Delaware County Master Gardener Association

10/07/2026

10/04/2026

🍎 Get ready to crunch, Indiana!

The Indiana Great Apple Crunch is a fun way for schools, youth organizations, community groups, businesses and families to celebrate Indiana agriculture and healthy, local foods.

Host a crunch event, incorporate an apple-themed lesson or create your own celebration featuring locally grown apples. Every participant helps recognize Indiana’s apple growers!

Register your event soon so your participation can be counted and stickers can arrive before your celebration.

Learn more, register and find activity ideas at:
https://www.ingrown4schools.com/indiana-great-apple-crunch

10/04/2026

For the third consecutive year, the Master Gardeners were proud to participate in the Muncie Public Library’s 🍂 8th Annual Scarecrow Festival! 🍂 The event brought together the community for an afternoon of creativity and fun fall activities.

The DCMGA hosted an information table alongside other community organizations, sharing gardening resources and information with visitors. Children enjoyed making pom-pom flowers, candy airplanes, and gardening-themed coloring sheets.

This year, we created our scarecrow, “Crowlene and the Coat of Many Colors,” in memory of Dolly Parton. The colorful ribbons flowing from her arms were inspired by an idea discovered online. Crowlene was dressed to impress with nearly 30 colorful ribbons, a floppy hat, oversized sunglasses, and a paper-mâché head made from a balloon. With fingers pointed and one foot kicked back, Crowlene makes it clear she means business when protecting her garden from the crows! 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛ A gentle breeze during the festival brought her colorful ribbons to life and helped her stand out from the crowd.

🏆 We are thrilled to announce that Crowlene won *First Place* in the “Organization” category! She will remain on display inside the Maring-Hunt Library throughout October. Thank you to Extension Master Gardeners Karen, Joyce, and Deanne for the creativity, hard work, and dedication in making this year’s scarecrow and booth a success.

10/03/2026

Don't forget to mosey on over to Maring-Hunt Library in a few minutes to enjoy Muncie Public Library's 8th Annual Scarecrow Festival.

10/01/2026

Botanical word of the day: "Pepo".

Pepo is a specialized type of botanical berry with a hard or tough outer rind (exocarp) and a fleshy, seeded interior. The term “pepo” is derived from the Latin word for melon (melopepo). Examples of pepos include pumpkins, gourds, cucumbers, and watermelons.

09/30/2026

The Native Plant Symposium on November 21 will be yet another excellent garden program! A great day for any native plant enthusiast, gardener, or green industry professional. Sign up now before this event sells out! https://cincinnatizoo.org/events/native-plant-symposium/ =33c1e0a2-1346-4ffd-98d5-8ba14a700000

09/30/2026

Autumn is officially here, and the trees will soon be putting on a spectacular display of color. Use this handy leaf identification guide to familiarize yourself with the many tree species you may encounter on your next walk outside this fall. ~ Image source unknown

09/27/2026

Learn what it takes to start and sustain a community garden through Purdue Extension’s Grass to Garden virtual course. The four-part virtual series begins October 7. The registration deadline is September 28th https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcvent.me%2FDAMMMg&data=05%7C02%7Cmitcheka%40purdue.edu%7Ca01cf360b48843fae82908df159379db%7C4130bd397c53419cb1e58758d6d63f21%7C1%7C0%7C639253395286530239%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=eHts4UxfyIm04SdvFQARZFfBC0QU05uiDpTsOWNYDXY%3D&reserved=0

09/24/2026

Thank you to James Keith, an ecological restorationist with Spence Restoration Nursery, for discussing native plant species with our members last evening.

Located on the south side of Muncie, Spence Restoration Nursery is a wholesale nursery that provides native seeds and plugs for ecological restoration, stormwater management, and other pollinator habitat projects. Check out their resource catalog for more information on the native seed mixes and plants they offer:https://spencenursery.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SPENCE_Catalog.pdf