President’s Letter - November 2025

By MG Linda Barrett

I'd like to start with a huge thank you to all the Master Gardeners and Interns who volunteered with Harvest Festival and/or Close Encounters with Agriculture. I received overwhelmingly positive comments about both events. Harvest Festival is always a fall favorite, with children's garden-related games, a tussie mussie workshop, tours of the demonstration garden, as well as plant clinic and other committee tables. This year Close Encounters with Agriculture was updated to make it leaner and provide a couple more minutes per station. Our Master Gardeners and Interns matched the 4th graders’ energy and excitement, as they shared Environmental, Nutrition, and Agricultural lessons.

I'd also like to thank MG Joel Patton for becoming the chairperson of the Speaker's Bureau and MG Dara Ballow-Giffen for becoming the Community Events chairperson. We look forward to their organizational skills and leadership.

 

I look forward to seeing many of you at our November membership meeting on November 6. It has been wonderful to get together in person during 2025. In December, we will come together to celebrate our individual and collective accomplishments at the Holiday Party and Awards Ceremony.

 

Last chance for nominations! Remember to send me your nominations for the Outstanding Service Award (open to any MG) and the Lifetime Achievement Award (open to MGs with 15 or more years of experience). Last month’s article describes how to find eligible people and view examples of past award writeups. Email me your nominations by November 1.

 

As always, I'm filled with much gratitude for all that you do in support of the Montgomery County Master Gardeners program!

 

Linda 

Little Free Seed Library Installed in Derwood

Photo: MG Dave Ottalini

By MG Dave Ottalini

The Little Free Library at the Agricultural History Farm Park - near the Derwood Demonstration Garden - now sports a Little Free Seed Library (LFSL)! Thanks to MCMG Coordinator Steve Dubik, we were finally able to get the appropriate approvals for installation from Montgomery Parks. It was installed by Dave Ottalini on September 24. 

Thanks to our Demo Garden leaders for agreeing to keep an eye on the LFSL and adding a few seed packets as necessary. If you’re going up to Derwood, take a look. The motto, modeled after that of  the Little Free Library, is "Take a Seed Packet, Share a Seed Packet." We plan to register the LFSL with the Seed Library Network (detailed in the October UME State MG Newsletter).

By the way - the Little Free Library folks sell the perfect “box” for LFSLs as well. They are built to provide dog treats, but work perfectly for seeds and are easy to install.

Kensington Volunteer Fire Department Centennial Celebration

MG Interns Janice Ruggles and Pela Soto, MG Chris Ceder

Photo: J. Pothress

By MG Intern Pela Soto

Montgomery County Master Gardeners were invited to a community event celebrating 100 years of service by the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department (KVFD) on Saturday, October 4. To fit in with the theme, KVFD asked MGs to present information on fire resistant landscaping and plants.

Several MGs jumped in and helped to create an evidence-based resource to share, but MG Intern Janice Ruggles deserves special credit. Janice created a comprehensive visual aid using published materials from several sources, including Firewise Maryland and the National Fire Protection Association. We also had examples of different types of landscaping materials and their relative fire safety, as well as examples of plants that are fire resistant (there are no fireproof plants!) and those with higher contents of oils or resins, which are recommended to be farther away from a home. Rubber mulch and pine needles have the highest combined combustible characteristics, according to a study that evaluated flame height, rate of spread, and temperature. 

In addition to Janice, MG Chris Ceder and MG Intern Pela Soto staffed the event. Johnson’s Florist and Garden Centers provided KVFD a $50 gift certificate for the MG table to give away in a raffle. Overall it was a successful event and we each learned something new about creating a more fire resistant landscape. The materials used will be stored in the Ballard Room at the Derwood Extension Office. If you think they could be useful at a future event, be sure to ask your event lead if you can include them.