Pollinators All About Those Bee Houses Bee house? Pollinator palace? Bug hotel? Check out some ideas for building pollinator real estate with the child in your life and find out why we may want to invite pollinators into our yards and gardens! Read More Aster and Hyssop – Pollinator Magnets One of the goals for many gardeners is to have plants blooming in the garden all season. With a little planning, Minnesota native plants can help you fulfill this challenge. But having blooms in your garden all season isn’t just aesthetically pleasing, blooming native flowers are a constant food source for pollinators. This article focuses on two late summer plants loved by pollinators - Asters and Hyssops. Read More Attracting Monarch and Swallowtail Butterflies to your garden One of the sweetest events in a Minnesota June, is the appearance of butterflies in the garden. These delicate creatures are not only astonishingly beautiful but a key link in a healthy environment. In this article, you will learn about the life cycles of two butterfly species - Monarch and Swallowtail; along with what plants to grow to encourage them to take up residence in your garden. Read More Bees - Friend or Foe? Is There a Way I Can Help? As the weather warms, we are faced with the question -” Are bees my friend or foe?” What is your first reaction when you see a bee? Do you stand still and watch in amazement as a bee flies around or do you wave your arms, scream and run the other way. Little eyes are watching our reaction so before you turn and run, let’s teach our children and grandchildren to respect bees and remember how important bees are to us and how we can help them exist by making a Bee Bath. Read More Bug Hotels and Pollinator Habitats Insect populations are at risk around the globe, with 40% of all insect species in decline and roughly one third of all species endangered. Between the loss of habitat, climate change, and the extensive use of pesticides, our bees, butterflies, and beetles are dying off in unprecedented numbers. This seems an overwhelming problem, but it is one that all gardeners can begin to remedy. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said, “There is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.” No matter the size of the garden, every gardener has steps they can take in order to make positive changes for the insects we all need to keep our planet healthy. Read More Building a Pollinator Garden “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live.” This may or may not be a true Albert Einstein quote but the concept is valid. We need bees and all pollinators. Approximately 75% of the world’s flowering plants require a pollinator to reproduce. Pollinators help produce one-third of our food. It’s hard to imagine a diet without many fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Read More Do All Bees Sting? On one hand, a gardener’s tiny friend, the bee, is usually a docile doer of good, buzzing around from plant to plant, pollinating to provide a bountiful harvest in the future. On the other hand, many fear the small insect with the mighty sting. But do all bees sting? If you are curious, click on the link to learn more about our little friend, the bee. Read More Get to Know our Minnesota State Bee Did you know that the Minnesota state bee is the rusty patched bumble bee? This designation is intended raise awareness about the role of pollinators in Minnesota’s environment and preserving their habitats. Unfortunately, while historically, our state bee appeared widely in North America, it is now on the endangered list. In this article read more about the rusty patched bumble bee and the important role that you can play in Garden Scavenger Hunt preservation efforts. Read More Here a Pollinator Garden - There a Pollinator Garden – Everywhere a Pollinator Garden - Part 2 Master Gardener Brenda Scheer understands how important pollinator gardens are for the environment and wanted to start this type of garden. But how to start? This article is the second in a series of three in which Brenda describes her experience starting a pollinator garden in her backyard. Follow Brenda’s motivation, planning, lessons and tips to build your own environmentally friendly garden. In this installment, Brenda talks about how plan for and choose plants for her native garden. Read More Here a Pollinator Garden - There a Pollinator Garden – Everywhere a Pollinator Garden - Part 1 Master Gardener Brenda Scheer understands how important pollinator gardens are for the environment and wanted to start this type of garden. But how to start? This article is the first in a series of three in which Brenda describes her experience starting a pollinator garden in her backyard. Follow Brenda’s motivation, planning, lessons and tips to build your own environmentally friendly garden. Read More Here a Pollinator Garden - There a Pollinator Garden – Everywhere a Pollinator Garden - Part 3 Master Gardener Brenda Scheer understands how important pollinator gardens are for the environment and wanted to start this type of garden. But how to start? This article is the third in a series of three in which Brenda describes her experience starting a pollinator garden in her backyard. Follow Brenda’s motivation, planning, lessons and tips to build your own environmentally friendly garden. In this installment, Brenda talks about planting and lessons learned. Read More How To Identify Butterflies Few things in nature enchant both children and adults more than butterflies. Whether feeding on a flower or basking in the sun, butterflies, in every imaginable color, with patterns and markings that only nature could create, delight the soul. And like all things in nature we love, we want to know more about them. But butterflies are also important pollinators. Traveling long distances and responsible for one in every three bites of food we consume, butterflies contribute over 200 billion dollars to the food economy worldwide. It seems appropriate to know more about which of these essential creatures are visiting our gardens. Read this article for important advice about how to identify the butterflies that you see. Read More 1 2 1 ... 1 2 ... 2

< Back April - What To Do About Winter Damage Karna Berg, Master Gardener As we think beyond winter to spring, you may encounter winter damage to some of your plants. In this article, Karna Berg reminds us how to give your plants a boost going into winter and how to deal with winter damage in a way that will allow plants to recover and, ultimately, flourish. As you adjust to the cold of our winter, are you already looking ahead to spring? Before we know it, it will be here. In April, we start uncovering a few plants, anxious to find them poking their noses out of the mulch and leaves. Unfortunately, as we continue that process, we find plants that have not made it through the winter or have winter damage. What do we do? Hopefully, you watered your plants, especially trees and shrubs, as long as you possibly could in the fall. That gives them a better chance of making it through the winter. And also, you provided your perennial beds with a nice blanket of mulch and leaves. In fact, as the first snows hit us, we can carefully shovel some of that snow under the lower branches of our conifers to act as a cushion and help the branches stay upright when the ice or extremely wet snow falls on them. While it is tempting to try to remove snow and ice from our plants after a heavy snow, it is generally not a good idea. The only exception to that is for conifers. If you can safely brush some of the snow off those branches, it will help them stay upright. But no matter our fall attempts to prevent winter damage and death, we usually have some of it when spring comes. It’s just hard to avoid all damage, particularly with our erratic weather patterns that bring warm days in March to fool our plants. So, what can we do in spring? First, don’t take off the mulch and leaves too early no matter how tempting that may be. Wait until all chance of severe cold has passed. We all remember that late snowfall or cold. Also, walking on our gardens and lawns too early can cause foot damage. Then, start to assess damage winter caused in your garden. On trees and shrubs (often the plants that experience the most damage), remove dead, dry and damaged foliage. If you find broken branches, cut them back to the stem or back to the first live bud you find. Always leave a little distance from the stem or bud when you do this trimming. And if a limb is bent down but doesn’t appear dead, it may be possible to prop it up and see if it recovers. Again, in our perennial beds, hold back from uncovering them too early. But don’t wait too long or you’ll find pale green limp plants trying to get to the sun. If you have covered your perennials with mulch and leaves, most have probably made it through the winter. Now it’s important to remove those leaves. If not, they will smother the plants and cause mold in your garden. Also, the dreaded jumping worms, which live mainly in the top two inches of soil, love those leaves and will feed on them voraciously. Let’s not give them any reason to fall in love with our garden. Once you have babied a plant along, hoping it will come back to life but it doesn’t, just remove it from your garden. Then plant a native plant in its place. Our native plants are best at dealing with our Minnesota winters. And are also great for pollinators. Remember, when fall comes, water a lot but don’t fertilize your plants. Watch your use of salt during the winter. Then, hope for the best and enjoy spring! Photo credits: Rebecca Finneran, MSU Extension (1), University of Minnesota Extension (2, 3)

< Back Spring is the Time for Wedding Soup Joy Johnson, Dakota County Master Gardener Spring is the season for weddings which prompts Master Gardener Joy Johnson to think about Italian Wedding Soup. Myth buster: it’s not called Italian Wedding soup because it’s served at Italian weddings; it’s called wedding soup because the flavors in it marry so well together! Read and learn how to make this soup part of your soup rotation – any time of the year. And, as a bonus, learn how to make Apple Butter to enjoy with your soup! It is so exciting that spring has arrived in Minnesota, I’ve doubled the size of my vegetable garden this year and started dozens of vegetables in early spring in the house. Now it’s time to put them out into the garden. They are all still young plants, many weeks away from harvest. But I am anticipating a bountiful harvest, so I need to use up what I canned, dried and froze from last year’s harvest to make room for this year’s produce. Spring is also the season for weddings, which makes my mind wander to Italian Wedding soup , which I love. Myth buster: it’s not called Italian Wedding soup because it’s served at Italian weddings, it’s called wedding soup because the flavors in it marry so well together! Usually, this soup takes a long time to make because it traditionally has tons of tiny little meatballs. Instead, I season ground chicken with lots of herbs and spices and then brown it. You get all the same flavors and textures without all the work. This soup is made silky and rich by the eggs stirred in at the end that cook into yummy wisps. I serve this soup with my homemade apple butter spread on my sour dough bread, with a glass of my homemade apple juice. I got a fruit steamer last fall and steamed my apples to get a fresh, sugar free, juice. Then I pressure canned the quarts of juice. We’ve been enjoying it all winter long and have just finished our last quart. The recipe for the apple butter makes very good use of the apple chunks that I had frozen last fall and is quick to make using a blender. Italian Wedding Soup Ingredients : ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 1 lb. ground chicken or turkey 1 medium onion ¼ cup dried parsley 1 T. dried basil 1 T. dried oregano 2 tsp. smoked paprika1 ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese Crushed red pepper flakes Fine pink Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper 6 medium carrots, chopped (fresh or frozen) 4 celery stalks, chopped 2 T. finely chopped garlic 8 cups chicken broth 6 cups spinach (fresh or frozen) 10 ounces cheese tortellini 2 T. lemon juice 2 large eggs Process : In a large pot combine the olive oil, chicken, onion, parsley, basil, oregano, paprika, ¼ cup of the Parmesan and a pinch each of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Place pot over medium-high heat and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon until the meat is browned and the onion is soft and translucent, 5-8 minutes. Add the carrots, celery and garlic. Cook stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, 5 minutes. Add the broth and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the flavors are married, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the spinach, tortellini, and lemon juice. Cook until the tortellini are al dente, 5 minutes more. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan. Slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the broth, stirring the soup constantly and gently to form thin strands of cooked egg, about 30 seconds. Ladle into bowls and serve, topped with shaved Parmesan cheese. Maple Apple Butter Ingredients : 10 cups chopped apples, fresh or frozen 1 ¼ cups apple juice (or apple cider if you don’t have fresh juice) ½ cup pure maple syrup, plus more as needed 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp nutmeg ¼ tsp ground cloves Pinch of fine pink Himalayan salt Process : Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a blender, working in batches as needed, combine the apples with the apple juice/cider and blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Add the maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt and stir to combine. Roast for 30-35 minutes. Give the apple butter a stir and reduce the oven temperature to 350. Continue roasting, stirring every 30 minutes, for 1 to 1 ½ hours more until the apple butter is thick and golden brown. Taste and add more maple syrup as needed. Discard the cinnamon sticks, if using. Let the apple butter cool. Store refrigerated in airtight glass jars for up to 1 month. I also use this apple butter to make Chai Donuts , but you will have to wait until next month for that recipe! Photo Credits: Joy Johnson (1-3)

< Back Behind the Plant Sale Julie Harris, Dakota County Master Gardener (and the Plant Sale Team) Every May, the Dakota County Master Gardeners put on a fabulous Plant Sale. In this article, we focus on what goes on “behind the plant sale.” From harvesting native seeds, to growing vegetables and herbs in our green and hoop houses, our plants are healthy, well-cared for and home-grown. This is a look at the people and processes that allow us to bring you some of the best quality, healthy and unique plants in the area. Every May, the Dakota County Master Gardeners put on a fabulous Plant Sale . This year the sale is on May 18th and will be held at the Whitetail Woods Regional Park, Empire Shelter, 171 Station Trail, Farmington from 8 a.m. to noon. All of the proceeds from our plant sale go to support our local projects: school and community gardens, adult education, the Farmington Seed Library, and seed trials throughout Dakota County, and many more. More information about the plant sale can be found elsewhere in this newsletter. In this article, I want to talk about what goes on “behind the plant sale;” focusing on the people and tasks that allow us to bring you the finest plants. The Dakota County Master Gardener (DCMG) plant sale is somewhat unique in that all of the plants that we sell are either directly from Dakota County gardens or are grown from seed by our Master Gardeners. We don’t buy plants grown by third-party growers. Our plant sale is well known for the quality and variety of vegetables that are available. Recently, we have also become recognized for the number and variety of native plants that we grow and sell. This effort is complex and requires expertise to provide you with the best quality and healthiest plants. Let’s take a look at what it takes to put on our plant sale and some of the people who make it happen. Preparing for the plant sale is a group effort. Approximately 70 MGs are involved in preparing for and working at the plant sale but Mary Beth Kufrin and Marie Stolte are the two very organized, very hard working and very talented MGs who are “in charge.” Collecting Native Seeds The annual plant sale starts with collecting seeds. DCMGs encourage the use of native plants. Take a look at the many articles on our website about native plants and the environmental benefits of growing them. In the fall, DCMGs collect native plant seeds from Dakota County Parks and our own gardens. The seeds are cleaned and stratified as needed. The seeds are then taken home by several DCMGs who will plant and grow the native seedlings. The Greenhouse Crew In addition to the native plants grown by DCMGs, we buy a variety of vegetable seeds based on plants that our customers have preferred the past. In March, those seeds are planted in a greenhouse by a group of DCMG volunteers. The group is led by Marc Battistini, Jinny Berkopec and Lisa Hofmann – all very experienced and dedicated DCMGs who spend many hours directing the volunteers and caring for the young plants. For the plant sale this year, the greenhouse crew planted : 12 varieties of tomatoes, 13 varieties of peppers and a few varieties of herbs (including Asian herbs). Also, in March, the seedlings that have been nurtured by DCMGs at home (including houseplants) are moved to the greenhouse. Over 50 varieties of natives and several different landscape plants were seeded. The greenhouse crew waters and tends to the seedlings as they grow into more mature plants. As they mature, seedlings are transplanted into larger pots. In April, the maturing plants are moved to a “hoop house” on the grounds of UMORE Park. (A hoop house is a type of greenhouse that is covered in heavy-duty plastic.) The plants will have outgrown our current greenhouse (which also grows plants for our trial gardens) and the hoop house provides a roomier home for the plants. The hoop house also provides a good staging area for the plant sale. All of the hundreds of plants must be labeled and priced by another group of volunteers. And - our plant sale is well-known for its very reasonable prices . Digging and Bare-Rooting Established Plants Of course, we also provide plants that are established and grown in the gardens of DCMGs. DCMGs tend to grow perennials that will prosper in our part of Minnesota! They dig the plants out of their own gardens shortly before the sale. DCMGs crews go the homes of Dakota County residents with large numbers of appropriate plants and dig those plants, as well. You are probably aware that jumping worms have become a significant problem in Minnesota. Jumping worms can severely stunt or kill plants and are transferable in the soil around a plant’s roots. (Read the article on our website about the problems that jumping worms cause in gardens.) As a result, DCMGs don’t just transfer the plants directly from the ground to the pots that we sell. We go through a process called “bare-rooting.” Bare-rooting is the process of cleaning the roots of a plant. (Read our article on “ bare-rooting .”) Our established perennials will appear wrapped in wet newspaper and tubing. Presented this way, our plants may not look as “pretty” as in a garden store but you can be assured that you will not be importing jumping worms into your garden. And they carry the added benefit of being easier to transport and plant! Plant Sale Set up Finally, the day before the plant sale, the hundreds of plants that have been seeded and grown or dug from local gardens, are moved and set up at Empire Shelter at Whitetail Woods Regional Park, thanks to the generosity of Dakota County Parks and Recreation. In addition to the plants, DCMGs provide educational materials for display at the sale. After all, we don’t just view the plant sale as a fundraiser - the sale is a great opportunity to provide advice to homeowners about the plants. Part of the preparation for the plant sale is getting the word out. Providing information in the Garden Buzz, email, news outlets and other tools helps us to bring you in to our plant sale experience. Plant Sale Day As you might imagine, plant sale day is an “all-hands-on-deck” event for the DCMGs. We have volunteers walking the floor to provide advice and direct you to the appropriate plants. At the sale, you will also find a table labeled “Ask a Master Gardener” – DCMGs who are there to answer any gardening questions you may have. DCMGs are directing traffic, tending our “garage sale” and of course acting as cashiers. We know that there are many plant sales around the Twin Cities area in May. We hope that this article has helped explain why you should choose the DCMG plant sale for your gardening needs. Our plant sale provides home-grown, unique and healthy plants that, we think, cannot be found elsewhere. Come check us out on May 18th and see for yourself! Photo Credit: Robert Hatlevig (1,2,6), Jinny Berkopec (3,4,5), Marie Stolte (7), Robert Heidtke (8)

< Back Is it Too Late to Plant . . .? Mickey Scullard, Master Gardener Now it’s June and for many reasons, you don’t have your garden planted. Is it too late? This article explains why the answer is a resounding No! There are many vegetables and annuals that have a shorter time to maturation and will allow you to enjoy the fruits of your June labor. Read on to learn how to save your summer planting enjoyment. Now it’s June and for many reasons, you don’t have your garden planted. Is it too late? The resounding and reassuring answer is – No! And the answer is also – it depends. There are many vegetables and flowers that you can plant in June and still get a good harvest. However, there are a few plants that need a long growing season and planting in June might not provide sufficient time for flowers or vegetables to mature. This year, we’ve had a cool, wet spring and many of the perennials (plants that grow back every year) are ‘behind schedule,’ emerging or blooming at least a couple of weeks late. This suggests we already have a delayed planting season and even gardens planted early might be growing slowly or may even need to be replanted if the seeds rotted in the wet soil or tiny plants experienced a frost or freeze. How do you know what you can plant? There are some key items to look at – read the back of the seed packages, if you are sowing seeds, or tags inserted into plants you purchase. The back of the seed package tells you when it is best to plant the seeds, how long before the seed will germinate (when you can expect to see green pushing up out of the ground), and how long to harvest if the seed is going to produce vegetables. If the seed package says 90 days until harvest, you can plant it, but you might not get to pick anything unless we have a long, warm fall. In the picture, you can see Turnips have an estimated 45 days to harvest, so that would work but Parsnips are harvested 95 days after sowing. Even in a good growing year, Parsnips might be a gamble. If the package says the vegetable is a cool season crop, like peas, lettuce, or spinach, you might want to wait until late summer to plant as we are (usually) heading into our hottest growing time in late June, July, and August. You may have missed the spring season harvest, but you have an opportunity to enjoy the vegetable in the Fall. For more information on planting for fall harvest, see the Mid-Summer Planting Guide on the University of Minnesota Extension website. It also has excellent online resources and a handy “at a glance chart” on when to plant: Planting and Growing Guides If you were not able to start seeds yourself for plants needing more growing time than we have in a Minnesota summer, you could consider buying plants from garden centers or nurseries. This will increase your chances of planting late but still successfully growing longer season plants. Flowers don’t have the same timescale on their packages, but you can gather some hints from how the package describes planting. For example, if the package directs you to start the seed inside several weeks before outdoor planting, this may be a flower that needs a longer season than we have in Minnesota. This is not a hard and fast rule, however, as Zinnia packages suggest starting seeds indoors a few weeks before planting. You can successfully direct seed Zinnias – and many other flower seeds – through late June - early July. Just a word of caution: perennials can be sold in seed packets, but will take several years to reach maturity and bloom. To learn whether the flower you want to grow is an annual or perennial, and more information about many types of flowers and flower landscapes, e.g., pollinator gardens, you can refer to - UMN Extension Flowers In the end, especially with seeds, it never hurts to try. One year, I planted sunflowers, cosmos, and zinnias on the Fourth of July – all by seed – and by mid-August, had a pollinator’s paradise and riots of color to enjoy from my deck until Fall. Planting in June is very doable and, while you might have to watch neighbors and friends enjoying their garden harvest while you wait, you will be able to eat your own home-grown vegetables – just a little later. Photo Credit: University of Minnesota Extension (2) & Mickey Scullard (1,3)

< Back Early Spring Blooming Plants Deep in the doldrums of winter, everyone is anxious for spring weather to arrive so that, once again, they can dig in the dirt planting flowers and vegetables. To entice us even more, we’re seeing bulb plants in the stores for sale so we can enjoy them at home until spring finally arrives. In this article, I’ll talk about some of the most popular spring blooming plants for your garden. Carolyn Plank, Master Gardener Deep in the doldrums of winter, everyone is anxious for spring weather to arrive so that, once again, they can dig in the dirt planting flowers and vegetables. To entice us even more, we’re seeing bulb plants in the stores for sale so we can enjoy them at home until spring finally arrives. In this article, I’ll talk about some of the most popular spring blooming plants for your garden. CROCUS is one of the first bulb plants to peak its head up in early spring. They are a very reliable plant and frost tolerant. They grow 3-6” tall and are available in multiple colors in shades of purple, orange, pink, and white. They like full sun to part shade and prefer a slightly neutral soil pH of 6.0-7.0, but well-draining soil is very important. DAFFODILS are also an early spring plant best known for their bright yellow trumpet shaped flower. They grow in clumps and unlike tulip bulbs, they have little appeal to wildlife. Planting them amongst snowdrops, hyacinths and tulips provides a wonderful array of colors. They tolerate full sun to part shade with a slightly neutral pH soil (6.0-7.0). DWARF IRIS is a fragrant miniature plant that blooms early in the season and grows to about 6-8”. They bloom in two waves in various shades of dark to light blue, and purple making them ideal for borders. They prefer full sun to part shade, good soil drainage, and spread through underground rhizomatous stems filling the garden with beautiful spring blooms. HYACINTH loves full sun to part shade in a well-drained soil with pH close to neutral (7.0). This plant is well suited to Zones 4-8 and range in height from 6-12”. This plant has a very fragrant flower with tiny blooms resembling bunches of grapes. TULIPS bloom early in the spring season along with daffodils and crocus. They do best in full sun and well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0-6.5. Colors include orange, pink, purple, red, white, yellow and numerous multi colors that grow to 12-18” tall. EASTER LILY – Lilies are very flamboyant with beautiful flowers and an intensely sweet fragrance. Easter lilies are white in color although there are numerous types of lilies such as Asiatic and Oriental hybrids that come in many colors. The lily is an upright perennial that ranges in height from 2-8’ tall. Don’t forget, once that easter lily is done blooming, cut the stems down and plant the bulb in the garden so you can enjoy it again next spring. Lilies grow best in slightly alkaline (6.5-7.0) moist, well-drained soil high in organic matter. Fall is the time to plant the bulbs for most of these plants, so, if you haven’t planted any of these spring delights in your garden yet, I hope you are inspired to do so this year. Then look forward to a rainbow of color in the spring. Photo Credits: Carolyn Plank (1), University of Minnesota Extension (2), Julie Weisenhorn, University of Minnesota Extension (3), Woodies Garden Goods (4 - Creative Commons License) (4), Pixnio (Creative Commons License) (5), MaxPixel (Creative Commons License) (6)

< Back Taking on Ticks Jim Lakin, MD, Master Gardener You’ve turned in after a productive day of gardening. Beginning to doze off, you feel something ever so slightly brushing against your thigh. You reach and feel a small hard object crawling up your leg. Lights on. It’s a tic, ambling along, looking for a nice warm place to suck your blood! It is tick season and there is good reason to be wary. You’ve turned in after a productive day of gardening. Beginning to doze off, you feel something ever so slightly brushing against your thigh. You reach and feel a small hard object crawling up your leg. Lights on. It’s a tick, ambling along looking for a nice warm place to suck your blood! Enough Stephen King. Ticks are gross but sometimes unavoidable if you are a gardener. Yet in addition to being unpleasant they can also be dangerous. The Centers for Disease Control list at least sixteen serious infectious diseases that can be transmitted by ticks in the United States, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. So what are these guys and how do they manage to get on your skin? Ticks are arachnids, insects that are second cousins to spiders, members of the Ixodida family. Like many insects they go through egg, larva, nymph and adult stages. At each stage of life they need a blood meal to survive. Most aren’t picky as to whose blood they drink, selecting mammal, bird, reptile or amphibian hosts as they pass through their life stages. Also they aren’t picky as to what’s in the blood they drink, ingesting whatever assorted bacteria or viruses the host happens to have. Ticks can’t jump or fly but they can wait patiently on a blade of grass or leaf, latching on to whomever happens to be passing by. Once on board, the tick settles down on a promising spot and inserts a feeding tube. In the process it often secretes saliva which can contain whatever infection the tick has picked up from its previous host. If all goes well (for the tick) it will feed for several days and then drop off to begin its next life stage and find its next victim. The deer tick (blacklegged tick) below is much smaller than the wood tick (American dog tick) above and to the right. The lone star tick on the upper right is occasionally seen in Minnesota. Although there are about a dozen species of ticks in Minnesota, two types commonly spread disease. They are the deer tick or black legged tick and the wood tick or American dog tick. Of the two the deer tick is by far the most common disease spreader, transmitting Lyme disease among other things. Wood ticks may spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia but most bites thankfully are unpleasant but harmless. There are a number of things you can do to lessen the chance of picking up one of these fellows. First of all avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass or leaf litter. Walk in the center of trails when you are out in the woods. If you can’t avoid these high exposure areas consider treating clothing and gear with 0.5% permethrin. It is available as a spray or you can even buy pretreated clothing and gear. The Environmental Protection Agency suggests use of insect repellants such as DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. They advise against using OLE or PMD on children less than three years old. After a day out in the garden or the woods, it's best to shower down and then carefully check your body, clothing and gear for ticks. Don’t forget to check the family dog too! The life stages of the Blacklegged (deer) tick, lone star tick and American dog (wood) tick demonstrating their relative sizes. If you do find an attached tick, remove it with a pair of fine tipped forceps (tweezers). Grasp it as close to the skin as possible. Pull up with steady, even pressure. Don’t jerk or twist it as this may break off the mouth parts, leaving them in the skin. If this does happen remove them with the tweezer tips. After removing the tick, clean up the bite with rubbing alcohol or soap and water. Never crush a tick with your fingers. If you do develop a rash or a fever within a few weeks of a tick bite, see your health care provider right away. Be sure to tell him or her about the bite, when and where it occurred. Want to learn more? The CDC has an excellent site . Also check out this Minnesota Department of Health article . And read this article from University of Minnesota Extension’s entomologist, Jeffery Hahn. Photo credits: Minnesota Department of Health (1, 2)

< Back Microgreens - Only Micro in Size Did you think that you would have to wait until spring to grow fresh greens for your dinner table? Not so if you read this article and learn how to grow microgreens indoors. Microgreens are easy to grow, quick to harvest, have year-round indoor growing potential, exceptional nutritional value, and seeds are available in many varieties for endless experimentation. There is nothing micro about microgreens-accept their size! Joanna Kapke, Master Gardener Microgreens are easy to grow, quick to harvest, have year-round indoor growing potential, exceptional nutritional value, and seeds are available in many varieties for endless experimentation. There is nothing micro about microgreens - except their size! A microgreen is a plant in between the sprout stage and the baby stage of development. When we eat microgreens, we are eating the cotyledon (the embryonic leaf or leaves inside the seed) and a few of the plant’s true leaves. There are many benefits to growing and eating microgreens. They go from sowing to harvest in one to three weeks with minimal opportunities for failure. They can be grown indoors year-round. According to research , t hey contain 4 to 40 times more nutrients than full-grown plants. There are many varieties of microgreens available to grow and they all provide a delicious and fresh addition to many meals even in the dead of winter. When selecting your first microgreen variety to grow, something from the mustard family (Brassicaceae)—such as arugula, mustard or radish—is a good place to start as they germinate quickly and have a lot of flavor. Microgreen growing kits are growing in popularity and offer an effortless first foray into microgreen enjoyment. Many seed catalogue companies—"Johnny’s” and “High Mowing Seeds” to name two—have extensive microgreen seed selections complete with growing guides and they also have any supplies needed to start your growing operation. Here is what you will need to grow microgreens at home: 1) Any clean container with drainage holes (existing or added): think mushroom containers, salad mix containers, bottom half of a milk jug or even an egg carton and a tray to set the container in; 2) Seed-starting mix; 3) Organic, non-GMO seed from a reliable seed source; 4) A spray bottle or misting pump-sprayer for watering the delicate seedlings; and 5) A window or grow light or combination of the two; enough to provide 16 hours of light per day and at least 6 hours of darkness. More extensive microgreen growing can be done just as easily by the at-home gardener by upgrading to standard greenhouse growing trays called 1020 flats, high-output grow lights, a fan running on the plants to inhibit the growth of fungus and mold and liquid seaweed nutrients added to the water to boost nutrient values after seed germination. When starting your microgreens, ensure your seed-starting mix is tamped down, moist (but not too wet) and about 1.5 inches in depth. Your seed source or packet should have variety-specific directions for how thickly to sow seeds in your container. Keeping the seeds moist and in contact with the growing medium until germination, is essential. A seed sprouting lid works well as do damp paper towels. When the seeds have fully germinated and there are visible roots coming through the drain holes in your container, you can start watering from the bottom to reduce the risk of fungal growth and damaging or flattening your plants during watering. Microgreens are tender, delicate and best when eaten raw after minimal handling. Harvesting should occur when the plants are between 2 and 4 inches tall and have at least one true leaf. Cut the plants off just above the level of the soil, lightly wash and completely dry in a salad spinner and enjoy. Cut greens can be stored in a closed plastic container or bag in the fridge for up to three days and washed before enjoying. Alternately, washed greens can be stored after completely drying them using kitchen or paper towels. Enjoy your fresh and vibrant greens on almost anything; sandwiches, salads, pasta, pizza, stir fry or all on their own. There is an abundance of reliable micro greens resources on the internet—here are a few: https://themicrogardener.com/easy-guide-to-growing-microgreens/ https://microgreensworld.com/ https://extension.psu.edu/a-step-by-step-guide-for-growing-microgreens-at-home Photo credits: Joanna Kapke (1, 2, 3)

< Back Succulents - It Is What to Grow in July Julie Henrichs, Dakota County Master Gardener In May, the annuals were planted, but as the hot and dry days of July arrive are some of your annual planters looking overgrown or have they lost their curb appeal? Are your children still wanting to play in the dirt? Then look no further than the world of succulents. Succulents can easily be added to existing planters to refresh the look or they can be planted alone in a container. Explore with your child what makes succulents so unique and start planting! What is so unique about a succulent ? Succulents store water in their leaves - it allows them to survive in hot/dry conditions. Waxy coverings on the leaves help retain moisture and their root systems are not deep which allows for quicker water absorption when there is not much water available. Succulents come in all shapes, sizes and textures and their colors and markings vary as well. Lithops - look like stones or pebbles Sedums - small leaves form in clusters - usually round leaves Echeverias - often resemble a flower - leaves are thick and arranged in rosettes Cacti – yes, a cactus is a succulent - but as they say, all succulents are not cacti; spiky thick stems Cacti Planting our Succulent Planter Succulents can be added to an existing planter if the correct conditions and soil exist, but if they don’t, start by picking an empty planter where your succulents can receive a lot of indirect sunlight. Succulents come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors so let your child choose 3-5 succulent plants depending on the size of your planter. Most succulents will do well in shallow planters, but any will do. Let’s get planting! Gather the following : Succulents (1-5 based on size of container) Planter/Container - well draining and shallow is better Succulent/Cacti Soil - well draining soil Pebbles/Small River Rock for top dressing (optional) Planting Time Child can choose succulents - choose an appropriate number to fit the container Children can fill the planter with succulent/cacti soil, leaving about ½” to 1 “from rim of planter Before planting - arrange succulents in planter; once you have decided on the best arrangement, then planting can begin Succulent leaves can be fragile and can break off easily so please use caution when planting. If you have chosen to plant cacti then it will be helpful to have rubberized gloves on and possibly use a tong to place the cacti in the pot. Dig small hole for the succulent; place succulent in hole and then gently fill in around plant. Repeat the process above until all succulents are planted. Watering/Sunlight Key to watering is less is best . Succulents can thrive with little water. Invite your child to water, but emphasize that less water is needed for succulents. The best method for watering succulents is to thoroughly water the succulent until the soil is saturated (runs through) and then allow the soil to dry out completely before watering again. Succulents may dry out quicker when outside, but do not overwater. Sunlight is important to succulents; however, it’s best not to place the plant in direct sun, but instead bright indirect sunlight. Enjoy your new summer creation - the Succulent Planter. Don’t forget your new creation can be brought inside in the Fall when temperatures begin to cool. The succulent planter is a great addition to your “garden” - inside and out. Photo Credits: www.flickr.com (1,2), www.pexels.com (3,4)

< Back December - Enjoying the Winter Garden Dawn Struble As Minnesotans, we learn to appreciate the cycle of northern gardening. The truth is, after putting the garden to bed for the season, the winter respite provides a chance to enjoy the garden in different ways. Read this article for thoughts about how to enjoy your garden in winter. Over the years I’ve often exclaimed, “I wish I lived in zone 7 or 8!” Then I wouldn’t have to say good-bye to my gardens as winter arrives. But over the same years, I’ve come to appreciate the cycle of northern gardening. The truth is, after putting the garden to bed for the season, the winter respite provides a chance to enjoy the garden in different ways. Before the snow flies, make time to move any garden art or sculptures closer to your home’s windows. This will allow you to appreciate the light, shadows and snow accumulations on your art, as well as on standing vegetation, shrubs and tree branches during the snowy months. Now is also the time to make note of plants that may need to be moved, split or removed next spring. You will thank yourself in the spring for writing it down! Watching the snow for animal tracks will help you learn more about the variety and habits of wildlife in your area ( 12 weeks of winter: The scoop on scat | UMN Extension ). You can use the cold weather downtime to read some great gardening books ( Gift Idea: Good Books for Minnesota Gardeners (umn.edu) or Books that created conversation in 2021 | UMN Extension ). And nothing tastes better in the middle of winter than a warm muffin baked from the garden rhubarb you froze last June! ( Using your harvest | UMN Extension ). If you are really missing the dirt under your fingernails, try an indoor herb garden, or make a winter window box or front entry pot. Taking care of your garden tool maintenance is also a valuable task during frigid weather. ( Clean and disinfect gardening tools and containers | UMN Extension ). Get the family involved and combat the dark days by making beautiful winter luminaries. It’s a fun and rewarding project for everyone, and will brighten your yard and garden areas. As you take that winter vacation to warmer destinations, don’t forget about the reciprocal garden admission program for Minnesota Landscape Arboretum members. Reciprocal Admissions Program – American Horticultural Society (ahsgardening.org) . You’ll find the visit sparking your excitement for another season of northern gardening after the well deserved winter break. Photo credits: University of Minnesota Extension (1, 3), Torange.biz (2)

< Back Zinnias: Vibrant Accents to a Northern Garden You know that zinnias provide a beautiful flourish to the summer garden. The varieties and colors are endless and can be enjoyed from late Spring into the Fall. But did you know that growing Zinnias from seed is both easy and rewarding? Read this article to learn why you might want to grow your own zinnias from seed this year. Jim Lakin, M.D., Master Gardener Not every seed is created equal. Trying to get some of the native perennials to germinate seems to require an Act of Congress. And they’re gridlocked! Not so with the humble but glorious zinnia. In my book, zinnias are some of the most overlooked yet rewarding annuals a Minnesotan could hope for. Although originating in Mexico and the Southwestern U.S., varieties have been developed all over the world. Yet they all still retain their love of warmth and sunlight, a commodity sometimes in short supply up here. Fear not! Simply sew zinnia seeds after the last hard frost and bide your time. As things warm up the seedlings will take care of the rest, producing blooms from late spring, far into the fall. If you have a warm sunny spot inside, you might even consider starting some seeds four to six weeks before the last frost. Unlike some more persnickety plants, zinnias germinate readily. You can set them out in the garden when they get two to four inches tall and enjoy weeks of blooms before the seeds you sewed get in gear. There are many varieties of zinnias ranging in height from 6 inches to 4 feet. I like the older, smaller blooms. They are hardy, fast growing, and tough plants. As I said, they do need full sun and warmth, but ask little else. One fertilization a season usually suffices. They are quite disease resistant. Powdery mildew seems to be the only common malady. It doesn’t look very attractive, but the plants usually survive. To keep them happy and mildew free, select a well-drained location for planting. Zinnias don’t like their feet wet. Mixed zinnias in full summer bloom If you find a variety you really like, consider collecting seeds in the late fall. Just cut off the spent flowers, shake out the seeds onto a sheet of paper, slip them into an envelope and store in the fridge until early next spring to start indoors or sew in the garden a bit later. Either way you will have bold, bright colors to cheer you through the gardening season! Late fall zinnia seed heads ready for harvest Want to learn more about zinnias than you thought there was to learn? Try Eric Grissell’s new book, A History of Zinnias: Flower for the Ages , Perdue University Press, West Layette, IN, 2020. Photo credits: Jim Lakin (1, 2)

< Back Master Gardeners Answer Your Questions One of the most important services that the Master Gardeners in Dakota County provide to the community, is answering garden and environmental related questions. This article explains some of the ways that you can have your gardening questions answered by a certified Master Gardener in Dakota County. In particular, at Farmers Markets around the county, you can find MGs at their “Ask a Master Gardener” table, ready to answer your gardening questions. Julie Harris, Dakota County Master Gardener One of the most important services that the Master Gardeners in Dakota County provide to the community, is answering garden and environmental related questions. “Ask a Master Gardener” volunteers can be found at various places but primarily at Farmers Markets around the county. At these events, you can find MGs at their table, ready to answer your gardening questions. Look for the familiar MG sign and table cloth! In order to be certified as a MG, an individual must complete a horticulture course in research-based, best horticultural practices through the University of Minnesota Extension. University faculty provide education on a wide array of horticultural subjects; for example – herbaceous and woody plants; growing vegetables and fruit; weeds; soil; composting; fertilizers; trees; lawn care and others. MGs combine this education with their own experience to provide you with gardening information. If they can’t answer a question on the spot, they will research the answer and get back to you. Additionally the MGs have handouts on relevant topics such as plants for pollinators, native plants, invasives, lawn care, and soil testing. In Dakota County, this project is led by Paul Wood and Rozanne Witter – both very experienced Master Gardeners. However, many other Master Gardeners volunteer their time and knowledge at community events. In fact, last year, MGs volunteered over 300 hours at the markets and answered almost 1100 questions! During the warm months, you can find MGs at these Farmer’s Markets: Apple Valley – Western Dakota County Service Center, 14955 Galaxie Ave Eagan -- Eagan Community Center, 1501 Central Pkwy Burnsville -- Mary, Mother of the Church, 3333 Cliff Rd East Lakeville - 20851 Holyoke Avenue During the winter months, MGs are often available at the Apple Valley Bachman’s and the Eagan Market Fest. For information about where and when Master Gardeners will be at one of these locations, this link will take you to the Dakota County Master Gardeners’ event schedule. An “Ask a Master Gardener” table is also available at our annual May Plant Sale and Let’s Get Growing spring kick-off event and the Burnsville Native Plant Sale. Ask a Master Gardener Line Master Gardeners in Dakota County also participate in the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum “Ask a Master Gardener phone line.” If you have gardening questions when you are not at an MG event, this is a great resource for you. Simply call the phone line (612-301-7590), leave your phone number and as much information as possible. A Master Gardener will get back to you within 24-48 hours. The mission of the Master Gardener program is to provide members of the community, research-based information on best practices in consumer gardening and caring for the environment. The “Ask a Master Gardener” project is a great way for us to connect with you and provide the information that you need! See you soon at a Farmers’ Market near you! Photo Credit: Paul Wood (1,2)