Master Gardener Class: V and VI - Herbs, Design, Perennials and Wine

I had to miss my Master Gardener Class IV because my mom had emergency surgery that day to remove her gall bladder. She insisted that I go to my class, but I insisted more on being at the hospital and she knows better than to argue with me, because she seldom wins (unless I let her). *winks at Mom*  She's doing fine.

Class V was last week and what a treat it was! In the morning, we had a fun session with Janice Kline, as she talked to us about herbs - growing them and using them in cooking.

The afternoon session was on landscape design and perennials, taught by the always energetic Marcella Ciccotelli, owner of Colorscapes Gardens and Landscaping, just south of Defiance.  I always enjoy visiting Colorscapes, not only because they have great plants, but because Marcella is just fun! 

After hearing her speak on the principles of design, it just confirmed that "a garden designer I ain't."  I'm more of the buy-the-plant-then-try-to-find-a-place-for-it kind of gardener. But I find that over the years I'm making better choices as a result of having more experience and listening to people like Marcella.

This week, our class was held at Stoney Ridge Farm & Winery, near Bryan, Ohio.  We were supposed to have the class outside, where we would learn how to prune grapes, but it rained most of the day so class was held inside.

Pam Stotz, the winery owner (along with her husband, Phil), explained how to prune grapes and which ones are best for growing in our area. Then the Defiance County OSU Extension educator, Bruce Clevenger, spoke about brambles.  Each of these talks was very timely for me personally, because it's time to prune our grapes, and I've been wanting to get some thornless blackberry canes.

We then took a tour of the winery, where we watched 'Barn Dance White' being bottled.  This is done by hand!

We got to taste some of the wines that are made there, including a rhubarb wine. I'm not a fan of rhubarb, but the wine was surprisingly tasty! I ended up buying a bottle of Barn Dance Blush.

We had our lunch break, after which our afternoon session began.  Bill Grimes, from the Defiance County Soil & Water Conservation District talked to us about how to deal with wildlife in the garden, such as deer, rabbits, and squirrels. 

Next, Bette Mohr, Master Gardener and eagles nest monitor for the Department of Natural Resources shared some of her experiences while watching eagles in the Defiance area. She had some great photos, including some of the eagles in the nest south of Defiance, where we always see them.  I learned that we shouldn't get too close to an eagle's nesting area so as to lessen the chance of them being disturbed, even though they're very high up.

Interesting eagle fact: Ohio's bald eagle population grew from only four nesting pairs along the southwestern Lake Erie shore 31 years ago, to a record 215 eagle nests statewide in 2009.¹

We're now about three-fourths of the way through our Master Gardener classes. I'll be attending one more before I have to miss our last class on April 22, when I'll be in Cincinnati attending the Garden Writer's Association Region III meeting and the Cincinnati Flower Show.  Our final exam will be April 29th, then I'll begin working towards completing 50 hours of volunteer work before officially being designated a Master Gardener.


________________
¹Ohio's Bald Eagles Begin Incubating Eggs, ODNR News, February 17, 2010. 

It's Not An All or Nothing Thing

As the 40th anniversary of Earth Day approaches on April 22, 2010, many people are thinking globally by acting locally to do what they can as an individual to better care for the planet we live on.  We tend to take for granted those things we've got that we've always had.  Our earth is no different, but hopefully we're becoming more environmentally aware and are doing something to help preserve our natural resources.


Jan of Thanks For Today has been hosting the Garden Bloggers Sustainable Living Project for the last couple of months.  Bloggers all over the world are contributing their thoughts on the subject of sustainable living with the hopes of creating awareness and providing suggestions for ways we can all do our part. Please visit her blog, where you can find links to the participating bloggers. And now, my thoughts...

I'm asked all the time how I feel about global warming and if I recycle and if I garden organically and if I save rainwater or compost.  These are issues I never even thought much about until the last few years, as I got serious about my gardening.

Gardening will do that to you.  You start out thinking you'll grow some flowers or some vegetables and that will be that.  Then the butterflies show up.  And the birds.  And the insects, oh, the insects.


Pesticides

When I first started out, I thought nothing of grabbing the strongest thing I could find to kill the nasty bugs. But as I learned more about what I was doing, I sought out a more natural pesticide and fungicide, settling on Neem oil formulas.  They worked and they weren't harmful to the good guys.

Many times I simply use the garden hose and spray bugs off with water. If you do that often enough, the bugs seems to get the message that you don't want them there. And sometimes I just pick them off by hand, like those icky bagworms you see in the photo here.


Composting

As the first summer of my gardening wore on and the garden began to produce as much waste as it did flowers and veggies, it seemed silly not to make use of the deadheaded flowers and the vegetable plants and vines that no longer bore fruit.

I first learned about composting from my Swiss pen pal when Romie and I visited them in Switzerland in 1987.  They explained the pile at the back of their house and how they used it to enrich the garden soil.  It made total sense to me, and though I didn't begin gardening until many years later, in 2005, I remembered that compost pile.  So we started one of our own and Romie later built bins.

Collecting Rain

A couple of summers ago, I grew Pelargoniums in clay pots on our front porch. I had a problem with the leaves yellowing.  We had visitors from California and Mimi asked me if we had sulfur water.  She told me Pelargoniums don't like that.  She would know, because she works as a breeder for a company that grows them.

Mimi suggested I make use of a rain barrel so I could water my Pelargoniums with the collected rain water.  Romie brought home a barrel from work and placed it under our downspout on the pool house and I was amazed at just how quickly that barrel filled up during a short rain.  I started using that water for my Pelargoniums (and other plants) and no more yellow leaves.  So while my motivation wasn't one of saving water, the end result was.

Rain, running into our rain barrel

Inside the house, I recycle water, too.  During the winter, there are about 50 plants overwintering on shelves with lights.  They're on a light watering schedule since it's so much cooler down there and my goal is to just keep them alive and semi-dormant. We run a dehumidifier down there and I use the collected water from it to water the plants.  It always is just the right amount.


Recycling

Classic recycling practices have always been a part of our married life.  The recycling movement in the United States began when I was in junior high and high school.  It was then that collecting pop cans and returning glass pop bottles to the store for two cents a bottle became a way of life.  Then came cardboard, plastic and newspapers.  I almost can't remember when we didn't recycle these things.


Saving Gas

Emissions controls were put into use in cars about the time I started driving.  More attention was paid to gas mileage than ever before because of so-called gas shortages.  I can remember sitting in many a gas line in the mid-70s.

I also learned not to make "jack-rabbit starts" when starting up again from a traffic light and to this day I look ahead to the light as I approach it to see if it has turned yellow so I can take my foot off the accelerator and coast to a stop. Old habits die hard, but that's one that is a good habit to have and I'll do it as long as I drive.

We live out in the country, so we can't take public transportation to work or even ride our bicycles, since our workplaces are too far away. But we try to plan errands around our work schedules so we don't have to make unnecessary trips to town.


Global Warming

Now, about global warming. I'm not sure I should state my opinion of it here. Let's just say that I'll acknowledge that it may be happening, but I'm of the mind that the earth is and will always be in a state of change and that there's probably very little that we can do to stop it.

That being said, I feel there's no excuse to be irresponsible and wasteful either.  Whether you are to the left or to the right of the issue of sustainability or somewhere in the middle, and whether or not you think what you can do will make a difference, I urge you to ask yourself if there aren't little things you can do to be less wasteful and more mindful of the space on earth you've been granted the privilege to live upon.

It may seem trite to say, but it's true - every little bit helps.

Mia Gets an EarthBox® !

Less than two days after I posted about the EarthBox® giveaway, we have a winner! Congratulations to Mia, of San Francisco, who won the EarthBox® earlier today.  You should be receiving it soon, and I'd love it if you'd let me know what you are planning to grow in it.  I'll be planting mine very soon!

Even though the free EarthBox® has been given away, let me remind you that you can still enter to get the coupon good for 10% off anything in my OpenSky store until Monday, April 12, 2010.  That makes the EarthBox® just $41.40! But there are 30 other items for sale right now too, and I'll be adding a few more items in the next several days.

Thank you for entering the giveaway and for looking at my OpenSky shop. And congratulations once again to Mia! 

Happy gardening!