

This was the year of the "Morton War". Peace is reigning right now. We will see what happens this spring.

I hope to have "the new and improved" flower beds. So friends sit back, prop you feet up and enjoy our Wisconsin Winter.

Until next time

Gypsy Jean aka Jean Morton

Page # 5 of 8

Calendar of Events NOTE: Be sure to call & check times & dates to verify event. Contact for more information on any event at Olbrich Botanical

Gardens, 3330 Atwood Ave., Madison, WI 53704; phone (608)

246-4550. For events at Rotary Botanical Gardens, 1455 Palmer

Drive, Janesville, WI 53545, phone (608) 752-3885 ext. 17. For

events at West Madison Ag Research Station, 8502 Mineral Point

Rd., Verona, WI 53593-9689, phone (608) 262-2257,

http://www.cals.wisc.edu/westmad/garden/Events.html

Nov 22 - Growing "Super Fruits" in Wisconsin - Olbrich

Botanical Gardens, Madison, WI - Have you been tempted

by miraculous claims about exotic fruits and berries? You may

wonder what is it about these fruits that lifts them out of the

ranks of the ordinary into exalted super-fruit status. In

recent years, modern science has found a wide variety of plant

nutrients in select plants. Those deemed "super" by nutrition

scientists are packed with antioxidants, fiber, vitamins,

minerals, and other nutrients. What's even more amazing is

that you can grow many of these plants in your yard! Join fruit

aficionado John Holzwart from 1:00 to 3:0 p.m. and learn

about super-fruits like aronia, elderberry, sea buckthorn,

cornelian-cherry dogwood, and how to grow them in Wisconsin.

$19 ($15 members). For more information contact Olbrich

Botanical Gardens, 3330 Atwood Ave., Madison, WI 53704;

phone (608) 246-4550.

Nov 28 thru Dec 30 - 15th Annual WPS Garden of Lights

- Green Bay Botanical Garden, Green Bay, WI - A holiday

favorite featuring over 200,000 lights crafted in flowers,

butterflies, and other botanical themes. Fridays, Saturdays,

and Sundays from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m., plus selected additional

days from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Various admission rates. For more

information, contact the Green Bay Botanical Garden, 2600

Larsen Road, P.O. Box 12644, Green Bay, WI 54307-2644 at

(920) 491-3691 ext 103.

Dec 3 - Evergreen Holiday Wreaths with Natural Materials

Workshop - Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison, WI -

Wouldn't you like to be able to enjoy native plants indoors as

much as the birds and insects do in your garden? Many native

plants are long-lasting and beautiful in fresh summer bouquets,

and they can be dried for winter arrangements. Mariette

Nowak, author of Birdscaping in the Midwest, will discuss some

of the best native plants to include in your landscape for cut

flowers and foliage, including everything you need to create

beautiful indoor arrangements. A variety of native plant

bouquets will be illustrated as inspiration in this class from

1:30 to 3:00 p.m.. $15 ($12 members).

Dec 6 - Basic Flower Arranging with Native Plants and How

to Grow Them - Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison, WI -

Evergreen holiday wreaths smell wonderful and add charm to

your winter decorating scheme. Join Olbrich Horticulturists

Samantha Peckham and Samara Eisnert from 6;30 to 8;30 p.m.

o learn how to decorate your own unique wreath with natural

materials from Olbrich's gardens. Fresh evergreen wreath,

plant materials, and other supplies provided to make one

holiday wreath. $71 ($57 members).

Dec 7 thru 31 - Olbrich's Holiday Express - Flower and

Model Train Show - Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison,

WI - Twinkling lights, festive poinsettias, tiny landscapes,

and large-scale model trains: all aboard for Olbrich’s Holiday

Express! Trains travel through miniature evergreen forests

and colorful poinsettias as they make their way through a

detailed landscape made of natural materials by Olbrich's

horticulture staff. Daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., except

Dec 24 (closes at 2pm) and closed Dec 25. Admission is $3 for

adults, $2 for children ages 3 – 12 (OBS members free) and

includes admission to the tropical Bolz Conservatory.

Admission is free each Wednesday 10 a.m. to noon.

Dec 12 thru 28 - Holiday Light Show - Rotary Botanical

Gardens, Janesville, WI - Experience over 200,000 seasonal

lights and numerous displays on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays

and Sundays. Inside the Parker Education Center, you will find

the Wisconsin Garden Railway model trains weaving their way

through a variety of holiday scenes, Rock Valley Quilter’s quilt

display, nightly entertainment, refreshments and more.

Jan 10, 2015 - Garden Dreams: A Saturday with the

Portage County Master Gardener Volunteers, Amherst, WI

- Join the Portage County MGV’s in this seminar from 7:30 am

to 3:00 pm with three great speakers. At the Lettie W.

Jensen Community Center, 487 North Main Street, Amherst.

For more information contact Gail Zalewski. Registration flyer

available November 1, 2014.

Jan 31 - Feb 1, 2015 - Orchid Quest 2015 - Madison,

WI - This annual mid-winter show and sale of the Madison

Orchid Growers Guild will be from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on

Saturday and until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday in the Exhibition Hall

of the Alliant Energy Center. Educational seminars each day

and many vendors. $7 one day entry/$10 two day pass. For

more information see the orchid guild website or call (608)

231-3163.

Feb 13-15, 2015 - WPT's Garden Expo - Madison, WI -

Sponsored by Wisconsin Public Television, Friends of WHA-

TV, and the UW-Extension Horticulture Team, this event

draws nearly 16,000 people to view 400 booths, provided by

numerous exhibitors over 100,000 square-feet. Certified

MGVs will assist UW-Extension Specialists and Agents in

answering questions in the UW-Extension booth. Numerous

educational seminars, demonstrations, and workshops are

offered on a variety of horticultural topics. Hours are Fri

3:00-9:00, Sat 9:00-6:00, and Sun 10:00-4:00. In the

Exhibition Hall, Alliant Energy Center. An admission fee is

charged to this fundraiser to support WI Public TV

programming. For more information visit WPT's Garden Expo

website.

Send articles and other ideas for the Master Gardeners

Newsletter to: Irene Klingemann, W5805 Brown Road,

Mauston WI 53948 Or email: klingermstn@wildblue.net

Page # 6 of 8

SAVE THE DATE:

July 31-August 1, 2015

Bluff Country Master Gardeners Association

will be hosting the Wisconsin Master Gardener

Association’s Annual Conference (WIMGA ) in

La Crosse WI

For more details check the following:

https://www.facebook.com/WIMGA.2015.conference/

http://www.bluffcountrymastergardeners.org/

Hort - Q&A Here’s a sample of horticultural questions received and answered by Juneau County Extension Agriculture Agent, Craig Saxe or a Juneau County Master Gardener Volunteer. Have a question or comment just call 608-847-9329 or email craig.saxe@ces.uwex.edu.

Q: What can I do to prepare my vegetable garden for winter and next season?

A: Applying lime to your vegetable garden before winter will enhance your yield in the next growing season. Applying five to ten pounds of lime per one hundred square feet will replenish calcium and magnesium levels. Applying the lime will also neutralize the acidity.

Performing a soil test on your garden is also a must. If you want to do this on your own, you should dig fifteen holes around your garden in random places. These holes should be dug around six to eight inches deep. You want to shave a slice of the soil in the hole and put it in a bucket. You will end up doing this to every hole and mixing the soil together. You will then send it to a lab such as UW-Marshfield soil labs to be tested. Although not as accurate, another way to perform a soil test is to purchase a soil test kit at your local hardware store or gardening center. This kit will have instructions to help you perform these tests. The soil tests will inform you on what type of different fertilizers should be applied to your garden to help it in the next growing season.

Get rid of the spent and dead plants. Starting a compost pile is a great way to utilize these dead and spent plants. Cutting the plants into smaller pieces will help them break down faster. Any plants that appear to have disease or insect problems should be put in the trash or burned. If you leave them lying in the garden to break down, the diseased plants will break down and stay within the soil. Adding shredded leaves to your compost pile will add a balance of nitrogen and carbon to help the breaking down process move along more rapidly.

After removing all dead and spent plants, it is a good time to till the garden under. Tilling the garden will force

and dead material that you missed into the soil. This will allow for these small pieces to break down.

Submitted by Pat Cauley

Pat Cauley is a senior at Mauston high school who has been job shadowing Craig Saxe at the Juneau County Extension Office and is learning many things about agriculture. This experience will be useful in his career decisions as his future plans are to attend UW-Platteville to study agribusiness. Being around agriculture his entire life has driven him to go on to study this and is eager to see what the future holds for him. Pat also enjoys hunting and being in the outdoors, playing football in the fall and baseball in the spring.

International MG Conference The next conference is September 22-25, 2015 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

https://www.facebook.com/2015InternationalMasterGardenerConference

Midwest Regional MG Conference

The next conference will be Sept 14-17, 2016 in Wisconsin Dells. Details to follow.

Page # 7 of 8

If you would like to host a garden meeting, list two months of your choice:

1st choice___________ 2

nd choice ____________

If you are a current Master Gardener, list the year you took your training:

______________________

If not, would you like information on becoming a Master Gardener?

__________________________

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY

STATE ZIP

PHONE ( )

E-MAIL

ANNUAL DUES: $12.00 from January thru December 2015

FILL IN THIS FORM AND CHECK PAYABLE TO: Juneau County Master Gardeners AND MAIL TO:

Irene Klingemann, W5805 Brown Rd, Mauston WI 53948

2015 JUNEAU COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS MEMBERSHIP FORM

Turkey Trivia Answers

1. 1621

2. Mexico and Central America

3. a hen

4. a tom

5. Benjamin Franklin

6. cluck

7. gobble

8. 3,500

9. Minnesota

10. 25 mph

11. third

12. the Wampanoag tribe

13. Yes, up to 55 mph

14. 90%

15. 50%

16. wattle

17. Abraham Lincoln

18. Franklin D. Roosevelt

19. Israel

20. in cold water

No cheating – so how did you do? http://home.aristotle.net/Thanksgiving/trivia.asp

Christmas Present Ideas for Gardeners A garden book or subscription to a gardening magazine

i.e.: Garden Gate- magazine - You can order and/or get a sample issue at www.gardengatemagazine.com

Gift memberships to a local botanic garden or nature center

Gift certificate from a garden center or nursery

Gardening gloves with reinforced or rubberized fingers

A nifty new tool such as by-pass blade type pruners and loppers or pruning saws

i.e.: Garden Supply Company – Check for useful information, ideas, etc. - http://www.gardeners.com

Holiday gift plants such as poinsettia, Christmas cactus or an amaryllis

Tips For Repeating Flowering For forcing poinsettia to bloom for Christmas

Placed in total darkness for 14 hours then 10 hours of

light

Water thoroughly when the surface soil is dry to the

touch. Keep consistently moist. If the plant becomes dry,

only once, the leaves will begin to turn yellow and drop off

Remember that the poinsettia color, what might be thought of as the

petals are actually leaves or bracts. The flower is actually the very

center of these colored leaves or bracts.

To prolong poinsettia color, keep in rooms where the temperature is

around 60 degrees at night and 72 degrees during the daytime.

As for Christmas Cactus - most of these cactus are actually Thanksgiving

cactus and are easily force. Thanksgiving cactus have pointed tooth like

notches on the margins, Christmas cactus have rounded notches. Cactus needs either cool night temperatures (between 55 and

60 degrees for 6 weeks) or extended periods of darkness to

set flower buds.

Place plant in bright but indirect light. Excessive heat and

direct light and will scorch the leaves and cause the flower

buds to drop

When in bloom these plants should be watered about once a week or

when the top half of the soil in the container becomes dry. Lack of

water will cause the flower buds to drop.

Page # 8 of 8

Cooperative Extension

Juneau County UW-Extension

211 Hickory Street

Mauston WI 53948

An EEO/Affirmative Action employer, University of Wisconsin-Extension provides equal

Opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and ADA requirements.

If you have not done so, don’t forget to turn your Master Gardener Hours in to Karla Riley, W7704

Suldal Rd, Mauston WI 53948 as soon as possible. For more information call 608-847-2506 or email

kjlmriley@gmail.com .

It's time to fill-out your JCMG membership form for 2015 (see page 7) and send it along with $12.00

to Irene Klingemann.

Note that for JCMG members, $5.00 of this goes towards membership in WIMGA and to receive the

WIMGA newsletter preferably by e-mail to save on time, cost, postage, and paper……and most

importantly save a tree or by snail mail if you have no e-mail.

The following is the planning schedule for 2015 meetings of the Juneau County Master Gardeners.

April 27 Extension Conference Room May 18 Brigitte Varga June 22 Uniquely Hostas, Elroy July 27 Open August 24 Open Sept 28 Open Oct 26 Extension Conference Room

Happy Thanksgiving and a Safe and Successful Hunting