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At the Garden Gate November December
2020 January 2021
Evergreen Wreath We take serving Iowans very seriously,
How-to by Zoom so please be mindful when visiting our
Start the holiday season by creating a fresh office and follow all posted signs.
wreath for your front door. Due to COVID Masks are not required at this time, but
restrictions, the Mahaska County Master highly recommended. All visitors to
Gardeners will not host an in person wreath the Extension office must maintain 6'
-making workshop. But they will have a physical distancing. If you would like
how to by zoom meeting on Thursday, to schedule a time to visit the office
November 19 @ 6:30 pm. individually, you may call 641-673-
5841 to set up an appointment.
Zoom isn’t the ideal method for a workshop– but during COVID it is a
way to meet without worrying about social distancing and disinfection
Additional
of shared tools and materials. Additionally, it allows for us to learn with Events
no parking issues, better view of the computer screen, individual volume Mahaska County
control, casual dress, comfortable chairs, great choices in beverages and Master Gardeners and
snacks during the presentations, all the while saving gas and commuting ISU Extension and
time! Outreach may schedule additional
events in horticulture and other
After the zoom meeting participants/viewers will then be able to make program areas (which may be of
their own evergreen wreath(s) at their leisure. To register for the zoom interest to gardeners). They will be
call Mahaska County Extension Office 641-673-5841 or email Suzette publicized in local media, email,
Striegel (striegel@iastate.edu) by Noon November 19. Those who facebook, as well as our website.
register will receive a zoom link and handouts.
Iowa Concern Hotline
Wreath-makers will need to purchase or acquire fresh boughs (often 1-800-447-1985
Pine, Spruce, and/or Fir) which will be used to fill a wreath frame https://www.extension.iastate.edu/
(purchased/reused/acquired—we used 14” in past workshops). We will iowaconcern/
discuss using other/unusual greens. We encourage adding cones, fruits, Email links on website by category
assorted decorations, ribbon and/or your favorite ornaments to wreaths to A source of help for Iowans in need:
make them uniquely yours. Legal Finance Stress Crisis/
Disaster and COVID 19
During preparation and construction, wreath makers will want a flat
workspace (possibly inside and covered), have paddle wire, to wear
gloves, and have scissors, shaving cream and hand pruners (possibly
loppers and/or hand saw).
BeeKeeping Classes
Jim & Tina Marshall will be leading the popular
Beginning Bee Keeping classes this winter. Classes
will be held Fridays January 15-March 5, 6-8 pm
and will meet in our office. Cost is $45. Contact Tina
if you are interested phone 641-660-0983 or email
marshalltmf@gmail.com.
This project is supported in part by the Iowa
Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Garden Calendar Is Available!
USDA Specialty Crops Grant Funds, Back to Basics Copies of the 2021 calendar (HORT
Bee Club, and Iowa Honey Producers. 3027) are available at our office for $7;
they also can be ordered directly from
Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, the Extension Store.
color, national origin, religion, sex, age or disability. https://store.extension.iastate.edu/
At the Garden Gate Page 2
Due to Richard Jauron’s Mahaska County Master Gardeners Meetings
retirement, Hortline is Previously trained Master Gardeners in Mahaska County formed
currently not functioning. Mahaska County Master Gardeners in 2003. They meet monthly to
Please visit the ISU Extension and plan horticulture speakers, events, workshops and activities. Their
Outreach publications and websites for monthly business meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, November
desired information. If you can not find 10 and January 12 at 6 pm at the Extension Office and by
an answer for your inquiry, please ZOOM. Current COVID restrictions and ISU Extension and
contact Suzette Striegel at the Mahaska Outreach policies may change meeting plans. Meeting details,
County Extension office. including ZOOM link, will be included with
agenda.
Horticulture Inquiries are Due to current COVID restrictions and ISU
still being answered at Extension and Outreach policies affecting
Mahaska County office meetings; Mahaska County Master Gardener
If you have a horticulture inquiry, events for the public in person are currently
please contact the Mahaska County not being scheduled.
Extension Office. You may stop at the
office, call 641-673-5841 (extension Reminder enter Master Gardener hours online!
26) or email Suzette Striegel at To remain a current active Master Gardener once the initial 40 hours
striegel@iastate.edu. If you prefer, you of volunteer service are completed; Master Gardeners are to
may also drop off items in our dropbox complete 10 hours of continuing education and 20 hours of volunteer
or leave items outside the door (contact service annually. In 2020 volunteer service is not required.
us first). However Master Gardeners are encouraged to submit their volunteer
and continuing education hours as they will still accumulate for
Other inquires can be directed to same specific hour levels. Enter hours in online VRS system BY
phone number and/or email xmahaska December 31. Utilize the Get Help with VRS if you have lost your
@iastate.edu. password or have other technical problems.
Plant and Insect Diagnostic Organic Conference is virtual this year
Clinic The 20th Annual Iowa Organic Conference will be held virtually this
Information and opportunity to submit year on Monday, November 23, from 9 AM to 1 PM, in keeping
samples with COVID-19 regulations. A half-day of exciting synchronous
https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/ presentations and interactions with industry experts will take the
pidc place of the normal meeting.
Phone: 515-294-0581 Participants can register for the event at https://
Email: pidc@iastate.edu www.regcytes.extension.iastate.edu/iowaorganic/ and be provided
Note: Due to COVID 19; PIDC is log-in instructions for participating that day. The conference is a joint
implementing distance diagnostics as activity between the Iowa State University Organic Ag Program and
much as possible. Please send an email the University of Iowa (UI) in Iowa City.
prior to sending physical samples.
The usual trade show of vendors will be replaced with a virtual show
AnswerLine 800-262-3804 of exhibitors and sponsors, including organic grain buyers, organic
Email: answer@iastate.edu; seed purveyors, organic and local food system non-profit
Monday– Friday 9 am-Noon, 1-4 pm organizations, and government offices working with transitioning and
Questions relating to home and family certified organic farmers. For more information and to learn about
www.extension.iastate.edu/answerline speakers https://www.beginningfarmers.org/iowa-organic-conference
-is-virtual/
Facebook page: AnswerLine
Iowa Learning Farm Webinars are held weekly with
various topics, some of interest to gardeners (including monarch
habitat, and dercho damaged trees). An archive is found at https://
www.iowalearningfarms.org/page/webinars
At the Garden Gate Page 3
Other learning opportunities—Youtube ISU Extension (ISUE)
Some Iowa State University Extension and Outreach ones include… Publications of Interest
PM 607 Suggested Vegetable
Iowa Master Gardener Varieties for the Home Garden
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoyB28Aj3qOovjpwnkSiLBg/
videos (includes winter and summer webcasts from last 4 years) PM 820 Garden Soil Management
West Pottawattamie Extension PM 874 Starting Garden Transplants
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0Ath9zLmc9sZa7LVxzlGkA/ at Home
videos (includes fall and Spring Gardeners Tool box presentations)
PM 1078 Harvesting and Storing
ISU Extension and Outreach Woodbury County Apples
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4RcDMByoAluQ3fNywvwQ9w
(includes many Digital Educational Sessions from the Virtual Siouxland PM 1319 Forcing Flower Bulbs
Garden Show)
PM 2004 Home Landscape:
ISU Marshall County Extension & Outreach Understanding the Basics of
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUMn983v9hWAsLDdPn_MyKA Landscape Design
(has/will have this fall’s Gardening with Extension programs)
PM 2063 Sustainable Home
Integrated Pest Management Iowa State University Landscapes
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6YG9GzecH2S8cZn10uDWdw
(includes multiple videos in these topic areas: Weeds, Field Extension HORT 3080 Growing Holiday Cacti
Education Laboratory, Gardening While Isolated, Tree Care, Vegetable
Production, Soybean Research, PIDC, Crops for Kids (4-H), & RG 309 The Griffith Buck Roses
Mycology (includes Safe Mushroom Foraging 1 & 2)).
RG 310 Caring for Roses in Iowa
Amaryllis
This gorgeous 18-30 inch flower stalk with RG 311 Growing and Overwintering
2-6 trumpet shaped blooms is a relative of Tender Perennials
the surprise lily/naked lady.
RG 316 Poinsettia Care
In Iowa (& much of the world) we grow it
as a forced bulb; which people have enjoyed RG 320 Growing and Overwintering
since the 1700s. You can purchase a bulb, a Geraniums
pre potted bulb or a kit (bulb, pot and soil).
Buy and plant in early November for RG 328 Growing Amaryllis
December blooms.
Suitable for Gift Giving
Any type of pot can be used, as long as it is HORT 3027 Garden Calendar
only 1-2” wider than the bulb and there are
drainage holes. Use a good potting soil. PM 212 Landscape Plants for the
Individual bulbs can stay in same pot for 4-5 Midwest
years.
PM 713 Indoor Plants
They love sunny windows; except when blooming and appreciate
diluted fertilizer no more than twice a month. After blooming remove PM 1966 The Garden Guide to
the flower and stalk, but enjoy the foliage and care as a houseplant until Midwest Annuals and Perennials
the following September when dormancy needs induced for December
blooms. These publications (as well as many
others) are available to purchase at the
Reblooming is dependent on the plants food reserves and dormancy. Extension office or at the ISUEO online
For more information consult ISU Extension and Outreach publication store https:/store.extension.iastate.edu.
RG 328. Many of ISUEO publications are
available for download at the same
site.
At the Garden Gate Page 4
Gardening Poinsettia – The Christmas Flower
Guide Euphorbia pulcherrima, more commonly known as the poinsettia,
will soon be adorning many tables. The poinsettia is native to
November southern Mexico. The common name “poinsettia” originated from
• Purchase amaryllis John Roberts Poinsett. December 12th is
bulbs for forcing indoors Poinsettia Day, which marks his death in 1851.
• Buy a holiday cactus for a long-
lived houseplant Red is the traditional color of the poinsettia.
• Winterize law mower Besides red, they are also available in a
• Mulch strawberries with 3-5 inches variety of other colors including pink,
of straw white, and gold. Marbled and bi-colored
• Protect hybrid tea roses with soil poinsettias are also becoming popular.
• Clean garden tools and equipment There are more than 100 different
• Water newly planted evergreens poinsettia varieties available. Each one has
thoroughly before the ground their own cultivar name and bract colors.
freezes
• Drain all water from garden hoses When choosing a poinsettia, select plants
prior to storage that have large and brightly colored bracts. Look the plant over to
make sure the leaves and bracts look healthy, and are not broken or
December damaged. The green leaves should be dark green, even at the base
• Place poinsettias in a bright of the plant. The yellow buds in the middle should be tight. Look
location away from drafts for insects and bugs, to make sure you are not taking any of these
• Keep Christmas tree stand full of home with you.
water
• Request seed catalogs Once you have your poinsettia at home, place it in a location that
• Purchase 2021 ISU Garden gets bright light. Make sure that it is not exposed to cold drafts, or
Calendar heat sources. The ideal room temperature is between 60 and 70
• Browse gardening books at degrees.
bookstores
• Gently remove heavy snow from Determine watering needs daily, by checking to see if the soil is dry
evergreen boughs to the touch. When you pick up the plant, it should feel very light.
• Put ferns on pebble trays to increase When watering the plant, let the water flow out of the bottom of the
humidity pot. Remove the drainage tray, and foil, to drain any excess water.
• Avoid wetting the leaves of African The root system of poinsettia does not like to be too wet, so only
violets when watering water every few days.
January Keep your poinsettia away from pets, so they are not tempted to
• Mix sand with deicing salts when nibble on it. According to the ASPCA and the National Poison
treating sidewalks and driveways Control Center, poinsettias can be irritating, but not deadly. Your
• Cover new perennials with pet may get an upset stomach.
Christmas tree boughs
• Order flower and vegetable seeds If properly taken care of, your poinsettia can last well beyond the
• Place ferns and orchids on pebble Holiday season. Most people throw away their poinsettias after the
trays to raise humidity Holidays, but you can save them. It is possible to get the plant to
• Rotate houseplants to prevent one– “bloom” again the next year.
sided growth For more information, check
• Check stored bulbs; discard any out the following publication,
that are rotting which is free to download.
• Wait until spring to fertilize Poinsettia Care - Iowa State
houseplants University Extension
These items are from the 2020 ISU Publication RG316.
Extension and Outreach This article was written by
Garden Calendar. Ann Evans, Mahaska County
Master Gardener.
At the Garden Gate Page 5
Storing Fall Vegetables Horticulture and Home
Have you ever wondered what to do Pest News
with extra garden bounty? You can https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/
easily store a variety of fruits and
vegetables by keeping in mind the
temperature, humidity, ventilation and Weed Identification
accessibility of the storage area. Fact Sheets
https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/
No root cellar? No problem! Learn the ideal storage environments for encyclopedia/weed-identification-fact-
garden vegetables and fruits, as well as easy and affordable alternatives sheets
to using a traditional root cellar. When you don't have the traditional
root cellar infrastructure, you get creative! Most ideal storing temps are Emerald Ash Borer
between 32-40, a general rule is cool season crops should be stored
cooler than warm season crops.
Information
https://www.extension.iastate.edu/psep/
There are ideas for anyone to get started today regardless of whether emerald-ash-borer-eab
you live in a tiny apartment, or spacious homestead. Some of the
benefits are it is easy to learn, it is energy efficient, and it is simple to Woodworking for Wildlife
store large amounts of food for the winter and (no chopping, peeling, New free downloadable publications
canning!) with plans for Aldo Leopold bench
WL11, bat box WL 9, bluebird box
Do you know the best way to store produce such as potatoes, carrots, WL10, and/or wood duck box WL12
parsnips, apples, grapes, pears, sweet peppers, onions, garlic, winter from https://store.extension.iastate.edu/
squash, or sweet potatoes?
What How to Ideal Humidity Length of
Preserve the Taste of
Crop Store Temperature Level Storage__ Summer
Squash Cool & Dry 55 low 6-8 months https://www.extension.iastate.edu/
Onion Cool & Dry 40-50 60-70% 1-8 months humansciences/preserve-taste-summer
Garlic Cool & Dry 30-45 60-70% 6-7 months Food Preservation classes, workshops,
Potatoes** Cool & Humid 40 90% 5-10 months publications and resources
Carrots Cool & Humid 32 90-100% 4-6 months
Tomatoes* 55 75% * Spend Smart Eat Smart
Leafy Greens Cool & Humid 32-40 90-95% 1 + months https://spendsmart.extension.iastate.edu/
Cabbage Cool & Moist 32 90-95% 5-6 months Recipes, budget-friendly meal planning,
Apples/Pears** Cool & Humid 32-40 90-95% 1-12 months exercises, blogs, & how-tos
*picked green, use as ripen
**do not store near onions
We are on Facebook-
Our ancestors have been storing food by adjusting the temperature, “Like” our pages!
humidity, and ventilation of an environment for a very long time. Many
of their techniques are still applicable today! Additionally there are Mahaska County Master
tips and tricks for better storage for individual produce items. Gardeners
This article was written by Krysta Wendelboe, Mahaska County Master
Gardener. Iowa State University Extension and
Outreach-Mahaska County
Amaryllis, Poinsettia and Tips for Storing Fall Vegetables were topics
at the Holiday Plants Zoom meeting held October 22. If you would like If you want more information about any
access to the recording and handouts, please contact Suzette Striegel. of the Mahaska County Extension
horticulture events or have
“What do you recommend for deicing sidewalks?” horticulture questions, please contact
was a question posed to Answerline, their response can be found in Suzette Striegel, Mahaska County
Deicing Salts—helpful or harmful? https://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/ Extension Horticulturist by phone
answerline/2019/01/24/deicers-helpful-or-harmful/ 641-673-5841 or email
striegel@iastate.edu.
Use Answerline’s search feature to find their answer to your questions!
~Mahaska County Office Staff~
Suzette Striegel, Horticulturist
Amy Brainard, County Youth Coordinator
Lea DeCook, Office Assistant The ISU Extension and Outreach—
Ashtin Harris, 4-H Youth Program Assistant Mahaska county office will be closed:
Charles Brown, Agricultural Economics Specialist
Sherry Ford, Regional Extension November 26 & 27
Education Director
December 24 & 25
~Office Hours~
Monday—Friday
8:00 am—1 pm, 1:30—4:30 pm and January 1.
Mahaska County
212 North I Street
Oskaloosa IA 52577
Phone: 641-673-5841 Fax: 641-673-0559
www.extension.iastate.edu/mahaska
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