November 2017
Master Gardener Volunteers Increase Healthy Food Access in Iowa    

 
Did you know that Iowa is leading the country? Since launching the Growing Together project in 2015, Iowa has inspired other states to engage Master Gardeners in the SNAP-Education food security work.  
 
If you have a related Master Gardener project, please contribute your data to the National Extension Master Gardener food security impact reporting tool: wimastergardener.org/emgfs/ 
 
Fifteen counties funded by the Growing Together mini grants donated 63,387 pounds of produce to food pantries to increase food security in Iowa. Along with the 11,537 pounds of produce harvested from home demonstration gardens, this means that Iowa Master Gardeners provided nearly 75,000 pounds of produce to Iowa food pantries this year! Congratulations on an outstanding achievement! 
 
Growing Together mini grants will be available again in 2018. Current recipients may apply again for next year. Applications are due January 11, 2018. Learn more here.
Seeking Central Iowa Representative for State MG Advisory Committee       

 
The Iowa Master Gardener Advisory Committee met on November 3rd in Ames to gather program updates and discuss the Master Gardener training options.  
 
We are looking for a Master Gardener volunteer from central Iowa to join the Advisory Committee to serve a 3-year term beginning in 2018. Countie s in central Iowa include Hardin, Boone, Story, Marshall, Dallas, Polk, Jasper, Poweshiek, Madison, Warren, Marion, & Mahaska. If you live in one of these counties, and would like to serve in a leadership role for the Iowa Master Gardener program, please apply using the link below. 
 
The application is due December 22 and can be found here:
extension.iastate.edu/mastergardener/advisory-committee
Becoming Master Gardener Interns 

The 2017 Iowa Master Gardener training is wrapping up this fall at 29 locations across Iowa. Soon 319 Master Gardener trainees will become Master Gardener interns and start volunteering on behalf of ISU Extension and Outreach. Please welcome the new interns and help them connect to meaningful local volunteer projects. Pictured below are the Dallas County trainees braving a rainy evening for hands-on herbaceous ornamentals training. 
 
 
Enter Your Hours by December 31      

 
Since 1979, Iowa Master Gardener volunteers have been extending the impact of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach to hundreds of thousands of people.  
 
Don't wait until the garden is iced over to report your Master Gardener volunteer and continuing education hours for the year. Log in to the Volunteer Reporting System here: http://mastergardenerhours.hort.iastate.edu/  

National Search for Excellence Winner        

The Plateau Discovery Gardens in Cumberland County Tennesse were a national winner in the demonstration garden category. The local Master Gardener group collaborates with the regional University of Tennessee Research and Education Center to conduct variety trials, provide tours, and conduct classes. To learn more about the garden go to their web page here

If your Master Gardener group has a project that is making a difference in your community, consider applying for an Iowa Master Gardener Search For Excellence Award by March 15, 2018. Click here to see the sample application, and application form: extension.iastate.edu/mastergardener/search-excellence-award
Join Denny for a Tour of French Gardens   

Next fall (September 20-27, 2018) Denny Schrock will be leading a Gardens & Culture tour to Normandy, France with Hidden Treasures Tours. Participants will stay at the luxurious Château de Courtomer for the week. Some of the sites included on the tour are Monet's gardens at Giverny (pictured above), Bec Hellouin organic farm, Jardin des Plantes in Rouen, Parc Floral de Haute Bretagne, Mont Saint-Michel, and the beaches of Normandy. Don't delay! Registration and a deposit for the tour is due December 1, 2017. For a complete tour schedule and detailed information click here  
Super Sleuths     

Last month's Mystery Plant contest was extremely popular. We received more than two dozen correct responses. The first ten to correctly identify this plant as watermelon radish (Raphanus sativus acanthiformis, syn. R. s. longipinnatus) were: Carl Martin, West Pottawattamie County; Susan Siev, Story County; Barbara Robinson, Johnson County; Diane Tiedje, Scott County; Mary Hawley, Wright County; Jack Robertson, Poweshiek County; Carol Ouverson, Boone County; Brenda Knipper, Jones County; Jane Grote, West Pottawattamie County;  and Nancy Scott, Mills County.

This cultivar of winter radish is also called red meat or beauty heart radish after
its Chinese name Xin Li Mei (or Shinrimei), which means "in one's beautiful heart", a reference to the internal pink or fuchsia coloring. Best grown as a fall crop, watermelon radishes may be harvested when the roots reach golf ball to softball size in diameter. Unlike spring radishes, the flavor of watermelon radish becomes less spicy as it matures. They make a colorful addition to salads or cut into strips as crudité. Alternatively, add them to soups or stews as a cooked vegetable. After harvest they may be stored for up to a month in the refrigerator or pickle them for longer term preservation. 
November Mystery Plant   

This North American native tree is a member of the rose family. It is hardy in Zones 4-7 and grows 15-30 feet tall and wide. Clusters of white blossoms in spring time develop into the red fruits seen here by mid-fall. These fruits persist into winter making it an excellent four-season interest tree. This particular cultivar is more disease resistant than the species, so it a preferred choice for landscape use. What is it?

Send your response including the plant's common and botanical names including the cultivar name in your reply to Denny. In the next newsletter, we'll recognize up to the first 10 respondents that provide the correct identity of the mystery plant. 
Upcoming Events

 
What
When
Where
MG Training: Turfgrass Management  November 14  various
Seed Starting Class  November 16  Bloomfield 
November 28  Oskaloosa 
December 1 
webinar
Terrariums  December 2  Des Moines 
Wreath Making Workshop  December 7  Oskaloosa 
MG Continuing Education and Volunteer Hours Due  December 31  online 
Planting on the Wild Side & Bold Strokes  January 6, 2018  Des Moines 
Growing Together mini grant applications due   January 11, 2018  online 
Growing Vegetables in Containers and Small Spaces  January 23, 2018  Oskaloosa 
Pollinators & Herbs  February 10, 2018  Des Moines 
Seed Starting & Fruit Trees for Home Garden  February 17, 2018  Des Moines 
Spring Garden Seminar  March 17, 2018  Atlantic 
Upper Midwest Regional Master Gardener Conference  June 13 - 16, 2018    Chaska, Minnesota