Master Gardeners of Sherburne County

Annual Plant Sale - Sherburne MG's and 4-H

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:27:39 -0600

Held in May each year at the Sherburne County Fairgrounds in Elk River. The 2013 MG and 4-H Plant sale will be on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

This is a great opportunity to get nice and reasonably priced plants for your home and garden. We often have many types of plants, including flowers, bushes, shrubs, perennials, annuals, bulbs, herbs, vegetable seedlings and more!

All proceeds benefit the Sherburne County Master Gardener Program. Thank you to all who came out and made our 2012 Plant Sale a huge success!

Click here for the 2013 flyer.

2013 Garden Expo

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 22:00:54 -0600

Thank you to all who took part in our 9th Annual Garden Education Expo held on Saturday, April 13, 2013 at the Big Lake High School! We had well over 200 gardening enthusiasts take part in the educational sessions and shopping the vendors.

Our 2013 event featured Keynote speaker "The Renegade Gardener" Don Engebretson a well-known Northern Gardener columnist, author and Master Gardener. Don shared ideas on the "Top 10 Gardening Blunders, and How to Avoid Them." A gardening blunder must be common, major, and one that Don himself has made at least three times in his 30 years of gardening.

Participants also attended three informative and educational sessions from Master Gardeners and local garden experts on a variety of yard and garden topics. 2013 topics included:

Concurrent Session I
1A __ Straw Bale Gardening
1B __ Growing & Cooking with Herbs
1C __ Really Cool Plants for Northern Gardens

Concurrent Session II
2A __ Straw Bale Gardening
2B __ Common Garden Myths and the Mayhem They Cause
2C __ Shade Perennials to Enhance Your Landscape

Concurrent Session III
3A __ Creating Outdoor Rooms
3B __ Echinaceas
3C __ Beyond Apples--Other Fruit Tree Options for Minnesota

If you were unable to attend the 9th Annual Garden Education Expo but were interested in some of the topics; all of the handouts are now available online by clicking here.

The event also featured garden vendor booths, educational displays, and an opportunity to talk with Master Gardeners.
2013 event brochure.

2013 Garden Expo Vendors and Educational Displays:

Ambergate Gardens - plants
Amy Lea 'n Me - handmade garden markers
Busse Gardens - plants and planters
Carla Abrahamson - gnome doors
Caroldon Soap - handmade soaps and herbal bath products
Cat Tail Farm - canned jams, jellies and pickled produce
Claud's Clay - handmade pottery items
DeBirdman Bird Houses - handcrafted bird houses and feeders
Dick's Designs - recycled metal garden art
Don Engebretson - speaker, author, books
Evergreen Woods - arbors, birdhouses and feeders
Green Valley Greenhouse - plants and more
Garden Gems - flowers made from glassware
Hartle/Gilman Gardens - lily bulbs
Hollyhock Farm Alpacas - all things made from alpaca
Joel Karston - speaker, author, books
Little Farm Hands
Mid Northern Contracting - organic fertilizer
Minnesota Tree Care Advisors - info booth
Minnesota Water Garden Society - info booth
Nature Redone - rhubarb leaf molded bird baths
Notebooks and Journals by Nancy -handcrafted journals, notebooks
Photos by Bob and Val - garden and nature photography
Reading Frenzy Book Shop
The Teashoppe Gallery - herbal teas and accessories
Thor's Perch - bird feeders and photo art
Toad Lady Pottery - ceramic toad houses
Tom Potvin - barn wood items
Treasures & Trowels - garden art and perennials
TSE, Inc - stepping stones
Wild About Birds - houses, feeders, food
Scentsy - scented candles and waxes, warmers
Sherburne County Master Gardeners

The Sherburne County Master Gardeners look forward to hosting you again in 2014!

Friend us on Facebook to learn about the latest Sherburne Master Gardeners happenings.

Jr Master Gardener Program

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 14:16:58 -0600

Several Sherburne County Junior Master Gardener activity days were held in 2012. No definite plans are set for 2013 but check back here for the latest info OR "Friend" us on Facebook to learn about the latest happenings at:
http://www.facebook.com/SherburneMasterGardeners

Sherburne County Garden Tour

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:26:40 -0600

Thanks to those who took part in our first ever day of tours at local Sherburne County gardens hosted by Sherburne County Master Gardeners!! We hope you enjoyed the event, learned some new things and got some great ideas too! The group hopes to offer this again but it wil be an every other year event. Check back in late 2013 or early 2014 for more info. Click here for the with more details about the 2012 event:
2012_SherburneMG_GARDEN_TOUR_FLYER.pdf

Pollinator Garden

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 15:52:29 -0600

Located west of the Elk River Library along the sidewalk, and across from the city hall complex on Orono Parkway in Elk River, MN.

You are invited to visit this special garden that was design just for pollinators! It was developed in 2008 with funds from a University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener Grant. Designed by a Sherburne County Master Gardener volunteer and installed with the help of other Sherburne County Master Gardeners.

The purpose of this special garden is to increase public awareness of the importance of pollinators in our lives and provide a learning environment to view them. Plants include native and hybrid perennials, bi-annuals, annual, and herbs. All have been selected because they provide nectar or are host plants to the many pollinators we see in Minnesota, including bees and wasps (they do over 80% of our pollinating), butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds. For example, the milkweed plants provide both nectar and are host to the Monarch butterfly caterpillar.

The plants are symmetrical in keeping with the butterfly design, with labels on the right giving the common name and on the left, the Latin name. Some are in bloom this season, while others will bloom as they mature over the next couple of years. As you visit, watch for evidence of pollinators in action.

Year one view after planting.

Year two view.

Close-up view.

Pollinator Guide for Master Gardeners: PollinatorGardenGuideforMGs.pdf

Veggies by the Yard project

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:26:29 -0600

This special project was held in 2010 season. We invite you to read more about it and use the ideas to plan your next Veggie Garden. The project was an outreach of the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum as part of their summer exhibit on "Powerhouse Plants: Incredible Edibles" - You can discover a delicious bounty of ideas on how to eat fresh and grow your own! We grew these small-scale vegetable garden beds in Becker, Zimmerman and Elk River at the Sherburne County Community Garden sites coordinated by U of M Extension Sherburne County. The designs were featured in several demonstration sites throughout the state. There were five simple designs created by Arboretum gardeners to maximize harvest from a small space, with ideas for both first-time gardeners and veterans. Link to designs:
http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/veggiesbytheyard.aspx

Read our BLOG, see the photos and read about what happened at our gardens in Elk River, Becker and Zimmerman at:
http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/forum9-veggies-by-the-yard.aspx

This is the Dig It! plot at the Zimmerman Community Garden shortly after it was first planted at the end of May. Note the fencing as there are lots of deer in the area and the fencing seemed to keep them out of the plots. It did not however stop the gophers which proved to be a challenge at that site especially as the summer went along.

This is the First Timers Plot at the Zimmerman Community Garden Site shortly after it was planted.

The Elk River Veggies by The Yard plots planted in early June by Sherburne Master Gardeners (MG) and Junior Master Gardeners (JMG). They grew the "First Timers" and "Salad Lovers" plots. The kids and adults worked together grow and record data from four MG Variety Trails as well including Sunflowers, Mini Pumpkins, Bok Choi, and Bush Beans. Photo of the JMG kids and MG volunteers in action during the summer.

Who are we?

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:29:34 -0600

Master Gardeners are community volunteers that have been trained and certified by the University of Minnesota in basic horticultural principles and environmentally sound gardening practices. They provide home gardening information to their community by answering gardening questions via the telephone or internet, providing clinics, demonstrations and classes and one-on-one visits.

In Sherburne County, our trained Master Gardeners are required to volunteer 50 hours the first year after training and at least 25 hours annually thereafter. Active volunteers must complete a minimum of 5 hours of continuing education each year and are encourage to get 10 hours of education each year. For more information on the Master Gardener Program in Sherburne County, contact:

University of MN Extension - Sherburne County
e-mail: mnext-sherburne@umn.edu
phone: 763-765-3075 or 800-433-5236

or visit the University of Minnesota Master Gardeners page.

Or Find Us on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/SherburneMasterGardeners

Topics of Interest

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 09:45:22 -0600

If there is a topic for which you would like some current information, please leave a comment with your request.

Composting

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:51:20 -0600

Composting is one of the best ways to deal with accumulating yard waste (grass clippings, autumn leaves, etc.). Compost can increase the organic matter in soil and supply some essential nutrients for plant growth.

Composting 101: The what, when, where, why, and how of composting (PDF powerpoint slides, 2.6 MB)

Read our Composting brochure - UNDER REVISION - Check back soon!

View a handy Composting Recipe Card (PDF). It includes basic ingredients and instructions for composting.

Also, be sure to visit UM Extension's Gardening Information page on Soils & Composting.

Have a Gardening Question?

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:40:15 -0600

If you've got questions, we've got answers! Here are several ways you can easily access yard and garden information.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Yard and Garden Line 952-443-1426

Publications on the Internet Many University of Minnesota Extension publications are available for free on our website at: www.extension.umn.edu/gardeninfo

Wildlife Questions University of Minnesota Bell Museum at 612-624-1374

Become a Master Gardener

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:35:21 -0600

Join Us!

A love of gardening, a search for knowledge and a desire to share that knowledge with others is central to why people join the Master Gardener program. They remain Master Gardeners to enjoy the friendship of others who share their interests, to gain and share research-based horticultural knowledge and to give back to the community through their volunteer commitment.

If combining your passion for people and plants sounds appealing, you may be a good Master Gardener candidate. A formal education in horticulture isn't necessary--we will provide the training and resources to help you teach others. There are five steps to becoming a Master Gardener -

Information for Sherburne MGs

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:37:02 -0600

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