LAGC Meeting – October 22, 2019

This is the final meeting of the year.  Colleen opened up the meeting by welcoming the members. Currently blooming in member gardens: Nicotiana, Stella D’Oro Daylilies, Perennial Begonias, Mums, Sedum, Perennial Chrysanthemums, Pineapple Sage, Monkshood, N.E. Aster.

Reminder to all members:  Dues are being collected by Denny -  $15 for the year.  Also make sure your information in the directory is up to date and provide any changes to Linda Brown or Ellen Dvorsky.

Denny collected everyone’s payment for the Christmas tour of Frick/Luncheon at Café Notte.  He also asked that for those attending the luncheon, let him know your meal, beverage and dessert choices.  Frick tour is $13, luncheon is $28, together $41.  The tour will be on November 23, at 10:30 am.  Luncheon is set for 12:30 at Café Notte.  An email will go out about carpooling prior to the tour date, to be coordinated by Mary Anne.  Dianne motioned, Andrea seconded and the motion carried to have the Christmas luncheon subsidized with up to $100 from the treasury, to cover any overages.

Cards for Bev and Flo are in the back, please sign.

Claudia brought Siberian Iris plants, Peggy brought Perennial Begonia plants, please help yourselves.  Neither wants to take them back home.

Publicity team would like program info for the first quarter, as magazines require advance notice, usually by the first week in December.

Jenna Noker has agreed to be the overall program coordinator for programs again, with various members taking responsibility for working with program speaker for individual months.  Coordinate with Jenna, getting her all of the pertinent info for the month you are responsible for, i.e. speaker or tour (and who is doing tour), short bio, any special equipment needs such as table, projector… January’s program will be presented by Dianne Machesney – “Gardening for Butterflies”.  Colleen made note of topics for the rest of the year, with who will be responsible for the month.  A spreadsheet has been developed to help assist in coordination.  Jenna will need the information by mid December, in order to get it to Marlowe for print in the 2020 directory.  If you are having difficulties, please coordinate with her. It was decided that the member planning the program will confirm with the speaker/tour guide one month prior to the program/tour date.

Marlowe is looking for any pictures from your garden for use in the directory.  Discussed having a contest for use of front cover for 2021 directory.

Dianne presented the treasurer’s report. Beginning balance of $4,119.22, plus dues deposit of $300, minus speaker fee of $100, leaves us with an ending checking account balance of $4,319.22.  Plus petty cash of $61.87 leaves us with a total balance of $4,381.09.  She indicated that there will be a surplus of approximately $4600 or 2019 budget year, and asked for ideas of what to do with the surplus.  Bring your ideas with you to the January meeting.  A couple of ideas were a contribution to the Northland Library Learning Garden (they are currently looking for gift cards to local nurseries) or a contribution to the Rosalinda Saurianni Garden that we toured in August) (Alyssa looks for “in kind” donations of things like various fertilizers, bark mulch, compost, straw … and will provide Andrea with a “wish list”. There is no guarantee that a cash contribution will be used towards the garden).

Thank you to Jane MacCredie and Janine Zink for desserts and arrangement respectively.

Jane setting up desserts and beverages

Jenna Noker presented how to make “Birdseed Ornaments”.  The activity was a lot of fun for the members.  

Tips, use large cookie cutters, with high sides, to make it easier to form the ornament, and put a hole through for the ribbon used for hanging.  The cups in muffin pans or a bundt pan for a bigger “ornament” also work great.  Once made, they will need to be refrigerated or frozen to properly set.

 

Claudia & Mary Anne

Peggy & Dorothy

Jeanne & Jane (standing)

Martin, Bill, & Chris

Chris, Diana, Mary Jo 

Evan, Chris, Diana

Peggy (note the large container & heavy spoon)

Almost finished, poke hole for ribbon, refrigerate, and remove form

Materials (will make a lot)

1 c hot water

2 packages gelatin (like knox)

¾ c flour

6 T corn syrup

8 c birdseed

Wax paper

Non-stick cooking spray

Twine or ribbon

Cookier cutters, bundt pan, muffin tins

Wax paper

1.   Place cookie cutters on wax paper.

2.   Spray cookie cutters, or muffin/bundt pans with cooking spray.

3.   Dissolve gelatin in hot water.  Add flour until combined.  Add corn syrup.

4.   Place birdseed in a large mixing bowl.  Add sticky mixture and stir until completely combined.

5.   Press birdseed mixture into cookie cutters, muffin/ bundt pans and remove excess from outside.

6.   Refrigerate until gelatin is set.

Ornaments can be hung outside for feathered friends to enjoy.

This recipe works best during cold months. Rain and warm temperatures can cause the ornament to disintegrate.  Store in freezer until ready to use.

August 27th Tour of Rosalinda Sauro Sirianni Garden

LAGC Tour – August 27, 2019

Member News: Long time member Marilyn Gurtner passed away. A $35 donation to the Latodami Nature Center in memory of her was made.

Treasurer’s report: Dianne provided Andrea with the report.

Starting checking account balance was $4,219.22.  Ending Checking account balance of $4,184.22 + petty cash of $61.87 leaves us with a total of $4,246.09.

Calendar:

September 24:LAGC meeting, Northmont Church, speaker Len Lehman, “Hostas: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow”  

August Tour Summaryof the Rosalinda Sauro Sirianni garden.  

Alyssa Crawford, garden coordinator for North Hills Community Outreach (NHCO) welcomed everyone on a pleasant August evening.  She gave a brief overview of NHCO, an organization that operates over 20 programs to help those during a difficult period in their lives, including the garden which supplies the 3 food pantries they operate.

The Sirianni family grew up across the street.  Immigrants from Italy, the current garden is where they gardened, fruits and vegetables, including approximately 40 fig trees.  Teresa Amelio (past president) donated the land for use as a garden, with the stipulation that it be named after her mother and used to grow organic food for the food pantry.

2011 was the first growing season for the garden.  In 2018, 5,500 pounds of produce was harvested from the garden for NHCO’s food pantries.  The garden is 2/3 of an acre in size.  Alyssa follows organic gardening practices as much as possible, no synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers are used.

Outside the fencing is a bioswale, which was installed with a grant from the 9 Mile Run Watershed Association.  The native and flowering plants filter the water coming off the road, and from storms. It also slows down the water going into the storm drainage system.  Plants are loved by pollinator and beneficial insects.

The vegetables grown in the garden all come from seed donated by seed companies, usually leftovers from the prior year.  There is a small stipend for more unusual varieties.  The year, it is the Red Noodle Bean, an Asian bean, which can grow up to a yard long.

Signing in, 15 members

Alyssa Crawford, director of garden

Jeanne & Debbie

Warm weather varieties such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant are started indoors.  Other vegetables are direct seeded into the grown, such as lettuces, carrots, radishes, swiss chard, kale ….  Alyssa coordinates with the food pantry coordinator as to what to grow.  She does try to grow as many of the “standardized” crops as she can, such as lettuce, radishes, beans … based on the season, but does like to try new varieties of vegetables.  Last year was an Asian gourd which grew to over 6 feet in length, and resembled a fat white snake.

Cucamelon, slightly longer than a quarter, very crisp

Ornamental pepper

Toothache plant, blossom has a tingling, numbing effect in mouth

Cover crop of buckwheat with onions in foreground

Alyssa does succession planting to maximize the productivity of the garden.  Cool weather crops will be seeded in the next week.  She uses a garden map for planning purposes, but could do a better job of tracking the varieties planted, she said.

After having a soil test done, coming back as high in organic matter and phosphorus, a fertilizer blend of feather meal (ground up chicken feathers),  azomite clay and kelp meal was added to the garden beds to create a better soil.  More nitrogen is needed so she will be adding more feather meal.

Several years ago, she started planting cover crops over the winter months to beds that would be planted later in the spring.  This has allowed her to use the no till method of gardening.  The crops are cut down and allowed to decompose on the bed. For beds that will be planted in late winter/early spring, straw is used to keep down the weeds.

Row covers are used to protect plants when there is a danger of frost, and also as a pest control.  If squash plants started early in the season aren’t covered, they will get the squash vine borer.  Uncovered eggplants will be attacked by the flea beetle.

The garden also has an apiary which is maintained by volunteer beekeepers.  They put up the hives and perform all maintenance, and the honey is theirs.  The benefit is that the bees buzz around the garden and pollinate all of the vegetables.

The high tunnel on the property is similar to a greenhouse.  Covered by heavy duty plastic, there is a temperature degree difference between outside and inside.  This year, there were 2 Eagle Scout projects, 1 the installation of raised beds that are angled to maximize sunlight, and the installation of rain barrels which collect water from the high tunnels.  A hose system is attached, making it easier to use the water.

An heirloom variety of pole bean is planted along the fence line – Rattlesnake Bean.  Each year, Alyssa allows pods to “go to seed”, so she can harvest the seed for planting the following year.

In addition to the vegetable garden, there is an herb garden, a fruit orchard and a rain garden.  The fruit orchard was planted by the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation.  However, our humid wet weather has made it difficult to get good fruit from the trees.

There are 2 days of drop-in garden hours if you would like to volunteer, Monday and Thursday from 10 – 2. No gardening experience required, and you come and stay for as long as is convenient for you, you don’t need to coordinate with Alyssa.  Harvest always occurs first, followed by planting, watering and weeding.  If you know of a school group, corporate group or church group that would like to volunteer, contact Alyssa to set it up. Her email is aacrawford@nhco.organd phone is 412 607-0069 x3311.

March Meeting Summary 2019

Colleen Fingal, president opened the meeting up by welcoming all members and guests.

Snowdrops, Dutch Iris, Crocus, Daffodils and Helleborus currently blooming in member gardens.

Old Business:  

·     McCandless Environmental Council town hall meeting – no one attended

·     Asian Jumping Worms – reminder to members to use sterile potting soil when potting up plants for plant sale to avoid spread of Asian Jumping Worms.

New Business:

·     Northmont Church Fellowship Hall Agreement for 2019 is the same as 2018 - $360

·     Dianne Machesney presented the treasurer’s report.  After expenses of hall rental, donations and hostess supplies ending balance is $2,653.10.

·     Ross Township made a request for volunteers to assist in community service project at Denny Park.  Would involve mentoring students and scouts in planting a rain garden in the park. Tentatively set for Saturday, 4/27 in the morning.  Colleen will send follow-up e-mail to all members to determine if there are enough volunteers.

·     2019 Garden and Landscape Symposium & Marketplace – donation opportunity. Membership voted to donate $100. The symposium will be held at Shady Side Academy, Fox Chapel, April 27 from 8 – 4.  There is a marketplace, free to the public, with many plants (perennials, annuals, vegetables & herbs), garden books and garden tools available for purchase.

·     Mary Ann Kurtz review upcoming plant sale.  4” pots are smallest size that should be used, and pot up at least 10 pots / member for the sale.  More are always welcome.  This year a price list cheat sheet will be available for customers and Jane MacCredie will be our statistical tracker.

·     Kurt Malecki from Best Feeds will present Ponds and Pond Gardens at our April meeting

·     Thanks to Linda Brown for the delicious desserts and Chris Kerin for the beautiful arrangement. 

Pictures below by Mary Ann Kurtz.

Speaker: Len Lehman presented 

“The Other Bulbs: Beyond Tulips, Hyacinths and Daffodils”

Key takeaways:

·     Many varieties of other bulbs available.  Classified as either bulbs, corms, tubers and rhizomes.

·     In a bulb the entire plant is packaged into 1 case.  If you slice it in half, you will see everything the plant produces, including the flower.

·     Onion family is the largest family of bulbs in the world.

·     Can have color from late winter/early spring with snowdrops, all the way through fall with fall blooming crocus, if you plant a variety of bulbs, tubers, corms and rhizomes.

·     Planting depth of a bulb is always 3 times as deep as the bulb is wide.  Corms - 2 – 4 times as deep as the diameter of the corm. Tubers - 4 – 6” deep with the eye up. Rhizomes – 2 – 3 times deep as the diameter of the rhizome.

LAGC Meeting – March 26, 2019