< Back Black Chokeberry: Showy but Well-Behaved Jim Lakin MD, Master Gardener As the snow starts to melt and a few green tufts of grass peak out, it’s a great time to start thinking about planting native shrubs. If you have an area that needs screening for privacy, a walkway or border to delineate, a property line that needs a hedge, you would do well to think about a native shrub. Over the next three months we’ll talk about some great options. One very attractive choice is black chokeberry ( Aronia melanocarpa ). A. melanocarpa has been quite popular with the dietetically conscious in that it is rich in antioxidants and, even better, will not make you choke. Although it does have a distinct aftertaste which some find bracing and others, not so much. With the right recipe, the berries can make a tasty jam or jelly. In any event, you don’t need to eat the plant to enjoy it. It is an attractive woody perennial which is well behaved. It makes a great ornamental shrub, especially for a traditional garden. May flowers Black chokeberry grows in the wild from eastern Minnesota and northeastern Iowa eastwards across the Midwest. It is cold tolerant from Zone 3 to 8. Although it grows naturally on sandy soils it can easily be transplanted to a variety of environments ranging from sand to clay. It does well in full sun to light shade. Once established, black chokeberry produces, in May, clusters of attractive, showy white flowers with pink stamens that rise above the petals. They go on to form inky, glossy black fruit in late summer. The berries remain on the shrub through the winter providing interest against the snow. The leaves are usually a deep shimmering green which transforms into bright red in fall, setting off the glossy black fruit. Black chokeberry usually grows 3 to 6 feet tall. Although it is a well-behaved shrub, it will send off root suckers to form colonies. If you are going for a more formal look they can be easily removed. Ripe Fruit Black chokeberry is usually a very low maintenance plant once established. It is disease resistant to most blights although occasional leaf spot is sometimes seen. It is a versatile landscape plant which can be used in formal gardens although it also does well for naturalizing where suckering is not an issue. Its tolerance of boggy soils makes it a great addition to pond or stream margins. There are several cultivars available in nurseries. “Professor Ed” is one notable. Often , on-line sites specializing in native perennials of the Midwest can provide hearty specimens. black chokeberry in a naturalized setting Photo Credit: Missouri Botanical Garden (1,2,3)

< Back Butternut Squash – The Best Flavor of All Winter Squash? December marks the beginning of winter – the time of year when winter squash seems like just the right vegetable to enjoy. Butternut squash is often described as having the best flavor of all winter squash. After you enjoy eating butternut squash this winter, you will want to grow some of your own next spring. Read on to learn how to grow butternut squash successfully. Marjory Blare, Dakota County Master Gardener How to Grow Butternut squash Soil is the first consideration when growing vegetables. It is always a good idea to start with having your soil tested. The University of Minnesota has a testing service than can be accessed here . For best yield and quality, the soil pH range for vine crops is between 6.0 and 6.5, which is slightly acidic. Raised beds are recommended as they ensure good drainage. You can seed vine crops directly into the garden, but they need warm soils of about 65°tested at 2” down. Follow directions on the butternut squash seed package for seed depth and row spacing. To start your butternut squash inside, plant seeds in pots or cells at least two inches wide and deep. Seedlings take about four weeks from seeding to planting out. They need two to three true leaves before transplanting. Harden off seedlings started indoors before planting them in soil that is at least 65°F Read more about starting seeds indoors at this University of Minnesota Extension website. Now that your squash is in the ground, they need at least one inch of water each week. Trellised plants may require watering more often. Water deeply by using a drip hose, soaker hose or careful watering of the soil making sure to keep the leaves dry. Poor fruit set and tasteless fruit can be due to rainy, cloudy or cold weather, when pollinators are not active. Heavy rainfalls can lead to oedema, which causes scabby, raised bumps on the fruit. If you want to use mulch, such as straw or compost to control weeds, wait until the soil is at least 75°F because the mulch can inhibit further warming. When the vines start to spread out, side dress with high-nitrogen fertilizer. Consult your soil test for amounts. The first blossoms often drop from the vines. This is not a problem, since the first blossoms are male, the female flowers, which open later, have a swelling at the base called the ovary. After pollination, the fruit develops. After your butternut squash is ripe, pick it before a hard freeze for best results. A light frost that kills the vine will usually not harm the fruit. Cut the fruit from the vine, leaving a few inches of stem attached. Be careful not to cut or bruise the fruit. After cutting squash from the vines, you should “field-cure” them in place for a week or two in dry, sunny weather. This dries and toughens the skin for longer storage. If the weather becomes cold or rainy, cure the squash indoors in a well-ventilated, warm (80°F) place. Storage Winter squash should be stored in a cool (55°F) place, with good air movement. If you don’t have a good place to store them, you can freeze mashed squash, dry slices in a dehydrator, or can it. Check this site for more information about preserving winter squash. Butternut squash can be made into many dishes, from soups to roasted or candied cubes. Check out our Garden to Kitchen article this month for a mouth-watering squash recipe. Bon appétit! Photo and Drawing Credits: Marjory Blare (1,2,3)

< Back All New Square Foot Gardening, Third Edition “All New Square Foot Gardening” is an updated version of square foot gardening principles first introduced 40 years ago. The basic philosophy of this gardening method remains the same but this book demonstrates how the method has been refined and improved. Growing vegetables in your backyard is both possible and fun! Mel Bartholomew Reviewed by Gail Maifeld, Master Gardener This is an updated version of the tried-and-true Square Foot Gardening principles first introduced in 1981 by Mel Bartholomew. Bartholomew believed that everyone should be able to enjoy freshly harvested produce, that gardening should be fun, easy to understand and successful. The method saves land and water and is efficient. The Square Foot Gardening Foundation, started by Bartholomew, hopes this update will encourage new gardeners. SFG’s philosophy of reducing garbage by composting, less fuel to transport food, eating fresh and more salads, less water usage, no fertilizers, and no plastic waste, will appeal to a new group of gardeners. This publication includes multiple pictures of square and other shaped gardens followed by tips for attractive vertical gardening for beans, peas, squash, and more. The book emphasizes planting what you want to eat with a specific number of plants. Limited planting causes less waste and results in vegetables and salad greens for you to eat. The update doesn’t offer major changes to Square Foot Gardening philosophy but the system has been even further refined and improved to fully meet today's changing resources, needs, and challenges. This book should encourage home gardeners to understand that growing vegetables in their backyard is both possible and fun! Photo Credit: All New Square Foot Gardening, Third Edition (1)

< Back Do All Bees Sting? Lisa Olson, Master Gardener 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. Bumblebee Do all bees sting? The short answer is no. But some bees do sting, and they also get blamed for more than their fair share. Many people mistakenly call all stinging insects “bees.” Hornets and wasps are typically more aggressive than their rounder, fuzzier relative, the bee. Bees are pretty tolerant of humans unless they feel provoked or threatened. They will sting to protect their nest or hive, but they are generally not a threat to people if they are left alone. In fact, when bees are busy flying from flower to flower collecting nectar and pollen, you can safely observe them without fear of being stung. However, since about 80 percent of bee species nest in the ground, it is not surprising that many bee stings occur when someone unknowingly steps on a nest. Ground Nest Certain bees are not capable of stinging. Only female bees have a stinger which is a modified egg laying apparatus. Male bees are not equipped with that part and therefore are unable to sting. Not every sting is equal among all female bees. While the social bumblebee and honeybee sting can be quite painful, the sting of most solitary native bees is similar to a pinprick. Of the nearly 20,000 known bee species in the world, about 400 of them live in Minnesota. Only about 2% of those are honeybees and bumblebees, including the state bee of Minnesota, the rusty patched bumblebee. The other 98% are mostly solitary bees like the mason and leafcutter bees. Rusty Patched Bumblebee While some bees are not capable of stinging at all, the female bumblebee, along with its relatives the yellow jacket and paper wasp, can sting multiple times. Its stinger is smooth so that it can remove it and re-inject it multiple times. The honeybee, on the other hand, has a barbed stinger. Once its stinger penetrates human skin, it becomes lodged and cannot be removed. When it flies away, the stinger stays behind, and the honeybee will die shortly afterward from the hole left in its abdomen. If that occurs, the sting victim should immediately scratch out the stinger with a fingernail rather than grasping it with two fingers to prevent squeezing more venom into the wound. A very small portion of the population is allergic to bee or wasp venom. While a person is more likely to die from being struck by lightning than stung by a bee, an average of 62 people die each year in the United States from a bee, wasp, or hornet sting according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since you can’t just hang around male bees, in order to avoid being stung, you can take the following precautions: Stay calm. Don’t swat at bees. Just remain calm and slowly walk away. Wear shoes outside. Stepping on a nest is the most common way to get stung. Plant flowers away from your doors. Reduce the risk of a negative encounter by planting pollinator habitat away from high traffic areas. Beekeepers wear white for a reason. If you don’t look or smell like a brightly colored flower, bees are less likely to bother you. Just watch, don’t touch. If you leave them alone, they will leave you alone. Bees are excellent neighbors and extremely beneficial to us. Pollinators are responsible for about one third of the food we eat. The best thing we can do, as with all wildlife, is to respect it by keeping our distance. That way we don't have to worry whether it is a stinging bee or not. And last of all, by providing more pollinator friendly habitat, we can ensure a healthy, happy bee population for the future. https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/wasps-and-bees#reactions-to-stings-1465111 https://mphysicians.org/news/2022/07/20/buzz-sting-ow-dealing-wasp-or-bee-stings-11076 https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6829a5.htm https://www.pollinator.org/pollinator.org/assets/generalFiles/NAPPC.NoFear.brochFINAL.pdf https://extension.umn.edu/lawns-and-landscapes/pollinator-nests#:~:text=About%2080%20percent%20of%20bee,over%20the%20nests%20of%20others . https://beelab.umn.edu/Native-Bee/diversity https://bwsr.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/2020-03/Planting%20for%20Pollinators%20Design%20Guide%20with%20logos.pdf Photo Credit: University of Minnesota (1,2,3,4)

< Back Wild Yam (Dioscorea villosa): A Decorative Foliage Vine Jim Lakin MD, Dakota County Master Gardener Wild yam is the subject of June’s native vine profile. Not to be confused with the edible yams that we buy in the grocery store, wild yam is sometimes marketed as “natural estrogen.” The article explains why wild yam cannot be used in this way and why you might want to add it to your garden for other reasons. Like so many other native plants, wild yam is known by many other names. Some of the more common ones include American yam, Atlantic yam, Barbasco, China root, Colic root and Devil’s bones. Not to be confused with edible yams, wild yam is sometimes marketed today is as a “natural estrogen.” It is purported to be useful as an alternative to estrogen or dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in treatment of menopausal symptoms. Unfortunately, the human body lacks the enzymes to convert the plant compounds found in yam to either estrogen or DHEA. Although anecdotal testimonials abound, it is important to understand that the biochemistry does not support use of wild yam as a “natural estrogen.” wild yam leaves; Credit: Illinois Wildflowers So why should we consider wild yam as an addition to our native perennials? It is an elegant vine that can be depended upon to weave through fence, trellis or arbor. Likewise, it will ramble through established plantings providing a lush understory for larger beds. Although, as its name implies, it is a close relative to cultivated yams, it is not edible. Yet wild yam’s ornamental value is considerable. Indeed, its heart shaped foliage is attractive throughout the growing season with prominent veining. This makes it a great foliage plant. These leaves turn a golden yellow in the fall, providing a striking accent. Spring and early summer bring flowers in creamy yellow clusters. Winged seed pods follow, green in summer, brown in fall, hanging on in winter as accents. Wild Yam flowers; Credit: Steven Baskauf, Native Plant Trust To grow this delightful native perennial vine, keep in mind that it is dioecious, meaning that it requires both male and female plants for proper flowering and seed production. It is found across the Lower Midwest and into the Upper Midwest as far west as Central Minnesota and southeastern Nebraska. In its native state, it usually is found in moist woods and floodplains as well as in hedgerows. It tolerates full sun but will do well in light to partial shade. One attractive feature of wild yam is its drought tolerance, although it prefers moist, well-drained soils for optimum growth. If you want to try your hand at propagating the vine, you can germinate from seeds or start from division of tubers. Which ever route you try, you’ll be rewarded with an enduring ornamental addition to your landscape.

< Back Fragrant Plants Jessie Thompson, Dakota County Master Gardener If given a single flower right now, would your first reaction be to smell it? Scents can be so powerful. It can instantly unlock a memory and transport us to another time. Maybe the aroma of lilacs brings you back to playing in the backyard with your childhood best friend. Or the smell of basil, reminds you of your grandmother’s pesto. The fragrance of plants can enhance your garden and contribute to a sensory experience. It is easy to understand why we humans would want to be around good smelling plants and flowers, but have you ever wondered why plants have scents? Plants give off scents as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are chemicals that evaporate easily into the air. The complex mixes of VOCs play important roles in plant communication and defense, such as attracting pollinators and deterring pests. It can also be important for seed dispersal. A large quantity of a plant's VOCs can be released from flowers, but they also come from all parts of plants, including stems, seeds, roots, leaves, and fruits. Plants release their fragrance to signal their flowers are ready for pollination and it is timed for when their pollinators are most active. For example, plants that are pollinated by bees and butterflies tend to release most of their scent during the day. Some plants release their scents during the night and attract nocturnal pollinators, like the 4-O-Clock ‘ Mirabilis jalapa’ that blooms in the evening and attracts night moths. Sweet scented plants usually attract bees and butterflies, while plants with spicy or fruity scents attract pollinator beetles. Fragrant plants can bring so much enjoyment to humans but they can also play an important role to pollinators, insects, animals, and ecosystems. Here are just a few examples of fragrant plants that both we and our wildlife friends can enjoy: Anise hyssop ‘ Agastache foeniculum’ - A hearty perennial with lavender purple flowers. Attracts butterflies, pollinators, and rusty patch bumblebees. The leaves can be used for anise-flavored tea. Photo Credit: www.pinterest.com Anise Hyssop plants Dill ‘ Anethum graveolens’ - Not only delicious for pickles and other recipes, this fragrant annual herb also attracts pollinators and larvae of swallowtail butterflies. Photo Credit: University of Minnesota Extension dill plant in display garden Bright Eyes ‘Phlox Phlox paniculata’ 'Bright Eyes' - This hearty perennial has a sweet fragrance that attracts and is a nectar source for adult butterflies. Photo Credit: University of Minnesota Extension close up of pink ‘Bright Eyes’ flowers; Coral Reef Bee Balm ‘ Monarda didyma’ 'Coral Reef' - Attracts birds, butterflies, hummingbirds, and pollinators. Bee balm has a scent similar to oregano, thyme and mint and can be used to make tea. Photo Credit: University of Minnesota Extension 'Coral Reef’ Bee Balm plant If you would like to add scented plants to your garden, the University of Minnesota Extension Plants Elements of Design Tool can be useful to find fragrant plants that will work for your yard. Some plants have a strong scent that can be experienced from a little distance while other plants have a more subtle fragrance that is best enjoyed up close. Consider placing the plants where you will enjoy them most, like along a pathway, in a patio planter, or by the front door. References: Floral Scents and Fruit Aromas: Functions, Compositions, Biosynthesis, and Regulation - PMC Plant Volatile Organic Compounds: Revealing the Hidden Interactions - PMC Why do flowers have scents? | Scientific American Why do plants smell? | Kew Making scents: The aromatic world of flowers - Scienceline Scent Photo Credits: www.publicdomainpictures.net (1), www.pinterest.com (2), University of Minnesota Extension (3-5)

< Back Deciphering Seed Catalogs Seed catalogs start coming in January or February - a good time to start dreaming of your next garden! But there is so much information packed into a seed catalog it can be hard to interpret the abbreviations and array of plant varieties. This article will help you to decipher your seed catalogs so that you can choose the best plants for your garden. Marjorie Blare, Master Gardener Seed catalogs start coming in January or February - a good time to start dreaming of your next garden! There is so much information packed into a seed catalog! Most people have no problem with the catalogs’ rapturous descriptions of flowers or produce. After all, the catalogs are full of (probably 'enhanced') photos! More bewildering are the icons next to the photos. A good catalog has a key that explains what each icon means. They might have a drawing of a circle that is half dark and half light. They should also explain how many hours of direct sun that icon indicates, perhaps 4-6 hours. The key may be at the front of the catalog, or at the bottom of the page. Plant descriptions can have letters next to them. For instance, tomatoes may have the letters VFM. This means that variety has resistance to verticillium, fusarium wilt and nematodes. Without those letters, describing a plant as “disease resistant” is useless. Tomatoes will be listed as determinate (bush) or indeterminate (vining). You may find the letters OP (open pollinated), F1 (first generation hybrid) or X (a 'cross') in its name. F2 is a hybrid that can only be propagated vegetatively. These letters are important if you wish to save seeds. The OP seeds will breed true, but not the others. Flowers will have 'days to bloom' and/or 'bloom season' in their description, and veggies will have days to maturity or harvest. Note: 'days to harvest' for plants started indoors count from the day it is planted out. These numbers are based on the seed company's test gardens; choosing northern-grown seeds or plants, will make those numbers more accurate in Dakota County. The description or icon will tell you when to direct-sow the seeds or when to start them under lights. The latter requires you to know the average date of the last or first frost. Dakota County's dates are May 8th and October 10th respectively. It will tell you how many seeds are in a package, how far apart to plant, soil conditions (alkaline or acidic, clay, sandy, loamy) and watering requirements. Left-over seeds can be donated to a seed library, shared with friends or saved in a dry jar in the refrigerator. There will be shipping charges on the packages of seeds, so try to order all at once, or with friends, or with a heavier item. If you are getting perennials, make sure to choose plants that will grow in our U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) zone. Dakota County is zone 4. Some catalogs “stretch” the range of zones, so try to compare what different catalogs claim about the same plant or seed. Some catalogs include a USDA map and perhaps a table of temperature ranges. The catalog should list the scientific name of the plant, because common names are frequently shared by several unrelated plants. On-line catalogs will have simplified descriptions, but also have links to click to open up more information. They may also have customer reviews which are very helpful! Photo credit: www.ag.ndsu.edu (1)

< Back What is Compost? Sarah Heidtke, Dakota County Master Gardener Volunteer Have you seen signs around that say “Compost?” Maybe you’ve put bags of compost on your gardens already. Maybe you even have your own compost at home! What is compost? Read on with your curious child to find out what goes into this helpful mix and how we can help plants grow (and keep organic matter out of our landfills!) I think of compost as a really nutritious casserole or lasagna for plants. Did you know that plants need good nutrition, just like people? First, let’s talk about organic matter . Things that once grew as plants - grass clippings, fallen leaves, banana peels, even paper towels - can break down and become food for new plants when we add them back into the soil. Microbes are tiny living organisms that help break down this future compost. The best way for us to set this up is to layer “green” organic waste and “brown” organic waste (like we layer yummy ingredients between noodles in a lasagna!) So let’s start there: Examples of “green” organic matter: raw fruit and vegetable peels, egg shells, grass clippings, plant trimmings, tea bags, and coffee grounds Examples of “brown” organic matter: straw, twigs, shredded newspaper, paper towels, brown leaves, sawdust When the helpful bacteria, tiny microbes, worms and bugs start eating and mixing our green and brown layers, the layers start to break down and even make energy. The goal is for the pile to get warm enough to “cook” out the kinds of germs that get stinky or make us sick. It’s just like we cook some of our foods to make them safe and tasty for us to eat. People can help things along by turning over the mix - this helps it break down evenly and adds oxygen and moisture to encourage the process. If the weather gets really dry, spray down the pile with water now and again between rain showers. It can take some patience, but eventually you will have fresh compost ready to mix into your planting soil! Where does this happen? Sometimes community compost sites make BIG batches of compost after they collect organic waste from many places. This could be from compost bins near the trash and recycling cans like these - see the one that says “COMPOST?” Or, Dakota County (as well as other counties) has a program where residents can bring their food waste in special biodegradable bags to a public site like this one at the Holland Lake parking lot of Lebanon Hills Regional Park. See this website for more information on Dakota County’s Organics Drop Off program https://www.co.dakota.mn.us/Environment/Residential/Organics/Pages/organics-drop-off.aspx Some people make compost right at home! You can buy a compost bin made just for this purpose through many vendors online or through Dakota County https://recycleminnesota.org/compost-bins-rain-barrels/ . Or you can make your own! Here are some helpful websites with instructions for making a home compost bin (with an adult!): https://thecompostadores.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/photographic-steps-to-build-a-bin.pdf https://www.treehugger.com/diy-compost-bins-you-can-build-one-day-video-4858394 You can even take a class with the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum for a compost bin building demonstration here: https://www.arboretum.umn.edu/getdirtyactivities.aspx Here’s a 3-part system of compost at the Arboretum’s Children’s Garden: The older organic materials get moved “next door” to make room for new green and brown layers in the first section. If you haven’t checked out the Green Play Yard and learning garden next to the Marion Andrus Learning Center there yet, I truly recommend it - it’s fantastic! So kids, let’s review - what’s compost? Organic matter made from plants that helps plants grow! It adds nutrients and texture to the soil so the plants can get oxygen and water through their roots. Compost that’s ready for this job should not have a stinky or rotten smell. How can kids help to make compost? Help collect food waste like peels, coffee grounds, tea bags, greens and egg shells that won’t get eaten into a container until it is full and ready to take to your home or community compost site. Toddlers and older can carry a closed pail or small bag of organics and participate in the cycle of their food. Gather black and white newspapers, brown cardboard and paper towels (shredded to help them break down faster), sticks, and leaves for the brown layer at home. Use a large garden fork or shovel to stir up your compost pile now and again, or use the handle on some bins to turn the pile around. It’s not an exact science, so put those growing muscles to work mixing things up! Keep an eye out for helpful signs at parks and businesses that show you where to put compostable items and keep them out of the landfill. For a great factsheet about home composting, see this link from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency https://www.pca.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/w-hhw1-21.pdf Book Time! Read on at Dakota County Libraries for more kid-friendly information about COMPOSTING: Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth by Mary McKenna Siddals and Ashley Wolff, recommended for Ages 2-6 Garbage Helps our Garden Grow: A Compost Story by Linda Glaser, recommended for Ages 6 & up Photo Credit: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Website (2), Sarah Heidtke (1,3,4,5,6) , Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth by Mary McKenna Siddals and Ashley Wolff (7) & Garbage Helps our Garden Grow: A Compost Story by Linda Glaser (8)

< Back The Enchanting World of Fairy Gardening Mary Gadek, Dakota County Master Gardener Looking for a way to engage the child in your life with the outdoors?! Look no further… read here to learn about the fun and enchanting art of fairy gardening- a creative way of gardening with endless possibilities for the young and young at heart! Capture your child’s imagination as they create a small garden meant to attract the tiny magical beings, called garden fairies. Often found at the edge of the tended garden, garden lore says these guardians of nature are masters of disguise and appear in gardens as small animals, little creatures, or brightly colored orbs of light. Why Have Fun with Fairy Gardening? Whether you believe in garden fairies or just want to engage your child in imaginative play, the small-scale method of fairy gardening offers many benefits to the gardener, including connecting the child with nature while providing them with an immediate creative outlet. Also, fairy gardening can offer a way to teach the elements of landscape design, spacing, and proper irrigation to children. Another benefit of this type of gardening is that it enables a less physically constraining form of gardening for any age. How to Make an Enchanting Fairy Garden The most important tool of fairy gardening is your imagination ! Take some time and develop your plan or the story you want to tell (and attract fairies!) by deciding on the following gardening elements: 1. Theme: It can be anything you want, especially something to reflect a child’s current interests (e.g., princesses, farm animals, favorite movie characters). 2. Location: Determine where to locate your garden - in a container inside your home or outside, or in a small area of your garden. Add good potting soil for your plants and also, to set hardscape figures and structures. Good drainage, like providing holes in your container and the right soil mixture, ensures a long-lasting garden. 3. Plant selection: Choose plants that will grow to the right scale, or size, for a small garden. As you search for the right plants, consider contrasting or complementary colors and shapes of plants that best fit your theme. Here are some resources to help you choose the right plants: https://www.usbg.gov/fairy-gardens https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/miniature-gardens-a-story-to-tell/ 4. Accessorize: Start by “shopping” around your house and garden to find items that match your plan and can shape the story of your fairy garden. Suggestions: Acorns, pine cones, seeds, stones, shells, small branches, leaves, bottle caps, pipe cleaners, straws, discarded toys or parts of toys, and unused costume jewelry or fish tank stones. Craft stores have endless possibilities, too. To pursue an even more magical journey when creating your fairy garden, include the garden attributes that fairies prefer. Fairies enjoy a place to hide, like under a big leaf or behind a smaller rock. Look for small, colorful, shiny, fragrant, or soft items that will attract your neighborhood fairies. Use small ornaments or sparkly treasures. Incorporate fragrant plants (like lavender), choose plants with soft leaves, like lamb ears, or find pods (like milkweed), for a fairy to sleep on. Now you are ready to create your fairy garden! Once completed, feel free to add or change the garden as your child wants, to fully express their imagination (or even try to attract a fairy to live in their garden). As time passes, encourage your child to visit their fairy garden and leave little gifts of nature or special trinkets for the fairies. Here are some examples of fairy gardens found in Dakota County, Minnesota: To further enhance your fairy gardening experience, read: How To Catch a Garden Fairy, by Alice Walstead, a delightful read-aloud for younger elementary-aged children, which allows your child’s imagination to grow and see how making a fairy garden can entice a fairy into your garden! Borrow from the Dakota County Library: ISBN: 9781728263205 Or Buy: https://www.amazon.com/How-Catch-Garden-Fairy-Springtime/dp/1728263204 Reference: (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Extension, https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/blossom-end-rot/ ) Photo Credits: Mary Gadek (1,3,4,5), Marie Smith (2,6)

< Back Square Foot Gardening Do you want to grow vegetables in your garden but you don’t have a lot of space or you only have one sunny spot or your soil isn’t conducive to growing or you just want a few vegetables for your family? Square foot gardening may be your answer. This approach will save time, work, space, and water. And, you will produce some delicious vegetables for your family. Read this article for more information about why square foot gardening may be for you and how to get started. Mickey Scullard, Dakota County Master Gardener With a short growing season, gardeners want high yields of fresh produce from their vegetable gardens, yet many people have limited space suitable for growing. “Square Foot Gardening” is a method of gardening with the underlying premise of producing a greater variety of vegetables in a small space. It is also intended to make gardening more accessible to a greater number of people. According to the Square Foot Gardening Foundation website , this method is, “estimated to cost 50% less, use 20% less space, 10% of the water, and 2% of the work”. They state there will be almost no weeds and you save time and effort because you don’t have to dig, rototill, or use heavy equipment, and fertilizers aren’t needed. It almost sounds too good to be true! However, many people have used this method successfully for 25 years. In the U.S., our standard gardening approach is to plant in rows. This is how many of us have done it for generations, passed down through our families. We have developed tools that support this approach for watering and weeding between the rows, using mulch papers or rototillers small enough for a row. We have row markers, seed tapes, and many other gardening supplies that support the row gardening approach. According to Bartholomew, this approach makes gardening harder than it needs to be with much of the growing space given over to aisles between the plants, resulting in a need to constantly weed those non-growing areas. He also argues that planting in rows results in overplanting. He uses the example of planting cabbages, suggesting few people find it useful to have 30 cabbage heads ripening at the same time. Square foot gardening suggests a different approach that carefully spaces plants to efficiently use space, manage the size of the harvest, and allow for successive planting, e.g., growing multiple crops in one growing season. Instead of sowing seeds and then having to thin the plants, this approach suggests placing the seeds at the distance you’d thin the plants. For example, if the seed packet says thin to 6 inches between plants, you can just space your seeds out that distance in all directions within the square. You can put a ‘pinch’ of seeds in each planting site to increase the chances of germination and instead of thinning, snip out the unneeded plants. This lessens the chance of disturbing or weaking the roots of the plant you are keeping. Most square foot gardens are 4 feet x 4 feet raised beds. They can be other sizes; however, you will want to make sure you can reach all areas of the bed without stepping on the soil. Stepping on soil compacts it, which makes it more difficult for plants to grow. The soil in the raised bed should be a mix of compost, vermiculite, and peat moss. The location of the square foot garden is important, with sufficient sunlight important and access to a water source. Bartholomew suggests placing it near the house so you always have a visual on your growing plants. Within the 4 x 4 space (or whatever size bed being used), a grid of 1 foot x 1 foot squares are laid to mark out each plot. In a 4 x 4 bed, you will have 16 squares in which to plant. The number of plants or seeds you grow in each square is dependent on the full size of the vegetable or flower. For example, in the 1 ft x 1 ft square, you could grow one tomato, or four heads of lettuce, or eight bunches of swiss chard, or sixteen carrots, or thirty-two radishes. Once you have harvested the vegetable, a new crop can be planted. Since one of the other premises of Square Foot Gardening is reducing the need for fertilizer, Bartholomew says you only need to add a shovel of compost prior to each new planting. Square foot gardening will meet the needs of many gardeners. However, those wanting to produce large harvests for canning, freezing, and other methods of preserving, may not find they get the quantities they want using this method. For those wanting a manageable amount of produce, this may be a great way to help limit the amount grown, although if you grow a zucchini plant, you will probably still need to sneak around after dark ‘bestowing’ your bounty on your neighbors’ doorsteps. References: Square Foot Gardening Foundation: https://squarefootgardening.org/ All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew Square Foot Gardening. Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia Square foot gardening: a formula for successful intensive gardening. Michigan State University Extension Photo credits: Master Gardener Program of North Virginia (1), Michigan State Extension (2)

< Back Beyond Salads – Using the Bountiful Cherry Tomato Harvest If you have had a successful cherry tomato growing season, you may be looking at overwhelming quantities of cherry tomatoes. Especially if you planted more than one cherry tomato so you could have the rainbow of red, orange, yellow, and black/chocolate varieties! While there are many willing recipients who will gladly take your excess cherry tomatoes (including food shelves), there are also many delicious and nutritious recipes for you to enjoy. Mickey Scullard, Dakota County Master Gardener To bring the flavor of summer to our cold winter months, you can easily freeze cherry tomatoes. Simply wash them, put them on a cookie sheet/tray in a single layer, put the tray in the freezer, and when the cherry tomatoes are frozen, put them in a freezer bag in the freezer until you are ready to use them. Their texture will be softer, but the flavor will remain, making them excellent additions to many soups, hotdishes, and other meals. Photo credit: Joy Johnson For the remainder of the summer and fall, you can move beyond just adding cherry tomatoes to salads or eating them with delicious mozzarella pearls (yum!). Here are two recipes that help you use all those cherry tomatoes. Both recipes are from Trader Joe’s, but ingredients can be purchased anywhere you shop. One recipe you may want to consider is a Trader Joe’s Baked Protein Pasta. It is an easy pasta dish that is also very healthy. There are just four ingredients and it takes very little time to make. The ingredients are chickpea pasta, garlic and herb spreadable cheese (e.g., Boursin or Alouette), spinach or Swiss Chard, and cherry tomatoes. Baked Protein Pasta (Trader Joe’s recipe) Ingredients: The equivalent of 1 package of cherry or grape tomatoes 1 garlic & herb spreadable cheese (Boursin, Alouette) 2 cups chopped spinach or Swiss Chard 8 oz. chickpea pasta (rotini, penne – whatever you can find/prefer) Optional: add cooked chicken or other meat Making the dish: Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss tomatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place in a baking dish with the Boursin/Alouette cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, until tomatoes burs and the cheese is soft and melty. While that’s baking, cook pasta according to package directions Stir together the roasted tomatoes, melted cheese, pasta, and spinach/Swiss Chard until creamy and combined. The heat will gently wilt the spinach/Swiss Chard. Serve and enjoy! The second recipe is lighter and will be nice on the hot summer days and evenings we’ve been experiencing. Lemon Fusilli Pasta with Chickpeas, Olive Tapenade, and Cherry Tomatoes Ingredients: • 1 package Lemon Fusilli Pasta (16 oz) • 1 can chickpeas (15 oz), rinsed and drained • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved • 1/2 cup olive tapenade • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped • Salt and pepper, to taste • Optional: lemon zest for garnish Instructions: 1. Cook the Pasta: • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. • Add the Lemon Fusilli Pasta and cook according to the package instructions (typically around 8-10 minutes) until al dente. • Drain the pasta and set aside. 2. Prepare the Ingredients: • While the pasta is cooking, rinse and drain the chickpeas. • Halve the cherry tomatoes. • Mince the garlic. 3. Combine Ingredients: • In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, olive tapenade, and minced garlic. • Toss everything together until the pasta is well coated with the tapenade. 4. Season and Garnish: • Add the chopped basil to the bowl and gently mix it in. • Season with salt and pepper to taste. • Garnish with lemon zest if desired. 5. Serve: • Divide the pasta among four plates and serve immediately. Tips : • For an extra burst of flavor, you can add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice before serving. • If you prefer a spicier dish, add a pinch of red pepper flakes when combining the ingredients. Click this link for more tomato recipes previously appearing in the Garden Buzz and provide by Master Gardener Joy Johnson.

< Back Discover Delicata Squash? Delicata Squash is favored for its delicate, edible skin. No peeling necessary! This squash is booming in popularity. Here are some growing tips. Janelle Rietz-Kamenar, Master Gardener So what is delicata squash anyway? It is an oblong shaped squash with green or orange lines running from end to end. It is actually classified as a winter squash but has a thin skin (similar to summer squash) that can be eaten. The delicate skin is the basis for its name. Even though it is technically a winter squash, it does not store as well as other winter squash though because of its skin. It is a cultivar of the species called Cucurbita pepo . Other common names for this squash are peanut squash, Bohemian squash, or sweet potato squash. I have to admit that I had never even heard of Delicata Squash until last year when I learned that 228 Master Gardeners from 49 counties across Minnesota conducted seed trials on this plant. Six different varieties were tested. Master gardeners were looking for the best germination rates, how well the seeds grew, which ones tasted best including texture, and insect and disease susceptibility, as well as a few other factors. Click here to learn more about how this particular squash type performed. This squash appears to be growing in popularity since Cornell University’s Plant Breeding department developed a non-hybrid open pollinated variety around twenty years ago which was more mildew disease resistant. Master Gardeners across the state found it was easy to grow. What some of us didn’t know was what to do with it once harvested. Delicata squash is primarily roasted but can also be steamed, sauteed, and microwaved. Some recipes call for the squash to be stuffed with meat or other vegetables. I knew it was becoming popular when Country Living had an article on “31 Ways to Use Delicata Squash for Dinner Tonight” (October 22, 2021) among other websites/magazines. Delicata squash is a good source of dietary fiber and potassium but not as rich in beta-carotene as other winter squashes. However, if you want to try something different, consider growing this product in your garden this year. Sow seed in the garden in late May to early June, or start seeds indoors in late April. Make sure to pick squash before a hard freeze. Check out our Master Gardener videos on growing Delicata Squash: “How, When’s, Where’s,” “Delicata Squash Borer Protection,” “Delicata Squash Borer,” and “ Delicata Squash Harvest.” Sources: https://extension.umn.edu/news/master-gardeners-are-busy-during-winter https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/g4686/delicata-squash/ https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/pumpkins-and-winter-squash#choosing-pumpkin-and-winter-squash-varieties-235460 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delicata_squash Photo Credit: Gurney's Seed and Nursery,creative Commons Licenses (1) & Centerstagewellness.com , Flickr Pro (2)