What's Growing On - Fall Newsletter

Master Gardeners of Ontario

Serving Ontario for Over 25 Years

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In this Issue....

Hooked on a Bean

Edythe Falconer, Ottawa-Carleton

Did you grow a bean as part of a science project when you were in primary school? If so you may recall your wonderment at the magic of it all. Decades later do you still get shivers of satisfaction when something beautiful and/or edible pops up, spreads its leaves and energetically blooms? Read more...

Algonquin College and Lanark County Master Gardeners

Dale Odorizzi

Dale Odorizzi, Lanark County

For over 15 years, Lanark County Master Gardeners and the Perth Campus of Algonquin College have partnered to present Horticultural Seminars to our community. We have presented between 4 and 9 seminars each year for both the Fall and Winter semesters. Some years, we run a series of workshops that require students to attend the full set of sessions while other years we host independent sessions so the attendees can pick and choose individual seminars. The topics range from the technical (Science of Gardening) to the artistic (Creating Fall Containers using natural material) and everything in between. Algonquin College provides the facilities, including “smart classrooms”, the advertising and registration, photocopying. We develop and deliver the courses. Read more...

Growing Dahlias

Lianne Krane, Guelph-Wellington

Here are highlights from Olly Chuchryk presentation on Dahlias at the OHA Conference in Cornwall, July 20, 2014. She is the owner of Charing House Gardens and has been selling dahlia tubers and cut flowers since 2004. Dahlias are Olly’s specialty and she grows them to perfection maximizing blossom size. All her dahlias are grown outdoors and without the help of greenhouses. Read more...

London Middlesex Master Gardeners Caring in Our Communities

Cheryl Losch, London-Middlesex

What do London Middlesex Master Gardeners do when they’re not busy working on LMMG projects? They put their gardening knowledge and enthusiasm to good use and volunteer within their own communities, of course  Read more...

Junior Gardeners

Dale Odorizzi, Lanark County Master Gardeners

Since 1986, the Perth and District Horticultural Society has been conducting a Junior Gardeners program for Grade 3 students with local Elementary schools. At the beginning of the six week program, each student is given a workbook that contains the details of the program and a journal to record their plant growth each week. The program is so popular that it has expanded to 5 local schools and over 170 students have enrolled. Read more...

Controlling Burdock (Arctium minus) Along a Walking Trail  

Burdock Rosette

Louise Loree, Haliburton Master Gardeners

Integrated Weed Management (IWM) includes five main methods of weed control. They are: preventive, cultural, mechanical, biological and chemical. Read more...

Burdock Bread with Asiago

Kerry Hackett, Peterborough

Here is a recipe for a delicious bread that you can use your excess burdock for. Read more...

M and Ms (Monarchs and Milkweed)

Tom McCavour, Simcoe County

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not writing about those colourful button shaped candies that many of us love, I’m writing about Monarchs and Milkweed. I want to explain how one of the most beautiful butterflies that have ever been created is threatened by the noxious weed label applied to common milkweed by various states and provinces in the United States and Canada. Read more...

The Board Proposes Replacing our Bylaws at the Coordinators' Conference

The MGOI Coordinators will be meeting again this year at Landscape Ontario in Milton on Oct 18. Included at the meeting will be discussions on the role of the coordinator, difficult volunteers, volunteer motivation, and fundraising. 

Our annual general meeting will also be held at the conference.

At the AGM the board will be proposing a major change by replacing the bylaws of MGOI. This will restructure the organization in fundamental ways. Among the many changes that the board proposes to the bylaws are the following:

• The board proposes that zones will no longer exist and the board will be structured on a functional basis rather than geographically. 
• The board also proposes that while the Groups and Coordinators would continue informally, the individual volunteers would become voting members rather than the groups, represented through their coordinators at the AGM. The individual volunteers would apparently be paying dues and applying for membership directly to the board. 
• The proposed bylaws no longer mention “group” or “coordinator”. 

These changes have major implications on how MGOI does its business, so the proposal should be read very carefully before the coordinators meet to discuss this and vote on it at the AGM. You can read the full text of the proposed bylaws by logging on the members side of www.mgoi.ca website and clicking on the AGM 2014 Voting Package tab. The bylaws (2008) as they now exist can be found there also under the Handbooks tab.

MGs in Action

London Middlesex – Like us on Facebook and Twitter - Thanks Julie Dorssers. We have a Super new website! Check it out www.londonmiddlesexmastergardeners.com

Many thanks to Kim Pawley, Rhonda Persichilli, and Linda Armstrong.

Milestones

Muskoka Parry Sound MGs Sandra, Rosemarie, Linda and Shirley
 receive their 10 and 20 year pins.

New MGiTs

Grey County – Roseanne Illman
Etobicoke – Dyann Sheppard
London Middlesex – Rosemarie Boyd, Jennifer Houston

Passed Certification Exam

Etobicoke – Paivi Evars
London Middlesex – Amy Turnbull

Completed MG Course Guelph

London Middlesex – Lee Anderson, Cheryl Losch

New MGs

Durham - Ingrid Janssen, Tracey Smyth
Haliburton – Marg Chambers, Milka Hider, Winnie Kasepchuk
Mississauga – Martha Kantorczyk, David Pavanel

5 Years

Durham – Karen Sciuk
Haliburton County – Heather Chambers, Sue Flinders-Adams, Janice Hardy
Mississauga – Mary Jean Kucerak

10 Years

Durham – Anita Vicente-Pereira, Gini Sage
Haliburton County – Liz Case, Winnie Kasepchuck
Lanark County – Kathleen Lang
Muskoka – Parry Sound – Sandra Hartill, Rosemarie Meyer, Shirley Neil

20 Years

Muskoka - Parry Sound – Linda Dronseika
Quinte-Tweed – Jeannine Berscheid

Transfers:

Etobicoke – Astrid Muschalla - Transferred to Rideau 1000 Islands
Etobicoke – Anja Lowrance – Transferred to Simcoe
London Middlesex welcomes transfer members – Chrystal Trojek, Anne McFee, Dean Hale

In Memorial

London Middlesex – Bill Shuter, MG 1989-2014

Events

October 18, 8:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.

Harmony Centre, Owen Sound. About the Birds and the Bees and the Flowers and the Trees. Here is the poster for this event.

October 19, 2014 – 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

• at Civic Garden Complex, 625 Springbank Drive, London ON. Technical Update entitled "Dirty Little Secrets and Plant Enemies" featuring 4 keynote speakers: 
• “Disease Issues of Horticulture Crops during the 2014 Season” - Michael Celetti, Plant Pathologist 
• “Determining Soil Type and Tailor Managing your Soil, Including: Physical Condition, Irrigation & Drainage, Soil Biology, and Nutrients” - Keith Reid, Soil Scientist 
• “Integrated Management of Insect and Disease Pests of Vegetable Crops in Ontario” - Cheryl Trueman, Professor Vegetable Pathology & Entomology 
• “Soil Amendments” – Ed Topp, Principal Research Scientist 

Cost of $50 includes 2 snacks, lunch, 4 speakers and 6 CEU's.
Information lonmidmastergardeners@gmail.com
Registration www.londonmiddlesexmastergardeners.com
Here is the flier for this event.

Monday, October 27, 2014 at 7:30 pm

Alice Casselman – founder of ACER presents Forests of the Future: Climate Change and Your Backyard Trees at St. Luke's Lutheran Church 3200 Bayview Avenue (Bayview and Finch)

March 7th 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

at Carling Heights Optimist Ctr, 656 Elizabeth St, London ON. London Middlesex Master Gardeners host their 8th Seedy Saturday offering "Seeds to Buy or Swap, Plants, Supplies, Exhibits, Free Advice, Speakers and Demonstrations".

Cost for entry will be $5 Adults, Children under 12 free.

Interested Vendors or non-profit Exhibitors may contact us for a registration package lonmidmastergardeners@gmail.com or watch for registration and other details at www.londonmiddlesexmastergardeners.com

Tuesday, March 17 to May 5 OR Thursday, March 19 to May 7th 6:30 p.m. to – 9 p.m.

at Civic Garden Complex, 625 Springbank Drive, London ON. Seeds to Table 2015 - another round of the popular 8 week courses. Classroom instruction and hands on workshops cover everything from soil preparation and seed selection to planting, maintaining, harvesting and preserving. Focus is on gardens you can EAT as well as colourful and helpful companion plants.

Cost of $100 for 8 sessions will include some basic planting supplies plus consultation for one growing season.

Information lonmidmastergardeners@gmail.com Registration www.londonmiddlesexmastergardeners.com

March 17, 24, and 31st, 7 p.m.

at Central Library, 251 Dundas St, London. ‘Gardening in the City’ Talks are free, fun and informative.

• March 17th – Are you Ready for Spring? Rhonda Persichilli
• March 24th – How to have the best Vegetable and Herb Garden Ever! Ron Rossini
• March 31st – Taking the Mystery out of Garden Structures. Curtis Peterson

No pre-registration required. Information www.londonmiddlesexmastergardeners.com