The Dirt – November 16, 2018: House of Hope MG Team Workday, Happy Thanksgiving

What’s Inside:

House of Hope MG Team Workday, Happy Thanksgiving, URI Travel Course to Peru, Help Wanted, Continuing Education

House of Hope Master Gardener Team Workday

Submission by Kate Aubin, URIMG Class of 2014

On Sunday, November 4th, the House of Hope Master Gardener team built raised garden beds for the new garden at the Fair Street house. The new garden, which will be completed in the Spring of 2019, is a result of a recently awarded community grant from the Rhode Island Foundation. Once the beds are installed, Master Gardener volunteers will engage the House of Hope residents in learning gardening basics and growing vegetables that they can eat. The grant will also provide for a fenced enclosure around the Fair Street garden and the construction of a new fence around the House of Hope garden at Shippen Ave. The new fences will prevent critters from attacking leafy vegetables growing in the garden.

The Dirt – November 16, 2018: House of Hope MG Team Workday, Happy Thanksgiving

NEWS & INFORMATION

URI Travel Course to Peru (Spring 2019)

This course is for you if you are: a Master Gardener, an aspiring Global Communication activist/specialist, a Spanish major, a Peace Corps Prep student, a Latin America enthusiast, a policy wonk or a Sustainability minor.

As a participant of this program, you will:

  • Work directly with award-winning Quechua-speaking change agents, recognized for advances to expand bio-intensive farming throughout the Peruvian highlands and the Andes—the world’s heart and lungs–where there is a global focus on Resilience and global change.
  • Work directly on UN, FAO, WHO, and globally recognized international development field projects.
  • Work with seasoned field practitioners, agronomists, historians, multicultural story tellers, and language specialists to evaluate community-level perspectives on low water use agriculture.
  • Be a part of a breakthrough for food security in the Peruvian Highlands.
  • Earn three credits during Spring Break (course: COM 310)

Dates: March 10-17, 2019
Program fee: $3,250 (all expenses included: airfare, ground transport, lodging, world heritage park fees, meals)
Application deadline: December 1

Mishnock 4-H Alumni and Friends Barn Blast

Every year, the RI 4-H Club Foundation sponsors a 4-H Friends and Alumni Event called the Mishnock Barn Blast.  It’s a great afternoon of country line dancing, a fabulous buffet,and a raffle of all the prizes in our annual “40 for 4-H” raffle. This year the Barn Blast will be held Sunday, November 18 from 3:00 to 7:00 pm.  Tickets are only $23 per person. You can also register online through the Foundation website.

2018 URIMGP Annual Poinsettia Sale

Friday, November 30 I 11:00am-4:00pm
Saturday, December 1 I 9:00am-12:00pm
URI East Farm, Rt 108, Kingston, RI

Each year, the URIMGP participates in the North American poinsettia trials, assisting two breeders (Beekenkamp and Dummen) who send around 25 varieties of poinsettias to be grown in our East Farm greenhouses. URIMGP  growing notes report our results to the breeders and include information about growth stages, leaf structure, bloom, and color. This year, we have over 2,000 individual plants of 25 varieties for sale! Plants are sold on a first come, first serve basis while supplies last.

 

Save the Date: Rhode Island Food System Summit

Friday, January 18, 2019  
9:00 am–2:00 pm (Formal program) & 2:30 pm–5 pm (Optional tours)
URI’s Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences

The University of Rhode Island will once again host the third annual Rhode Island Food System Summit in early 2019 and registration opens in November. Join government, business, and community partners as we discuss the implementation of the Rhode Island Food Strategy and how we can support the food sector and our state into the future. The event takes place at URI’s Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences and will include a panel discussion and break-out sessions to discuss the key areas of the state’s food strategy. The formal program runs 9:00 am–2:00 pm with lunch provided, followed by optional tours of food-related businesses from 2:30 pm–5 pm. Stay tuned for the full schedule and agenda!

For more information or to sign up for future event announcements, please contact Gus Cantwell at 401-874-2596 or at angus_cantwell@uri.edu.

MG Quick Tip: Woodpecker Damage

  • Common in late fall with young Downy Woodpeckers.
  • Mostly territorial establishment but can be a mating ritual or in some cases digging out insects from the wood siding.
  • Put up a barrier of screening temporarily until the bird moves.
  • Check for actual insect activity and treat if found.             

Check the University of Missouri Extension website for more information.   

HELP WANTED

Public Presentation Manager Open Position

Our Educational Services Coordinator is looking for candidates for the Public Presentation Manager position. The person filling this role will be working with an assistant to lead the process of engaging URI Master Gardener volunteers in presenting a variety of horticultural topics to the public. Hosts are typically public libraries, educational institutions, garden clubs, businesses, etc. Typical tasks include creating and maintaining an Excel master schedule of upcoming presentations, following up with hosts upon receiving requests, engaging speakers for the various requests and debriefing speakers after the event. Basic computer and Excel skills along with professional communication and organizational  skills are beneficial for this position. It is perfect for a volunteer who has a flexible schedule and most of the work can be done at home. If you’d like to join the team, please contact Stephanie Serino at: stephanielovesplants@gmail.com.

Poinsettia Sale Crew Member

Come support the Poinsettia Project and its crew members with their Poinsettia sale. Start the Holiday season by volunteering a couple of hours, pick up a poinsettia or two and spread some holiday cheer. What better way to start the holiday season than spending time with friends and other Master Gardeners. Sale hours Friday, November 30, 11:00 am–4:00 pm, and Saturday, December 1, 9:00 am–12:00 pm. Contact Kathy Larson at klarsonrn@cox.net if interested.

Roger Williams Park Edible Forest Garden Co-Leader

Jaime Nash, the project leader for the Edible Forest Garden at Roger Williams Park, just below the Botanical Center greenhouses, is looking for a co-leader to help him with organizing volunteer work sessions and activities, participating in project leader events and meetings, coordinating project reporting and outcomes, and representing the EFG project at MGP events as needed.

The Edible Forest Garden is a habitat-rich, food-producing, urban ecosystem designed around permaculture ethics and principles. It features unconventional plants, such as hardy kiwis, hazelnut, and American Chestnut trees and demonstrates permaculture techniques, including herb spirals, a keyhole garden, and hugelkultur gardening. Master Gardeners interested in this opportunity, please contact jaime_nash@yahoo.com (401-447-8100).

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Starting a RI Native Plant Garden
Tuesday, November 27 I 7:00–8:30 pm
US Fish and Wildlife Kettle Pond Visitors Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown, RI

This presentation, given by David Vissoe, the Project Leader of the Kettle Pond Native Plant Demonstration Garden, will discuss the rationale and practical steps for planting a home garden to serve native pollinators — from site assessment, design, plant selection, site preparation, planting and maintenance. Three of the 20 garden plots will demonstrate the process using visuals of those plots through a six-month period.  Participants will receive information on pollinator plant and bee nesting habitats, as well as Kettle Pond garden plot maps showing the position of each plant and common and Latin names. Kettle Pond’s seed collection program will also be discussed.

Small Engine Basics
Tuesdays, December 4, 11, and 18 | 6:30–8:30 pm
University of Rhode Island, East Farm Building 75

This class, led by Carl Sawyer, is an introduction to single cylinder air-cooled engines common to home landscape equipment and is intended for Master Gardeners with little knowledge or experience with engines. We will discuss the function of various components as we disassemble and reassemble several engines.

In the first session we will look at the components and operation of four stroke cycle engines found on mowers and rototillers. In the second session we will go over two stroke cycle engines found on chain saws and most string trimmers. The final class will be a discussion of maintenance, troubleshooting and repairs.

The class consists of three sessions held in three consecutive weeks and is limited to 10 participants. Registration includes all three sessions (it is not possible to register for only one session). Please register in Volgistics.

UMASS Extension Fall Wrap-Up
Tuesday, November 27, 2018 | 8:30 am–4:00 pm
Hadley Farms Meeting House, Hadley, MA

Join UMass Extension Specialists for a look at the challenges and problems of the 2018 season. Attendees can choose to attend either the morning or afternoon sessions or go for the entire day. Please see http://ag.umass.edu/landscape/events/fall-wrap-up.

MORNING SESSION – Woody Ornamentals. Topics include Invasive Insects in Massachusetts; 2018 Updates; What We Saw in the Plant Diagnostic Lab in 2018; and Managing Tough Landscape Weeds.

AFTERNOON SESSION – Turf. Topics include Best Management Practices for Managing Grassy Weeds in Turf; Strategies for Managing Turf Damaging Pests in an IPM System; and BMPs that Maximize Turfgrass Tolerance to Stress and Pests.

Go to http://ag.umass.edu/landscape/upcoming-events or contact UMass Extension at (413) 545-0895 for registration.

Ecological Landscape Alliance Webinars

November 2018

All webinars have a small fee, so be sure to read the description and register through the ELA site.

More upcoming URIMGP Continuing Education.

Have something you’d like to see in The Dirt?

Please email us at thedirtnewsletteruri@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you! Have a submission related to the URI Master Gardener Program? Send it to us (in email or MS Word ONLY please) by Tuesday at 8:00 pm to include in that week’s newsletter!

Questions?

Do you have questions about the URI Master Gardener Program? Please find our leadership directory in the documents page. This will point you in the direction of the proper council member, MG leader or staff member who can answer your question.  

Stay Connected with the URIMGP!

Follow @URICoopExt on Facebook and Instagram. Not into social media? Visit the MGP website for our event listing.

March 2, 2019
9 am – 3 pm		 URIMGP Garden Symposium
URI Kingston
June 17-21, 2019
TBD		 International Master Gardener Conference
Valley Forge, PA
June 29 & 30, 2019
TBD		 URIMGP’s Gardening with the Masters Tour
Gardens statewide