By Andrea Sarchet

Madison-Jefferson County Agent

MSU Extension

After conferring with those who expressed interest in participating in a Master Gardener class, the dates are now final.  The first class meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 starting at 2:00 pm at the Whitehall Extension Office conference room.  Following are the important details you will need to know if you are interested in participating in this class:

1. The registration deadline for this class is February 24, 2010 and the registration fee of $115.00 is due at the Extension office by that date as well.  Please make checks payable to: Madison-Jefferson Extension Service, P.O. Box 1079 Whitehall, MT 59759.  Your registration fee includes:
   • The Montana Master Gardener Handbook (a required text for this course)
   • A $50 deposit which will be refunded after fulfilling a 20-hour volunteer commitment (numerous options for volunteering will be discussed further during the first class meeting).
   • Facility fees and other handouts provided throughout the course
     
     For those of you who would like to attend the first class before deciding if you want to commit to the class, please contact me so we can make arrangements.
     
     
2. This class will run for 8 consecutive weeks (2 hour sessions) at the same day and time as the first class unless a majority decision is made by the group (i.e. we may take a week off if there are several people that would like to).  The format of the class will be a combination of recorded Adobe Connect Internet sessions taught by Toby Day, the MSU Extension Horticulture specialist as well as interactive discussion and localized specific information provided by myself and others.
   
   
3. I want everyone to get as much out of this class as they would like to.  I am not setting a minimum attendance; however, missing more than three class sessions may make it difficult to catch up.  If you do have to miss a class there are some online resources you can access that will help fill you in on what you missed.  I'm sure your classmates will also help out in that respect.
   
   
4. The level one Master Gardener class is not necessarily a pre-requisite for levels two and three.  If you feel that your gardening knowledge and experience is more advanced, you are welcome to begin with level two, which will likely be offered in this area next spring.  
    
5. There will be a test at the end of this course; however, I have decided that in order to alleviate the stress that goes along with tests; this will be a take home test to be completed on your own.

Please spread the word if you know anyone who might be interested in taking this class.  Due to facility limitations, registration will be limited to the first 25 people.  Feel free to contact me at 287-3282 or asarchet@montana.edu if you have any questions. 

Feb. 25...Rancher Roundtable at noon in Sheridan at the Episcopal Church Fellowship Hall. Clain Jones, MSU Extension Soil Fertility Specialist, will speak about fertilizer guidelines and pasture nutrient management. Jones will show yield, protein, and economic responses of fertilizing pasture and hay, as well as the benefits of soil testing to determine fertilizer rates.

This workshop is FREE to the general public and includes a meal sponsored by Grow Tech Management. Please RSVP so we can plan for enough food by noon, Feb. 23, by calling the Extension Office at 287-3282 or Cleve at 684-5678.

Feb. 25...Rancher Roundtable at noon in Sheridan at the Episcopal Church Fellowship Hall. Clain Jones, MSU Extension Soil Fertility Specialist, will speak about fertilizer guidelines and pasture nutrient management. Jones will show yield, protein, and economic responses of fertilizing pasture and hay, as well as the benefits of soil testing to determine fertilizer rates.

This workshop is FREE to the general public and includes a meal sponsored by Grow Tech Management. Please RSVP so we can plan for enough food by noon, Feb. 23, by calling the Extension Office at 287-3282 or Cleve at 684-5678.

By Andrea Sarchet
Madison-Jefferson County Agent
MSU Extension

The Montana Conservation Seedling Nursery (MCSN) in cooperation with the Montana Extension Service, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, offers low cost tree and shrub seedlings for use in conservation plantings.  The sole focus of the MCSN is the production of seedlings specifically suited for conservation practices in Montana.  The deadline for this year's order is February 26, 2010.  This order will be delivered to the Extension Office in Whitehall in April and ensures landowners FREE delivery.  Landowners may also submit orders throughout the year and they will be delivered to their home by FedEx and will be subject to a 15 percent delivery charge.  It is important that you get your orders in immediately, as species availability will become more limited the longer you wait. 

How MCSN Seedlings can be used:

• Windbreaks and shelterbelts
• Wildlife Habitat
• Reforestation or revegetation after fire or other disturbances
• Riparian habitat improvement
• Erosion control
• Noise and visual barriers
• Living snowfences
• Any other accepted conservation practice

How to order seedlings:

For information on seedling inventory and prices, you can visit the MCSN website at: http://dnrc.mt.gov/forestry/nursery/  or contact the Extension Office at 287-3282.  To order seedlings you will need to complete an order form which includes a conservation planting plan.  Order forms are available on the website or can be picked up at the Extension office and will need to be sent in with the required deposit to the nursery.  Orders from landowners with 10 or more acres will be given priority before March 1st. Landowners with less than 10 acres (non-program) can place their orders anytime, but these orders will not be processed until March 1st, pending species availability. The minimum order is 250 seedlings for new plantings.  Order deciduous trees and shrubs in lots of 50 and conifers and containerized stock in lots of 25.  When replacing seedlings from a previous nursery order, the minimum order is a single lot (50 deciduous, 25 conifers).

Please contact the Extension office, 287-3282, if you have any questions or would like more information about ordering tree and shrub seedlings.

MSU News Service

Growing vegetables in the Rockies is challenging for many reasons, but Montana horticulturists Bob Gough and Cheryl Moore-Gough have written a new book that explains how to do it.

The "Guide to Rocky Mountain Vegetable Gardening" is the couple's fifth book in five years, the latest edition in the Cool Springs Press vegetable gardening series and the only vegetable guide designed specifically for the tough zones of the Rocky Mountain states, said Gough, a professor of horticulture and associate dean for academic programs in the College of Agriculture at Montana State University.

The 320-page book advises beginning to intermediate gardeners how to plant and harvest more than 40 types of vegetables in the region that includes Montana, Colorado, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. Gardeners may already know that rhubarb and asparagus grow well in many areas of the Rocky Mountain region, but some areas can also grow watermelon and okra, Gough said.

"For years, folks asked us to write a book specifically on vegetable gardening in the Rockies," Gough said. "The general gardening books available do not address our problems in this region, and now, with more folks gardening here and more folks concerned about food quality and food costs, there is greater need for such a book."

The book starts with instructions on how to develop a deep, well-balanced, fertile soil. It tackles everything from starting seeds to dealing with pests. It advises gardeners how to plan their gardens to fit the available space and how to start gardens from seed. Charts explain when to plant and when to harvest cool and warm season vegetables. The book explains how to extend the growing season with hotbeds, poly-tunnels, coldframes, cloches and remay coverings.

The book also gives indepth explanations of produce storage, crop rotation and the extremely difficult task (in the Rockies) of composting, Gough said. It gives non-biased recommendations for organic and traditional gardeners. It provides practical solutions to regional challenges that include short growing seasons, intense sunlight, drought, high wind, hail and soils that range from saline to alkaline.

"Overall, the highly variable conditions of the region make it most challenging," Gough said.

The book is due to be released Feb. 1, but stores are ordering it now, Gough said. It is available at local book stores, http://www.amazon.com/  and http://coolspringspress.com/

Gough is known throughout Montana as "Dr. Bob." He has written 17 gardening books and more than 500 Extension publications. Moore-Gough is the retired Montana Master Gardener instructor and coordinator and state horticulturist with MSU Extension. She has co-authored four gardening books and co-hosts the Northern Garden Tips radio show with Gough. She is a frequent contributor to newspapers and gardening magazines. She is currently an assistant adjunct professor of vegetable production at MSU.