Spooner Advocate- Springbrook/Trego Column, March 26, 2015

Good morning! Hope this finds everyone out there doing great. It sure is bright and beautiful out there! I am loving this weather I hope you are as well. 

Sorry the column has been a little sporadic lately. I have had quite the adventure with my heath lately. I do want to say a thank you to Mitch and David for the great care that they gave me in the ambulance on the way to Duluth. Thanks also to all the doctors and nurses that took care of me and ran ever kind of test imaginable on me. Thank you to Dr. Andrei in Hayward that removed my gall bladder and has put me on the road to feeling better. I have one more surgery this week and that will be the end of all this being lazy! I am the worse patient let me tell you! A Huge thank you goes out to the Barber/Johnson family for taking care of me, rides, taking care of the animals and well putting up with me being surly.

Thank you to all the people that worked on putting the New Ventures Gardening Seminar on this last weekend. You all did a wonderful job again! All the presenters were great. I have to say I really loved Pat Thomas talk on pollinators as well as our own local Mike Heim who showed great pictures of his wonderful plants! I learned alot and am pumped to get going on the garden. Thanks to the Spooner Garden Club for all the great desserts and helping out at the seminar-the garden cub meets the fourth Thursday of the month at 1:00 pm. Questions 715-645-2346. Also thank you to the North Country Master Gardeners Association fr their help- more information about them can be found at www.spooner.ars.wisc.edu/newsletters/. If you missed this great event and want to go next year put it on your calendar- its held every year on the third Saturday in March.

A BIG happy birthday goes out to John Hendricks of Trego! This is a belated Happy Birthday as his birthday is March 23rd! Arlene Hendricks- Hencz and her sisters send you their love and wish you a fantastic Birthday! 

If you would like to access the LCO Community College calendar please visit them at LCOOCC Extension on Facebook. . Any questions or to have a copy sent to you via email please call Amber at 715-634-4790 x156.

Do you know anyone that would like to get their GED? Maybe its you that would like to get your GED and go on to take some college classes. Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College is both a place where you can study for your  GED as well as test for it. f you would like more information please call 715-634-4790 and ask for Nicole.

Happy birthday to all the people in March! So excited that it is March- but man I got to get my gardens planned and start some plants!  If you have a birthday this month you are among some awesome people !!  Happy Birthday goes out My brother Lutius, Diane Cutt, Aunt Bonnie, my niece Cheyenne Horner, as well as my niece Bailey McAlpine, John Hendricks of Trego- have a fabulous day folks! If you have a birthday this month please give yourself a hug, do something that makes you happy!! We love you!

Put it on your calendar:

July 17-19, 2015- 35th Annual Conference and Campout. Where? Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa! If you have not attended this you are missing out!!! Hope to see some of you there!

July 24-25, 2015- Hayward Piecemakers Quilt Show. New location is at the Hayward Wesleyan Church in Hayward. More information- haywardpiecemakers@hotmail.com or call Michelle at 715-661-3575

August 19-21,2015- Return To First Medicines 2nd Annual Gathering. A Gathering for adults and children to learn about Sacred Medicines Growing Traditional Foods and how to care for our environment. This event will will be held at Fortune Bay Resort and Casino.

I know that there HAS to be some events going on out there! Please let me know!

Please remember that I would like any information from all of you of what is going on! This is your column ! Any garage sales, church functions, raffles etc? Let me know- thank you!

Have a friend or family member that would be interested in the column? Maybe they live out of town? They can access the column on my blog on Thursdays, at www.twogirlsandagarden.blogspot.com .

 

Fifth Annual Traditional and Green Skills Event- Saturday March 7, 2015

Fifth Annual Traditional & Green Skills Event
Saturday, March 7, 2015 8:00 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Prairie Farm High School, 630 River Ave. S. Prairie Farm

Registration & Coffee Time 8:00 – 9:00
Socializing, coffee, tea, milk and goodies Commons Area

Session 1 9:15 – 10:00
Introduction to Drip Irrigation English Room
With Mike Racette
Using T tape for effective, conservation irrigation
Low Tech Food Storage Math Room
With Jan Erdman
Easy ways to store your garden bounty
Medicinal Herbs and Natural Home Remedies History Room
With Melissa Higgins
A pharmacy in your backyard
Kid’s Creative Space Art Room
With Nadine WetzelCurtis
Supervised space for kids to unleash their creativity
Easy Yogurt Making FC/E Room
With Kate Stout
Demystify yogurt making
Chicken Butchering Shop Room
With Ty and Audrey Martin
Learn the basics of taking your birds from coop to oven
Square Inch Gardening Ag Room
With Cris Cantin
Get the most from your small garden

Session 2 10:15 – 11:45
Beginning Maple Syruping English Room With Sam Dodge The basics of collecting and boiling off maple sap to your own syrup
Saving and Sharing Seed Math Room
With Experts from Seed Savers
Learn tips and strategies for saving and sharing your own seeds
Home Birth Options History Room
With Nicole Wocelka
Explore the many options in home births
Kid’s Creative Space (continued) Art Room
With Nadine WetzelCurtis
Supervised space for kids to unleash their creativity
Home Canning: Water Bath, Steam and Pressure FC/E Room
With Raine Lampert and Joyce Plunkett
Learn the nitty‐gritty of canning at home
Solar Hot Air Shop Room
With George Adams, Allen Freiermuth
Warm your home for “almost” free
Joys and Challenges of Dairy Goats Ag Room
With Meg Wittenmeyer
Covers many aspects of dairy goat raising including cheese making
Homemade Herbal Teas Commons Area
With Barry Iverson
Explains making tea from wild gathered plants

Session 3 1:00 – 1:45
Xeriscaping English Room
With Douglas OwensPike
Reducing or eliminating the need to irrigate both lawns and gardens
Controlling Invasives & Buckthorn Removal Math Room
With West Central WI Invasive Plant Management Area Staff
Exploration and Explanation of plant control
Intro to Home Scale Mushroom Culture History Room
With Jim Erdman
Grow fungi in your own back yard
Flint Knapping Art Room
With David Skrupky
Learn about this elegant and ancient skill
Blacksmithing Basics Shop Room
With Pete Stanaitis
Demonstration and discussion of blacksmithing
Organic Pest Control Ag Room
With Kate Stout
Tricks of the trade to keep pests away
Blues Harmonica in 20 Minutes Music Room
With Willie Williams
Learn to play tunes very quickly. Harmonica provided
You are invited to a full day of learning from local
teachers.

Session 4 2:00 3:15
Seed Storage Math Room
With Experts from Seed Savers
You saved seeds, now how do you store them
Home Funerals History Room
With Lucy Basler
Learn the ins and outs of caring for your deceased loved one at home
Spinning Art Room With Sheri Stanaitis Learn the basics of spinning wool
Fermented Vegetables FC/E Room
With Brett Laidlaw
How to preserve vegetables and cultivate healthy microbes
More Blacksmithing Shop Room
With Pete Stanaitis
Demonstration and discussion of blacksmithing continued
Soil Health Basics Ag Room
With NRCS
Good soil health is the key to good gardens
Alternatives to Pampers Music Room
With Nadine WetzelCurtis
Learn about the natural ways to diaper your baby


No need to pre‐register, just pay at the door:
$12 per adult, $7 per child under 12 or $30 per family
of 5 or less. Includes class sessions, food and
complimentary childcare. Schedule subject to change
without notice. For more information, please call
Kate Stout at 715‐455‐1569 (kstout@chibardun.net)
or Cris Cantin at 715‐455‐2088
11:45 – 1:00

LUNCH Multipurpose Room
Round Table Discussions Commons Area
Seed Swap 12:30 – 1:00 Multipurpose Room
Round Table Discussions, Local
Products Bizarre and Special
Interest Information all during
lunchtime

Join with others in the Commons Area to discuss topics
that interest you that have to do with Reskilling,
Resilience, Re‐localization and more. Do you have a topic
you would like to talk about? Bring suggestions with you
that day. We will have table markers. Shop for local
products and stop by to learn more about local special
interests. If you are interested in selling local goods or
services or want to inform people on a topic, all you need
to do is bring a card table and let Kate know you are
planning to come.

Plant Swap THIS Saturday June 14, 2014

                    Do You Have extra Seedlings that you                    started and have no room for?
                      Tubers? Bulbs?
    Split your Daylilies or other perennials?

Then we would love for you to come to the first ever plant swap at the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College Farm!
  
Who? You and your friends!

When?  June 14, 2014

From?  10:00 AM- 1:00 PM

Where?  The LCOOCC Farm located at: 13457W Frommel Road, Hayward.

Why? Because we would like to meet you! Plus lets share our knowledge of plants, gardening, seeds with others! Make new "Garden" Buddies! 

Will also have seeds to share/ swap. Collecting flats, containers that will be reused next season. 

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Spooner Advocate- Springbrook Column, January 30, 2014

Good afternoon neighbors- I am praying that all of you out there are staying warm. I know that everyone has heard by now of the propane issues and alot of people are in dire straits with their houses needing to be heated and the lack of money. I just want you to know that you are not alone. We are all feeling the crunch and there does not seem to be an end in sight with the weather being so bad. Please lower your heat when you can, dress in layers, block of rooms that your not using. If you have drafty windows put towels on the window sills, plastic on them if you can, also heavy curtains help alot. Also a quilt or blanket hung above the door on a rod can keep drafts out of the house as well. Remember to check on elderly, handicapped, or just someone you know doesn't go out of the house to often. Stay as warm as you can and please don't go out unless you have to....

Earl Church in Earl, WI would like everyone know that you are invited to the Third Annual Triple Treat Saturday. It will be held on February 8th, 2014 from 11:00-2:00 pm at the church. Homemade soup and rolls- all you can eat for $4.00 (until gone). Pies will be for sale (until gone), flea market, silent auction and more! All I can say is that Mikhaila and I went last year and got soup by the skin of our teeth! We also got one of the last pies that were there! I have to say that I know the pie was awesome only because I did not even get a piece! So come support this great event and all I can say is get there early, and get two pies that way you are sure to get some! Thanks Sherrine for letting me know the details.

I have started some seeds in the house! They are up! The seeds are up! Can I just say how happy I am to see something that is green and growing! Has anyone else out there started anything yet? I am going to take some seeds as well as chive plants and calendula plants to the Pow-Wow in February. So I hope they grow fast! I also started some rhubarb, this should get me through January! LOL My next project is to build some shelves to start more plants on, this year I will be starting ALL the plants for the gardens on the reservations here at my house! It seems alittle scary I have to say! But I will be able to pay closer attention to the plants if they are here instead of being at the College. So wish me luck... guess this means I need to invest in some grow lights too huh?

LCOOCC has their calendar of events out so here are the classes we are offering this month.  Jan 30 a- Homemade bread making from 5-8pm, held in the College kitchen from 5-8pm. The February Calendar will be out soon but there is always time to tell us what kind of class you are interested in taking. Give Amber a call with your class registration or with an idea for a class, 715-634-4790 X126. 

Happy Birthday to all the January birthdays out there! Hope the couple warmer days here in NW Wisconsin make your birthday extra special and bright!  Have a beautiful birthday spent with friends and family, doing something that makes YOU happy! We love you!

Is anyone else out there into barns? Whenever I take a road trip or even am going around our beautiful state I am looking for barns. There all kinds of barns, some are still standing and housing animals. Some need some TLC and would love to be given a couple animals to shelter. I dream of having the cool old barns with a big room to put hay in, stalls to put pregnant ewes in. Chickens running around hiding eggs and then coming out with chicks when they hatch. I also want to hang the quilt square painted on a piece of wood on the outside of my barn. I am just an old barn type of girl. So I came across some "barn people" in my travels and thought I would share them with you. The Kansas Barn Alliance- www.kansasbarnalliance.org and National Barn Alliance- www.barnalliance.org and Kansas State Historical Society -www.kshs.org. I am still going to look and see if WI has a chapter and see what is going on to preserve our barns. If you have any info and would like to share a ppicture of your barn let me know! 

Does anyone out there read the Country Today? I love to get this paper, I need to get a subscription instead of driving to Shell Lake to get it. Anyway there was a great article in the last paper dated Jan 20th about a Bed and Breakfast in Washington County. Sounds like it would be a great place to go and stay, I love that they keep animals on the farm, a wonderful greenhouse that I really need in my backyard, and a vineyard with the wine named after the animals! Seems like they have alot to offer... For more information on this you can checkout their website www.coldspringinn.com . Remember the Country Today also carries the LCO College calendar in their paper- just in case you miss it in the column.

Have a friend or family member that would be interested in the column? Maybe they live out of town? They can access the column on my blog on Thursdays, at www.twogirlsandagarden.blogspot.com .

 

13th annual New Ventures Gardening Seminar- 3/16

Gardeners who would like to have gorgeous, healthy, and productive gardens are invited to the 13th annual day-long New Ventures Gardening Seminar on Saturday, March 16, at Northwood School, Minong.

The event – hosted by the Spooner Garden Club, Northwood Community Ed, and the North Country Master Gardeners – will inspire gardeners with presentations on roses, shrubs, plant hardiness, and plant diseases.

Gardeners will be able to attend all four sessions featured at the seminar:

• "Rusts and Smuts and Leaf Spots – Oh, My! Diabolical Diseases in the Home Garden" – Plant diseases can make growing vegetables, flowers, trees, and shrubs a challenge. Plant disease expert Brian Hudelson will give an overview of the types of diseases common in the home garden and how to produce healthier, more beautiful plants.

• “Tried, True, and New Shrubs” – Many new shrubs have been introduced over the last few years with a focus on adding color and compact size to the landscape. Kathy Zuzek, who previously worked in a woody ornamental research program, will explore some of those new shrubs along with older shrub cultivars that perform well in Zone 3 and 4 gardens. She also will look at how to select shrubs, what is appealing among the cultivars, and what is not so appealing in others.

• “Growing Roses that Thrive in the North” – David Zlesak knows roses – some of the roses he developed are already on the market. He will spotlight readily grown, proven cultivars and give tips on selecting and planting roses, helping them acclimate, aiding their survival over winter, pruning, and helping them combat diseases.

• Mini-Session: “Getting Plants through Frigid Winters and Steamy Summers” – Zlesak will explain what makes a plant “hardy” and how gardeners can help their plants flourish in a climate that can reach 100 degrees or more during the summer and plummet to -30 or -40 in the winter.

Who the speakers are

Hudelson is affectionately known as “Dr. Death” because of his love of plant diseases. He received his BS in Botany, Bacteriology and Molecular Biology, MS in Biometry and PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and in 1998, became the director of the Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic (PDDC). The PDDC, part of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Wisconsin-Extension, provides expertise in diagnosing plant disease problems and information on diseases and their control to a wide range of clientele throughout Wisconsin. More information is at http://pddc.wisc.edu.

Zuzek is a University of Minnesota-Extension educator with expertise in trees and shrubs. Her training is in forest science and in plant breeding and genetics. Prior to joining the UM-Extension horticultural team, she worked in forest pathology research followed by 19 years as a plant breeder on the UM’s woody ornamental research program that provided northern gardeners with the Northern Accents™ roses, the ‘Lights’ series of azaleas, Garden Glow™ dogwood, ‘Emerald Triumph’ viburnum, Firefall™ Freeman maple, Summertime™ Amur maackia, and other shrub and tree cultivars.

Zlesak is an assistant professor of horticulture at UW-River Falls. He has been breeding roses since he was a teenager, and his most recent release is the landscape miniature rose Oso Happy Petit Pink, one of three 2012 Award of Excellence Winners by the American Rose Society. He also breeds ninebark, heliopsis, and ageratum (and he has marketed all three, too). He coordinates the Northern Earth-Kind Rose Trials and works with colleagues in the study of rose diseases.

Seminar

The seminar will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., with registration and vendor sales beginning at 8:45 a.m. Pre-registration is required. The cost is $14, and check addressed to Northwood School can be mailed to Northwood School, N14463 hwy. 53, Minong, WI 54859.

As is the tradition at the seminar, 4x6-inch photos of plants, area gardens, and visited gardens are welcome and will be displayed during the event. Photos that are 8x10 are also welcome for displaying. Attendees are invited to send photos with their registration (not e-mailed in), along with the photographer’s name and a description of the photo. The snapshots can be retrieved after the seminar if desired.

Vendors with any kind of garden-related products are invited, too. Space is limited and needs to be reserved in advance.

More information about the seminar or vending at the event, including cost and where to mail the registration, is available from Julie Hustvet, gardenseminar@charter.net, or from Micki Brisky, Northwood School, 715.466.4692, extension 323, or michela_brisky@northwood.k12.wi.us.

New Ventures Garden Seminar is always held the third Saturday in March at Northwood School, which is four miles north of Minong on Hwy. 53.

13th Annual New Ventures Gardening Seminar- 3/16

Gardeners who would like to have gorgeous, healthy, and productive gardens are invited to the 13th annual day-long New Ventures Gardening Seminar on Saturday, March 16, at Northwood School, Minong.

The event – hosted by the Spooner Garden Club, Northwood Community Ed, and the North Country Master Gardeners – will inspire gardeners with presentations on roses, shrubs, plant hardiness, and plant diseases.

Gardeners will be able to attend all four sessions featured at the seminar:

• "Rusts and Smuts and Leaf Spots – Oh, My! Diabolical Diseases in the Home Garden" – Plant diseases can make growing vegetables, flowers, trees, and shrubs a challenge. Plant disease expert Brian Hudelson will give an overview of the types of diseases common in the home garden and how to produce healthier, more beautiful plants.

• “Tried, True, and New Shrubs” – Many new shrubs have been introduced over the last few years with a focus on adding color and compact size to the landscape. Kathy Zuzek, who previously worked in a woody ornamental research program, will explore some of those new shrubs along with older shrub cultivars that perform well in Zone 3 and 4 gardens. She also will look at how to select shrubs, what is appealing among the cultivars, and what is not so appealing in others.

• “Growing Roses that Thrive in the North” – David Zlesak knows roses – some of the roses he developed are already on the market. He will spotlight readily grown, proven cultivars and give tips on selecting and planting roses, helping them acclimate, aiding their survival over winter, pruning, and helping them combat diseases.

• Mini-Session: “Getting Plants through Frigid Winters and Steamy Summers” – Zlesak will explain what makes a plant “hardy” and how gardeners can help their plants flourish in a climate that can reach 100 degrees or more during the summer and plummet to -30 or -40 in the winter.

Who the speakers are

Hudelson is affectionately known as “Dr. Death” because of his love of plant diseases. He received his BS in Botany, Bacteriology and Molecular Biology, MS in Biometry and PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and in 1998, became the director of the Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic (PDDC). The PDDC, part of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Wisconsin-Extension, provides expertise in diagnosing plant disease problems and information on diseases and their control to a wide range of clientele throughout Wisconsin. More information is at http://pddc.wisc.edu.

Zuzek is a University of Minnesota-Extension educator with expertise in trees and shrubs. Her training is in forest science and in plant breeding and genetics. Prior to joining the UM-Extension horticultural team, she worked in forest pathology research followed by 19 years as a plant breeder on the UM’s woody ornamental research program that provided northern gardeners with the Northern Accents™ roses, the ‘Lights’ series of azaleas, Garden Glow™ dogwood, ‘Emerald Triumph’ viburnum, Firefall™ Freeman maple, Summertime™ Amur maackia, and other shrub and tree cultivars.

Zlesak is an assistant professor of horticulture at UW-River Falls. He has been breeding roses since he was a teenager, and his most recent release is the landscape miniature rose Oso Happy Petit Pink, one of three 2012 Award of Excellence Winners by the American Rose Society. He also breeds ninebark, heliopsis, and ageratum (and he has marketed all three, too). He coordinates the Northern Earth-Kind Rose Trials and works with colleagues in the study of rose diseases.

Seminar

The seminar will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., with registration and vendor sales beginning at 8:45 a.m. Pre-registration is required. The cost is $14, and check addressed to Northwood School can be mailed to Northwood School, N14463 hwy. 53, Minong, WI 54859.

As is the tradition at the seminar, 4x6-inch photos of plants, area gardens, and visited gardens are welcome and will be displayed during the event. Photos that are 8x10 are also welcome for displaying. Attendees are invited to send photos with their registration (not e-mailed in), along with the photographer’s name and a description of the photo. The snapshots can be retrieved after the seminar if desired.

Vendors with any kind of garden-related products are invited, too. Space is limited and needs to be reserved in advance.

More information about the seminar or vending at the event, including cost and where to mail the registration, is available from Julie Hustvet, gardenseminar@charter.net, or from Micki Brisky, Northwood School, 715.466.4692, extension 323, or michela_brisky@northwood.k12.wi.us.

New Ventures Garden Seminar is always held the third Saturday in March at Northwood School, which is four miles north of Minong on Hwy. 53.

4th Annual Seed Swap- January 19, 2013

Hi all, just a quick reminder that the 4th Annual Seed Swap will be held on Saturday January 19th, 11 AM until 1:30 PM, at the Prairie Farm Elementary School.? We'll be meeting in the Multipurpose room (watch for the signs pointing the way), with snacks and coffee provided.

Bring your spare seeds and trade them--or just come score a few free seeds to start your personal seed collection.? :-)? We'll have lots to choose from, plus we'll be coordinating seed orders through Seed Savers International and FedCo Seeds.? If that wasn't exciting enough, we'll also be doing a group order of fruit trees & shrubs for anyone interested in adding to their home orchard.? You can also sign up for a space in the Community Garden--what a great way to get a jump start on the growing season!


This event is sponsored by the Hay River Transition Initiative and coordinated through Prairie Farm Community Education.? We're looking forward to seeing you at the Swap!

For directions or with questions, please email Cris at cris.cantin@yahoo.com? or call 715-455-2088