Straw Bale Gardening ~ Wisconsin, Sheboygan County

Summer 2013
Sheboygan County
Master Gardener
Cooperative Extension—University of Wisconsin-Extension Sheboygan County
5 University Drive, Sheboygan, WI 53081 · (920) 459-5904
Inside this issue:
Up-Coming Events 2
The Wisconsin Gardener 2
Summer Garden Events 2
MGV Picnic Potluck 3
Amazing Race/Tour of Master
Gardener Project
3
Yankee Gardens in Sheboygan Falls 3
Summerfield Trip 4
Sheboygan Area Garden Walk 4
Mid-Summer to Fall Vegetable
Plantings
5
2013 Master Gardener Board 5
Straw Bale Gardening 6
Two Garden Jewels in Phoenix 7
2013 Projects & Chairs Listing 8
Greetings From Your President:
It‘s another cold and rainy day in late May…just like the cold
and rainy days in early May and (pessimistically) probably
those to come in early June. It‘s been a tough spring for
gardeners and farmers; but I hope you have been finding
some time to work in your gardens.
Though I have been working hard in the gardens at Kohler
Andrae State Park…weeding and edging and hauling mulch
and rocks, I haven‘t done much more than plant a few pan-
sies, prune a few bushes and pull a few weeds in my own
garden. Panic is beginning to set in as I worry that I won‘t
have any tomatoes or peppers or shallots or beans from my
own plot this summer.
It makes me thankful for the excess energy I expended last
November in spreading 60 bags of mulch on my beds. That
was an unconventional task for late fall and all that mulch
probably slightly delayed my garden‘s spring development;
but it is a relief not to be hosting a pile of mulch in my drive-
way.
In addition to being tough to get into the garden the lower
average of degree days has delayed the appearance and
bloom times of many spring plants. This year, my daffodils
bloomed a full month later than in 2012. Sherry Speth has
been scouting the wetlands at Kohler Andrae State Park
looking for purple loosestrife plants to harvest for beetle
raising. Last year the beetles came so early that she
missed them and this year the plants haven‘t yet made an
appearance. Jim Pecquex told me that the wet weather has
been very good for the cedar apple rust on his junipers. I
suspect that we gardeners and horticulture hotliners will be
dealing with a lot of complaints about fungal diseases as we
Message From the President
Sue Mathews
get into warmer weather.
Drought last year. Too much rain this spring.
It‘s always something! But we cope!
Sue Mathews
President, Master Gardener Volunteers
Sheboygan County

Master Gardener Volunteers—Summer 2013 Page 2Master Gardener Volunteers—Summer 2013
Master Gardener Volunteer
Up-Coming Events
June 2013
June 25 (Tuesday) - The Amazing Race - 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
(See page 3)
July 2013
July 25 (Thursday) - Sheboygan County MGV Picnic - 6 pm – 9 pm
in Sue Droll‘s garden Rain date…July 30 (Tuesday)
(See page 3)
August 2013
August 3 (Saturday) - Sheboygan County MGV Field Trip to Door
County Gardens
(See page 4)
August 29 – September 2 - Sheboygan County Fair
Contact Sue Droll and volunteer to work at the MGV booth.
Summer Garden Events
Free Wednesdays 4 pm – 8 pm
June - August
Green Bay Botanical Garden
Every Wednesday 6:30 pm $30
June – into September
Boerner Botanical Gardens…Milwaukee
Walking Garden Classes
June 16 (Sunday) 10 am - 4 pm $10
Spring in Bloom Garden Tour at Afterglow Farm…
Port Washington Historical Society
June 22 (Saturday) 3 pm – 10 pm $100/$150
Juneapalooza … Benefit for Meals on Wheels of
Sheboygan County, Inc. at Christopher Gardens
July 7 (Sunday) 9 am – 4 pm
Paine Art Center & Gardens…Oshkosh
Art Faire on the Green, Chihuli Venetians Exhibit,
and a walk in the gardens
July 9 – 11 (Tuesday – Thursday)
Wisconsin Farm Technology Days
Breezy Hill Dairy…Barron County
July 13 (Saturday) 9:00 am – 4:00 pm $10
Sheboygan Area Garden Walk
July 13 (Saturday)
Garden Walks in Manitowoc, Wauwatosa, Stevens
Point, DeForest, Madison, Mukwonago, Wisconsin
Rapids, Wild Rose, Green Bay and probably more.
July 17 – August 11 10 am – 4 pm daily
Ohlbrich‘s Blooming Butterflies…Madison
Free-flying in the Bolz Conservatory
August 16-17
WIMGA Annual Conference
Janesville
August 23 (Friday)
Rock the Garden Fundraiser
Bookworm Gardens
September 15
Rotary Botanical Gardens…Janesville
Auction of Sun Garden Art…artists‘ interpretations of
sun sculptures on display in the gardens throughout
the summer
Up-Coming Wisconsin Public
Television Programs
The Wisconsin Master Garden-
ers Association is helping to un-
derwrite ―The Wisconsin Gar-
dener‖ produced by Wisconsin
Public Television.
Visit The Wisconsin Gardener
Program Transcripts and Videos
web page at http://www.wpt.org/
gardener/series.cfm

MGV Picnic Potluck
Join us for the annual MGV potluck picnic on Thurs-
day, July 25, 6 pm to 9 pm. The picnic will be held
in Sue Droll‘s garden at W5616 Sumac Road, Plym-
outh.
Brats, burgers, veggie burgers, beverages, and
utensils will be provided.
Please bring a dish to pass and a lawn chair.
RSVP to Tammy Zorn by July 19. If you‘d like a
veggie burger, let Tammy know.
In case of rain, the event will be rescheduled for
Tuesday, July 30.
The first MGV Amazing Race was held in 2011 and
was a big hit; so we decided to do it again. This
event gives Master Gardener Volunteers a chance
to visit and learn more about some MGV projects.
The 2nd
Amazing Race will be held on Tuesday,
June 25, from 6:00 to ?:00. You will have the op-
portunity to visit projects at:
• UW-Sheboygan
• Waelderhaus
• Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice
• Kohler Andrae State Park
The Amazing Race will start at the MGV Office at
UW-Sheboygan where racers can drop off appetiz-
ers, pick up their ―passport‖ and get directions to the
first site. The race will end back at UW-S in the
Courtyard Garden where prizes will be awarded and
refreshments will be served.
Following the pattern of the popular The Amazing
Race television show, each site will have a chal-
lenge for the racers to complete, for example identify
a plant or find something in the garden. When you
complete a challenge
you will get a stamp
on your passport, a
prize ticket, and a
map to the next site.
So put your racing
shoes on, bring an
appetizer to pass, and
Amazing Race/Tour of Master Gardener Projects
Sheboygan County Master Gardeners have re-
ceived a request for help for the Yankee Garden in
Sheboygan Falls. The Yankee Garden honors pio-
neers from New England who settled near the falls
of the Sheboygan River. It is a small shrubbery and
perennial garden at the corner of Pine St and Gid-
dings Ave (Hwy 32). Nobody seems to be taking
care of it. It is weedy and overgrown and in need of
some TLC and redesign work. The Chamber Main
Street in Falls approached Falls resident (and new
MGV) Jim Pecquex to see if Master Gardeners
would be interested in taking on the project.
At this point we don‘t wish to commit to accept this
garden as an official and ongoing MGV project; but
Jim has offered to lead work on this project if he can
find some other MGV volunteers to lend a hand.
Jim is mainly a vegetable gardener and would like
the input of some gardeners who have more experi-
ence with this kind of garden. This would be a nice
project for a few of our many Falls gardeners. And if
there is enough interest this could become a perma-
nent project.
If you would be interested in helping with this pro-
ject, contact Jim (467-1509 or jpec-
quex@gmail.com).
Yankee Garden in Sheboygan Falls

Summer Field Trip to Door County
Plans are being finalized for the MGV Bus Trip
which will be setting off for Door County on Satur-
day, August 3. So pencil in that date on your calen-
dar. Once details are complete a registration form
will be emailed.
But we do know what gardens we will be visiting.
• Home Garden of Dale and Joan Jeanquart. For a
sneak peak at their ―pot people,‖ check out this
article in Midwest Living .
• Evergreen Schoolhouse…Gallery and Garden of
Karin Over-
beck. Karin is
a stained glass
and mosaic
artist and her
garden fea-
tures her work.
For a preview, check out the Evergreen School-
house website. Karin‘s garden was also featured
in the March/April 2013 issue of Wisconsin Gar-
dening.
• The Garden Door is a
free public garden
created and main-
tained by the Door
County Master Gar-
dener Association in
cooperation with the
UW Peninsular Research Station. Check out their
website and this article.
• Harbor View Park in Egg Harbor will be the locale
for our picnic lunch.
• Final stop will be
the Flying Pig Gal-
lery and Green-
space in Algoma.
Plan to start early
and get home…
whenever.
Sheboygan Area Garden Walk
The 17th
Annual Sheboygan Area Garden Walk will
be held on Saturday, July 13 from 9 am to 4 pm…
come rain or come shine. The admission fee is $10
with proceeds going to Bookworm Gardens and E.H.
May Environmental Park Trust (Maywood).
Included on the tour are five
gardens…
• Bachelor’s Garden—902 Mulberry Lane, Kohler
• Lilies of the Alley—320 Lincoln Ave, Sheboygan
• Domaine du May—2026 N 9th
St, Sheboygan
• Labor of Love Gardens—W4505 Stonefield Circle,
Sheboygan
• 10 Gardens of the John Michael Kohler Art Cen-
ter—608 New York Ave, Sheboygan

Master Gardener Volunteers—Summer 2013
We all try to get the most from our vegetable gar-
dens by planting crops in succession. When one
crop is harvested, another can be planted in its
place. On a recent visit to Jung‘s Garden Center in
Sun Prairie I picked up an information sheet on
when to plant various vegetable crops for fall har-
vest…Sue Mathews
Crop Comments
Bush Beans Plant up to 7-8 weeks before
first frost. Plant seed deeper,
2‖, to protect from sun.
Beets Plant mid-July to late summer.
Can withstand early fall frosts.
Broccoli Sow seeds in late June or ear-
ly July for transplanting in mid-
August. Frost improves flavor.
Brussel Sprouts Start seedlings in early June
to transplant in mid-July.
Frost improves flavor.
Chinese Cabbage Plant mid-July to mid-August
or 3 months before first frost.
Cauliflower Start seeds in mid-June for
transplanting in late July.
Chard Plant in late July for greens
well into October.
Collards/Kale Plant in early July for greens
well into October.
Cucumbers Allow 2 months from seed to
first frost. Sow in early July.
Endive/Escarole Sow seeds up to 3 months
before first frost.
Kohlrabi Sow seeds up until end of Ju-
ly.
Lettuce Plant seeds up through late
August. Give more shade
than earlier plantings to pre-
vent bolting.
Onions Seed for bunching onions can
be sown around July.
Peas Sow seeds for pea pods and
shelling peas in early August.
Select heat resistant varieties
like ‗Wando‘.
Radishes Sow seeds up to one month
before first frost. Needs plen-
ty of water to prevent bolting.
Rutabaga/Turnip Best planted in early to mid-
July. Harvest after one or two
frosts.
Median dates for first frost in
Eastern Sheboygan County … October 18-24
Central Sheboygan County … October 11-17
Western Sheboygan County … October 4-10
Check out this website for other Sheboygan climate
data
Mid-Summer to Fall Vegetable Plantings
2013 Officers, Board Members and WIMGA Representative
President: Sue Mathews
Vice-President: Jim Burkard
Secretary: Lori Walker
Treasurer: Debbie Ott
Board Members: Terry Hartle-Felder, Kristi Richer-
son, Sherry Speth
WIMGA Representative: RoseMarie Hassman

Straw Bale Gardening
From Sherry Speth
A few weeks ago I was listening to Larry Meiller‘s
―Garden Talk‖ radio program featuring Joel Karsten,
author of Straw Bale Gardens. Joel was a very inter-
esting speaker and, though it sounded like one of
those gardening technique fads, I became interest-
ed in his message. My ears picked-up when the
author mentioned that straw bales are great for rais-
ing potatoes. I love fresh dug potatoes from the gar-
den, which are hard to grow in our heavy clay soil.
He also stated that straw bale gardens can be used
to grow sweet potatoes and peanuts, which are hard
to grow in Wisconsin‘s relatively short growing sea-
son.
At Bookworm Gardens, we have many kinds of gar-
dens based on a variety of books. One garden we
hoped to expand on was the garden based on a
book about George Washington Carver, which con-
sisted of a plant stand in the greenhouse. Dr.
Carver was instrumental in developing ways to en-
rich the soil using crop rotation and planting a varie-
ty of foods such as sweet potatoes, peanuts and
soybeans. Adding peanuts and sweet potatoes to
our garden would really add to the telling of the
book.
After listening to Larry‘s program, I bought Joel
Karsten‘s book. The book was very informative and
easy to read with lots of photos. Kaurie Mihm,
Bookworm‘s Garden Manager, and I have used his
information to establish a straw bale garden. I have
raised sweet potatoes some years ago with limited
success - very small yield. We are hoping for better
results with straw bale gardening.
Joel stated that straw bale gardening can be used
for most garden crops. This gardening technique
sounded
perfect or,
at least,
easy. It
sounded
so good,
Kaurie de-
cided to do
her whole
garden this
year in
straw
bales.
Kaurie has planted 20 bales at her house, and I
have planted 6.
Now, how this works is…you place your straw bales
on landscape fabric or a weed barrier of some kind
in full sun with the twine on the sides of the bales.
For the first 2-weeks, the bales should be condi-
tioned by adding fertilizer and watering using a
schedule the author has developed. The condition-
ing starts composting the bales and thereby gener-
ating heat. The heat helps the plants to grow faster.
At the end of two weeks, the bales can be planted.
If seeds are used, a thin layer of top soil should be
added to the top surface of the bale as a seed medi-
um. The bales will decompose during the summer,
so some support using posts or wire may be useful
to hold the bales together. Stringing wire between
the supports will also give support to tall plants like
tomatoes.
Straw bale gardening appears to be ideal for pota-
toes. In addition to the looser growing environment
(as compared to clay), planting the potato at the bot-
tom of the bale forces the stem to grow through the
bale allowing for more tuber production. It also al-
lows for an easier, cleaner harvest.
Stay tuned, we will let you know our outcomes.

Two Garden Jewels in Phoenix
By Sherry Speth
This spring we
visited Phoenix
on our way to
the Grand Can-
yon. During the
spring, we love
to stop in Phoe-
nix to soak up
some heat and
visit the Desert
Botanic Garden, which is located in Papago Park.
We have been there many times. The desert in
spring-time is beautiful and never fails to delight us.
This year, there was color everywhere. The prickly
pear cacti were in full bloom along with desert wild
flowers and pollinator gardens. This garden was
teaming with bees and other pollinators including
hummingbirds. Recently, the garden opened a fab-
ulous restaurant, which we found a perfect place to
get the travel kinks out and enjoy lunch outside in a
gorgeous outdoor setting.
Each year, the garden features at least one artist
with pieces located throughout the garden. We
have been there when a Chihuly was featured. A
marvelous Chihuly glass sculpture has been re-
tained at the garden entrance. It is amazing to see
what Chihuly does with glass. This year, the garden
featured an artist with very modernistic pieces and a
second installation of four gigantic heads each made
of botanic elements and made to represent each of
the four seasons. They were fabulous.
The next day we tried
to find the Japanese
Friendship Garden,
which is also located
in Phoenix. Judy
Salzwedel had visited
this garden previous-
ly and recommended
it. As you may have
guessed, we never miss an opportunity to see an
authentic Japanese garden. Judy told us that the
garden was part of the Margaret T. Hance Park,
which straddles Interstate Highway 10. After driving
around the area a number of times and not finding it,
we parked the car and walked through the Margaret
T. Hance park. We finally found the friendship gar-
den tucked away from the cares of everyday life –
obviously on the opposite end from where we had
parked the car.
The Phoenix Friendship Garden is built on the top
of the I-10 freeway tunnel in the middle of Phoenix.
It is a ―stroll garden‖ complete with a stream, Koi
pond and a 12-foot waterfall. A teahouse and tea
garden complete the walk. The garden is a collabo-
ration between Phoenix and its sister city of Himeji ,
Japan. The garden is called ―Ro Ho En‖, which
roughly translates to ―Heron, Phoenix Garden ‖. Ro
Ho En is a combination of three Japanese words.
Ro means Heron, a bird symbol of Himeji City. Ho is
the Japanese word for the Phoenix bird. En means
garden. Ro Ho En, therefore, is a name symbolizing
the friendship between the two cities represented in
this garden. Over 60 trips were made by artisans
from Japan to Phoenix to build the garden, which
includes 1500 hand- picked rocks and 50 varieties of
plants including a number of kinds of bamboo. The
entrance fee is $5.00, which is worth it because it
comes with a colored map labeling trees and ground
covers on one side and the bushes and bamboo the
other. It is interesting to look at the kinds of plants
they chose that can stand up to the heat and dry
conditions of Arizona and yet fulfill the idea of a Jap-
anese garden. The Phoenix Friendship Garden is
open from October 1 to May 31st,
when it gets too
hot for even a stroll garden. If you ever get to Phoe-
nix make sure you stop in at this oasis in the desert.
Hint: park on the east side of the Margaret T. Hance
park.

Master Gardener Volunteers—Summer 2013 Page 8
 October 11th Memorial and Dutch Settlement
Historical Marker
Lori Walker
668-6859
stwhoops@yahoo.com
 Plank Road Trail Trailhead Maintenance
Erie Avenue—Rhonda Barts
395-2225
rhonda.barts@gmail.com
Sheboygan Falls—
Greenbush—Diane Lueke
526-2309
lueke2@excel.net
Plymouth—Hwy 57—Kendra Ford
528-7060
kennaford@hotmail.com
 Plymouth Arts Center
Pamela Hailer
892-8390
pamhailer@gmail.com
 Plymouth Mill Street Railroad Overpass
Terry Hartle-Feldner
892-4026
EeyoreT499@aol.com
 Purple Loosestrife / Invasive Species Control
Sherry Speth
467-2002
sspeth@excel.net
 Sensory/Peace Gardens
Barb Pence
459-7962
 Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice
Ruth Davis
912-8917
redrudie52@yahoo.com
 Sheboygan County Administration Building
Lori Walker
668-6859
stwhoops@yahoo.com
 Sheboygan County Fair
Sue Droll Sherry Speth
946-3064 467-2002
sdroll@excel.net sspeth@excel.net
 Speakers Bureau
Lori Walker
668-6859
stwhoops@yahoo.com
 UW-Sheboygan Campus Landscaping
Jim Burkard Sherry Speth
458-8891 467-2002
maryandjimb@att.net sspeth@excel.net
 Annual Business Meeting
Kristi Richerson
912-7793
kristilou@mac.com
 Bookworm Garden
Sandy Livermore Sherry Speth
452-1775 467-2002
sandylivermore@gmail.com sspeth@excel.net
 Education & Program Committee
Sue Mathews
458-1848
sukarma2@yahoo.com
 Garden Walk
Doris Weber Mary Rhines
467-3266 208-7532
doris@johngweber.com lesmaryrhines@att.net
Nancy Guse
892-2011
njguse@wi.rr.com
 Generations—Plymouth
Sue Droll
946-3064
sdroll@excel.net
 Horticultural Hotline
Pat Juers Kristi Richerson
458-1523 912-7793
pjuers@bytehead.com kristilou@mac.com
 Horticulture Referrals at Work or Home
RoseMarie Hassman Mary Rhines
452-3064 208-7532
smokeyrh@charter.net lesmaryrhines@att.net
 Kohler Andre State Park
Sue Mathews
458-1848
sukarma2@yahoo.com
 Kohler Foundation/Waelderhaus Herb Garden
Karel Gulig Carl Faas
452-0116 452-3428
kgulig@att.net wisoldman@charter.net
 Marsh Park Tower Project
Nancy Themar
894-3660
nancythemar@gmail.com
 Master Gardener Newsletter
Sue Mathews
458-1848
sukarma2@yahoo.com
 Mentor Committee
Judy Prange
894-7567
j.prange@hotmail.com
2013 Projects & Co-Chairs

Straw Bale Gardening ~ Wisconsin, Sheboygan County

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