J A N U A R Y , 2 0 1 7 V O L U M E 1 8 , I S S U E 1

Queen Anne’s County Master Gardener Newsletter

The Watering Can I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

News 2

Mentoring 3

Congratulations 4

Galilee Community

Garden 5

Suggestions for Win-

ter Reading 6

Volunteer

Opportunities 7

Beekeeping 101 8

Educational

Opportunities 9

Calendars 10

Small Fruit

Tuesday, January 17, 6:30pm, QAC Library in Centreville

This year the Grow It Eat It program is going to focus on growing

small fruit in your backyard! Sabine will give an introduction/

overview of growing small fruit, but then ….. be prepared to

share your knowledge, tips, insights!

At the end of the meeting, you should go home

with lots of information for your own backyard,

as well as enough knowledge to answer questions

from the public.

Who will be the next MG Interns?

Do you know of anyone who might be interested in becoming a

Master Gardener?

A new neighbor?

Someone who wants to become active in the community?

Someone who is looking to do something new?

Our next Basic Training will start on Thursday, February 16th, un-

less…. we do not get enough registrations.

So please, help spread the word! If anyone wants more infor-

mation, please contact Sabine, sharvey1@umd.edu or follow this

link: http://extension.umd.edu/queen-annes-county/master-

gardeners/become-master-gardener

P A G E 2

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH TO MARGARET GARDNER

FOR COORDINATING A LOVELY HOLIDAY LUNCHEON

Thank you to Jack Doub and Susan McRae for hosting; Sheila for printing

the certificates and the programs; Jane Smith, Kathy Tengwall and Margaret

for making the decorations.

Have you seen the wonderful slide show that Margaret put together? If not,

please follow this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJDuXsZm9Vo&feature=youtu.be

MONTHLY MEETING HOST SIGN-UP THIRD TUESDAY EVENING OR WEDNESDAY MORNING OF EACH MONTH

The evening meetings take place at the Queen Anne’s County

Library in Centreville, 121 South Commerce Street

The morning meetings take place at 104 Tilghman Ave, Centreville

T H E W A T E R I N G C A N

COORDINATOR’S CORNER

Tues, January 17, 6:30pm Debbie Pusey, Susan Seth

Wed, February, 15, 9:30am Karen Wimsatt, Nancy O’Connor, Bob MacFarlane

Tues., March 21, 6:30pm Cindy Riegel and ????

Wed, April 19, 9:30am

MANTS January 11-13

Baltimore Convention Center

January 11 & 12 (9am-5pm) • January 13 (9am-2pm)

$20 pp

(Registration fee is for all 3 days, not per day)

T H E W A T E R I N G C A N

P A G E 3 QAC MG Volunteer Opportunities

2017 Mentoring Plan

The Mentoring Committee has been working hard! The members would like to propose that a

mentoring plan would become part of Basic Training. Mentoring would start during the training

and be continued with a structured mentoring plan.

Surveys show that coordinated and sustained mentoring activity yields higher retention rates of

both active MGs and interns, higher levels of participation in MG programs, more active

volunteerism (i.e. measured in hours) and higher levels of camaraderie and socialization. Specifics

of the mentoring strategy will be presented for discussion by the Mentoring Committee at our

monthly meeting on Tuesday evening, January 17, in the Centreville library meeting room.

As an example of potential change, experience shows that Ask a Master Gardener / Plant Clinic

booths at Farmers Markets and other venues are a lot more than just public outreach. They are

MG team-building and mentoring opportunities for interns and active MGs alike. We'd like to

have at least four MGs and interns at each of our scheduled booth days at the Farmers Markets.

The presentation on the 17th will discuss the characteristics of a good mentor. It also will discuss

examples of how other counties conduct mentoring as an organic aspect of master gardening

across the board. Participation at the plant sale scheduled for May, demonstration gardens, youth

programs and the Bay Wise program are all excellent opportunities for personal growth and

networking for both interns and veteran MGs. Participation is part of mentoring.

Details of the program will be refined between the January and February monthly meetings. The

near-final soup to nuts mentoring plan will be covered at the February meeting. It will be ready

for roll out in March as the 2017 interns progress through the Basic Training course and enter

the first year apprentice process toward becoming a certificated Master Gardener.

Submitted by Nick Stoer

15 Year Master Gardeners (2001)

Sandy Simonson

10 Year Master Gardeners (2006)

Joyce Anderson

Judy Geggis

Cheryl Huyck

Jacqueline Kelly

Debbie Pusey

5 Year Master Gardeners (2011)

Pat Gannon

Pete Gerdom

Elizabeth Riffe

3 Year Master Gardeners (2013)

Barbara Flook

Sue Goward

Liz Hammond

Deane Horowitz

Karen Iplenski

Laura Klinger

David Kyger

Denise Malueg

Pam McClean

Completed 40 volunteer hours

Robert MacFarlane

Cindy Riegel

Kathy Thornton

Robin Van Meter

Welcome Class of 2016

Ann Hedgepeth

Evan Miles

Chris Mourse

Donald Raynor

Brian Sedora

Kathy Sexton

Kathy Thornton

T H E W A T E R I N G C A N

P A G E 4

Congratulations to All!

T H E W A T E R I N G C A N

P A G E 5

Galilee Garden at Harbor View

We Made It!!! Yes, in a last-minute effort, we collected over $600 dollars. Thank

you to those who contributed so generously at the MG luncheon and to last day donors who

helped us successfully complete our drive. After February10th we will find out if we qualify for one

of the 50 Merit Grants or one of 27 Challenge grants (each $400). All funds will be turned over to

us about February 15th.

The garden test plots have been cleaned and put to rest for winter. We have met with our Boy

Scout from troop 465, Ricky Strucko, who is building ten raised beds for his Eagle Scout Project.

Presently, he is finishing up paper work to present to the council and starting his fund raising. He

hopes to be building the first beds in February (weather permitting). We hope to start the second

set of ten shortly after he finishes, using our own funds.

Our next big project will be working on getting our own water line to the garden with three lock-

ing hydrants. We will be going to businesses and organizations for donations as well as searching

for additional grants. We presently have two donation commitments.

The following people have accepted positions on our steering committee:

Co-leaders: Nancy O’Connor and Lois Miller

Recorder: Karen Wimsatt

Treasurer: Jane Chambers

Head Gardener: Elizabeth Riffe

Education: Nancy O’Connor and Elizabeth Riffe

Garden maintenance: Will set up committee later

Plot Reservations: To be determine

Our next meeting is on Thursday, January 5 at 7:00 p.m. at Galilee Lutheran Activity room in

Chester.

Nancy O’Connor

443-249-0646

MG’s Report: Bay-Wise

Fiction for Gardeners

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Rose’s Garden by Carrie Brown

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

The Care and handling of Roses with Thorns by Margaret Dilloway

The Lost Gardens by Anthony Elgin

The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys

The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

Source: Horticulture Magazine

A serious book about plants

Garden Flora: The Natural and Cultural History of the

Plants in Your Garden by Noel Kingsbury

Source: Timber Press

Suggestions for Winter Reading

T H E W A T E R I N G C A N

P A G E 6

Gardening for Pollinators: “The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation of-

fers browsable profiles of 100 common flowers, herbs,

shrubs, and trees that attract bees, butterflies, moths,

and hummingbirds. The recommendations are simple:

sow seeds for some plants — such as basil, rhododen-

dron, and blueberries — and simply don’t mow down

abundant native species, including aster, goldenrod, and

milkweed. 100 Plants to Feed the Bees will empower

homeowners, landscapers, apartment dwellers — any-

one with a scrap of yard or a window box — to protect

our pollinators.”

http://www.storey.com/books/100-plants-to-feed-the-

bees/

T H E W A T E R I N G C A N

P A G E 7 QAC MG Volunteer Opportunities

Hosts needed for Monthly meetings! If you would like to be a host on any of the following dates, please contact Sabine.

Wednesday, February 15, 9:30am (Cindy Riegel and ??)

Tuesday, March 21, 6:30pm

KENT ISLAND ASK A MASTER GARDENER (PLANT CLINIC) Thursday, January 12, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m

Location: 830 Romancoke Rd, Stevensville, MD 21666

Liz Hammond 410-758-2992 er93hammon@aol.com

Deane Horowitz 410-604-0969 deanoch@yahoo.com

Annual Plant Sale The following three people have offered to co-chair the plant

sale committee:

Laura Klinger, Shelia Shorter, Cathy Tengwall

We thank them so very much!! Obviously they are going to need

lots of help! If you are interested as well, please contact Cathy

Tengwall, cathy1542@gmail.com

T H E W A T E R I N G C A N

P A G E 8

Educational Opportunities

Upper Shore Beekeeping Association BEEKEEPING 101

Michael Embrey will be offering a beginning beekeeping classes. There will be a total of sev-

en classes. The first five will be held every other week from January until April. The two

final sessions will be held in August and September. These sessions will teach how to win-

terize your hives and how to protect your bees from diseases and pests.

You will learn…..

About bees, in general

About beekeeping equipment

How and where to set up and establish a hive, i.e. location, wind, etc.

How to hive a package of bees

About “b” pests and diseases

About winterizing your bees

How to manage your colonies

Honey Bee Union Rules

Starting Date: Thursday, January 26th, 2017

Location: Washington College (Sophie Kerr Room in Miller Library)

Registration fee is $125.00.

Recommended textbook: “The Beekeeper’s Handbook, Fourth Edition” by Diana Sammataro

For more information or to register contact the following people: Mike Embrey, 410-924-0028, Mechar-

jew@yahoo.com or

Dick Crane, 410-507-0539,

rcranesr@gmail.com

Registration deadline: January 14, 2017

Please make check of $125 payable to:

Tuckahoe Apiaries

Mail to: Mike Wham

24986 Montabello Lake Rd

Worton, MD 21678

The next meeting of the Beekeepers Association will be on Wednesday, January 11 at

6:30pm at the Kent County Library, yellow building.

P A G E 9

Virginia Flower and Garden Expo Virginia Beach Convention Center

January 27-29, 2017

$10

Last year Karen Wimsatt as

well as Jim Persels visited

the Expo and they really

enjoyed themselves. . More

information is available at

vafgs.org

T H E W A T E R I N G C A N

Educational Opportunities

Bay Area Fruit School Friday, February 17th,

Wye Research Center, 8:30-3:30

Here are some of the topics to be presented at the 2017 Bay Area Fruit Meeting:

Compost, wood chips and the nutritional needs of blueberry plants

Current research on spotted wing drosophila management in small fruits

Fruit maturity and quality of new apple varieties grown in high-density systems

Developing management tactics for the brown marmorated stank bug

Current tree fruit disease issues

MDA pesticide updates and applicator credits

Stay tuned for registration info

Grow It Eat It—2017 Statewide Meetings March 2, 4-H Center, College Park

July 27, place TBA

November 16, 4-H Center, College Park

The meetings usually takes place from 10am until 1pm

P A G E 1 0

JANUARY 2017

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 Beekeepers

Meeting, 6:30

12 KI Plant Clin-

ic, 3:30-6:30pm

13 14

15 16 17 Monthly

Meeting, 6:30pm

Library

18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 Beekeeping

101, 6:30 Ches-

tertown

27 28

29 30 31

FEBRUARY 2017

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 Beekeepers

Meeting, 6:30

9 KI Plant Clinic,

3:30-6:30pm

10 11

12 13 14 15 Monthly

Meeting, 9:30am

16 Start Basic

Training

17 Bay Area

Fruit School,

8:30-3:30

18 Basic Training

19 20 21 22 23 Basic Training 24 25 Basic Training

26 27 28

University of Maryland Extension

Queen Anne’s County

505 Railroad Ave.

Suite 4

Centreville, MD 21617

Vision Statement: A healthier world through environmental stewardship

QACMG Website:

http://extension.umd.edu/queen-annes-

county/home-gardening

University of Maryland Extension

505 Ra i lroad Avenue, Su ite 4

Centrev i l le MD, 21617

Phone: (410) 758-0166

Fax: (410) 758-3687

http://extension.umd.edu/queen-annes-

county/about

February Newsletter Deadline:

January 23, 2017

The University of Maryland Extension programs are open to any person and will not discriminate against anyone because of

race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic

information, political affiliation, and gender identity and expression. Equal opportunity employers and equal access programs.

Master Gardener Coordinator,

Queen Anne’s County