Recently in the North Category

By Terry Salmela, Extension Educator - Pine County

The U of M Extension Master Gardeners, Simply Good Eating and Community Nutrition staff in Pine County promoted healthy eating at the local fair and community garden. "Grow Yourself a Healthy Handful" was inspired by an educational program through the MN Landscape Arboretum.

Trina Barno, Simply Good Eating Director, and Kelly Appeldorn, Pine County Community Nutrition Educator put together two impressive display boards that Master Gardeners used in fair booths in both Kanabec and Pine counties. They also put together helpful handouts on U of M Extension recommended canning and freezing processes and recipes.

Extension Master Gardeners planted five gallon pails as well as five plastic flower pots full of the five most nutritious vegetables in May. They watered, fertilized and weeded them throughout the summer. The live potted examples were on display at the Pine County community garden and at the fair.

Master Gardener fair booth co-chairs Roger and Linda Fischer designed the display, utilizing materials from the MN Landscape Arboretum as well as two tipping container stands and planted herbs in them. They were a favorite of fairgoers! The booth was located between two walkways, so it was visible from two sides. Nineteen Extension Master Gardeners answered visitors' questions on powdery mildew on vine crops, herbs, stringy snap beans, brown spots on hostas, flowers, vegetables and many other gardening topics. They even had a door prize sign-up for a four-hour tiller rental at a local dealer.

For more information:
Extension Master Gardener Program: mgweb@umn.edu
Extension Master Gardeners - Pine County: Terry Salmela, Terry.Salmela@co.pine.mn.us
MN Landscape Arboretum: http://www.arboretum.umn.edu

At the Traverse County Master Gardeners' 2010 horticulture day, Junior Master Gardeners stepped up to share what they had learned about rain barrels with the 65 adult attendees. The youth created the display pictured here, demonstrated how to make a rain barrel, and discussed how rain collection benefits the environment. They even contributed one of the rain barrels they constructed to the silent auction.

A $10,000 grant from the Lloyd K. Johnson foundation allowed Cook County Master Gardeners to expand their youth gardening program by building a small solar heated greenhouse onto the Great Expectations School in Grand Marais. This will allow more local food production for the school and provide a space for after-school youth gardening programs.

The Master Gardeners are working with a licensed teacher to develop lesson plans on growing plants in the classroom as well as nutrition education. These grade-appropriate activities will be tied to the Minnesota educational standards.

Several counties promoted and participated in the national "Grow a Row for the Hungry" program. In Pine County, 'Grow A Row' was the theme for the Master Gardener booth at county fair. They handed out information about food shelves in the county, growing vegetables in containers, and how to become a Master Gardener. One Master Gardener alone contributed 1167 lbs. of produce to the local food shelf. Goodhue Master Gardeners got involved in the program for the second year. An average of about 200 lbs. of produce was donated weekly to the Red Wing Area Food Shelf, doubling the amount donated in 2008.

The City of Thief River Falls approached Pennington County Master Gardeners to design a garden in an empty lot next to City Hall. A plan was developed for a sustainable perennial garden. Three eagle scouts took on this project. They named it the Veterans Memorial Garden and launched a fundraising effort that reached $15,000.00. What was initially planned to be just a sustainable perennial bed turned into a huge perennial garden with stone paths, a fence and statues of veterans. Master Gardeners assisted in plant selection and planting. It was a wonderful collaborative project involving over 50 people.

The Master Gardener Program collaborated with Extension's 4-H program to pilot the Junior Master Gardener 4-H SET (Science, Engineering, and Technology) project in 2009. The pilot was generously funded by a grant from the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA) Foundation.

There were six expectations of each site.

1. engage at least 10 youth in a minimum of 8 learning sessions
2. involve a local MNLA member sponsor
3. incorporate a science experiment and a service project
4. use technology to teach, communicate and report
5. utilize JMG curriculum and have some type of teaching garden
6. participate in evaluations

Six counties were selected to participate; two had multiple sites: Clearwater, Crow Wing, Olmsted (2), Sherburne, Stearns (2), and Winona. Seventy-two participants attended one of two trainings. Each site received JMG materials and a $125 grant for supplies.

All sites were successful. Data from the pilot evaluation shows that in total:

• 125 youth enrolled in the project; 97 youth completed the entire project
• 30 percent of youth participants were non-white/persons of color; 70 percent were white/Caucasian
• 87 youth were new to the 4-H program