Rain on Main concluded on August 23rd with the culmination of the online auction and People’s Choice competition at the Carmel Farmers Market. Chelsea Primason won both the People’s Choice and the overall Art Competition. Second place in the People’s Choice competition was the team from Janus Developmental Services. Second and third place in the art competition were Walt Thacker and Carolyn Martens.  The Rain on Main team also recognized Linda Gilmore for her dedication to Rain on Main as our first-ever ten-year participating artist!   
 
We would also like to thank our event sponsors White’s Ace Hardware, Sherwin-Williams Automotive, Tom Wood Collision Center, and Carmel Farmers Markets for their support. 

​Barrel sponsors include:  Bazbeaux Pizza 
Calico Counseling LLC, Carmel Clay Public Library Foundation, Carmel Education Foundation, Carmel Symphony Orchestra, Chapman State Farm on Main, Club Canine, Cool Creek Family Health, Discover White River, Fancy Fortune Cookies, Financial Enhancement Group, ​Goodness Gracious Kitchen & Cupboard, ​Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District, Hotel Carmichael, Indiana Artisan Gifts & Gallery, Indiana Women's Running Festival, Jessica Irvine, Ranj Puthran Allstate Insurance Agency, Support CCS, and The Olive Mill.
 
Rain on Main is a painted rain barrel art competition and online auction held since 2015. Rain on Main is a program of the SWCD, City of Carmel, Carmel Stormwater,&  Carmel Utilities. Learn more and see the barrels at rainonmain.com

HCSWCD Wins Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence
 
We are excited to share that the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District was recently honored with the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in the Land Use/Conservation category for our work leading the Hamilton County Invasives Partnership (HIP).
 
This is the highest environmental recognition in the state, presented annually by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the Governor’s Office to celebrate innovative, collaborative, and impactful environmental efforts.
 
The award was presented on September 17th at the 28th Annual Partners for Sustainability Conference. Our own Claire Lane, Urban Conservationist and HIP Coordinator, and Hamilton County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt accepted the award on behalf of our district and partnership.
 
We’re so proud that Hamilton County’s invasive species work has been recognized at the state level—and even more grateful for the community members, partners, and volunteers who make HIP possible. This honor belongs to all of us working together to protect Hamilton County’s natural resources.
 
 
Learn more about the Hamilton County Invasives Partnership at www.hcinvasives.org.
Learn more about the Governor’s Award for Environmental excellence at www.in.gov/idem/partnerships/governors-awards-for-environmental-excellence/.

My name is Stephanie and I studied Environmental Science and Geology (basically I am a certified rock and plant nerd). I graduated in ’24 and wasn’t able to find a job in the field, but got connected with someone in the State of Indiana Cooperative Invasives Management who invited me to a volunteer event partnered with HIP. I have loved getting to know more people that share the same passion and care for the environment as me and am excited to learn more along the way. Lately I've been spending my free time on soccer and random creative projects, but my hobbies have a tendency to change like the seasons.
 
Advice for someone getting started? It’s simple, but I would say just do it. If you are wanted to get more connected with like-minded people or make a difference in your community, just go to the volunteer event (drag a friend along if you must). I understand if you feel like you don’t have the time to commit to a volunteer role or project, but anything helps. It’s ok to start small and just do what you can as you are able. At the end of the day volunteering is what you make of it and it can look different for everyone.

Favorite nature spot in Hamilton County? Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve, it’s really close to me and is where I initially got connected to HIP.
​One word that describes your volunteer work? Meaningful

​Mid-summer is when most gardeners are harvesting the fruits of their labor and enjoying fresh seasonal produce, but it is also a great time to be thinking ahead about how to care for the soil your plants depend on to thrive. Soil health experts recommend planting cover crops as a way of caring for your soil and potentially increasing the nutrient density in the food you are growing!
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What are cover crops?
Cover crops are plants, grasses, legumes, and other forbs, grown primarily to protect the soil and benefit the successful growth of future crops. Some examples of common cover crops are: crimson clover, field peas and oats, buckwheat, sorghum sudangrass, and cereal rye.

Why cover crop?
Incorporating cover crops into your garden does so much more than meets the eye. To the casual observer, cover crops are simply covering what would be bare soil, but the real magic is happening underneath the surface! Some of the benefits of planting cover crops are:

1. Maintain soil health and productivity
2. Reduce erosion
3. Weed Suppression
4. Increased biodiversity
5. Minimize soil compaction
6. Break up soil compaction
7. Maintain or increase soil organic matter
8. Improve habitat for soil organisms
9. Natural source of nitrogen to companion or subsequent crops
10. Improve habitat for pollinators, beneficial organisms, or natural enemies of crop pests

Selection
Start with species that are easy to terminate in a small garden. Winter/field peas and oats “winterkill” which means they typically die after a period of freezing temperatures or frost, leaving you with no additional chores in the garden until it is time to plant in the spring!

How much cover crop seed do you need?
Marion County SWCD has a tool to help calculate the amount of cover crop you need for your space. You can find the information by visiting Soil Health - MCSWCD and navigating to “Cover Crops”, expanding the accordion to reveal the “Indiana Cover Crop Tool” link.

Planting
Although July 15th – September 15th should be ideal for cover crops like Crimson Clover and Peas and Oats, like all gardening, the best time is dependent on the weather. If you are close to July 15th and know you are going to have consistent rain for the week following planting, by all means, plant the seeds! If we are under a heat advisory until the week after September 15th, consider waiting until the weather cools down. In all cases, try to get your cover crops planted no later than October 1st.

If you already have your garden planted, you will need to “interseed” or “intercrop” with summer or fall vegetables. After weeding, create furrows approximately ½” to 1” deep in the ground, and lightly sprinkle your cover crop seed into the furrows. Then cover the seed with soil, thereby burying the seed. The cover crops will germinate between your plants and not present any issues to growth.

If you have open spaces or you are not concerned with cover crops taking space from your vegetables, you can also broadcast the seed evenly over your garden and rake it in. You may need to lightly cover the seeds with a light straw or other covering to deter birds from eating the seeds.

Management
If the weather is hot and dry after planting in the summer or early fall, then it may be necessary to water your cover crops to ensure good germination and growth. Otherwise, cover crops will grow well without much attention to water needs.

If planted too early, oats may produce a seed before they die due to frost. In this case, it is best to cut the tops of the oats off as they are flowering, but before they produce seed. Crimson Clover, Cereal Rye, and Hairy Vetch will not flower until sometime early to mid-spring. They will need to be cut down as they are flowering, but before seeding.

If they produce seed, it is likely best to cut and remove the plant to limit weedy issues in the garden. However, some gardeners are okay with this as a cover crop in the midst of their vegetables is not inherently bad. In fact, it can be beneficial.

Termination
Not all cover crops die over the winter like peas and oats. Some varieties will require you to take an extra step to terminate. There are several ways to terminate cover crops. The best method for many gardeners is the “cut and cover” method. For the greatest soil health benefits, cover crops are terminated when they are flowering. To terminate, cut down the cover crop with shears, a hedge trimmer, mower, etc., and cover with an opaque material like black plastic to stop photosynthesis. This will also help suppress early annual weeds.
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You can find a full list of cover crop species and how to terminate them in this Natural Resources Conservation Service document.

​Did you know bees are not the only pollinators in Indiana? Approximately 200,000 invertebrate species (bees, moths, butterflies, beetles, and flies) serve as pollinators, as well as about 1,000 species of vertebrates (birds, mammals, and reptiles), according to Pollinator Partnership. The services provided by native pollinators contribute to the productivity of crops as well as to the survival and reproduction of many native plants.

​So how can you get started planting for pollinators? Create a list of your favorite pollinators and pair them with their preferred food sources. We created a short list below to help you get started!

Before you purchase any of these plants, make sure they were not sprayed by the grower or nursery with insecticides of any kind. If you don’t know, ask and follow “trust but verify” by reaching out to grower directly when possible. ​

I grew up knowing that I needed to respect and protect the land.  When I retired in 2015, I knew I wanted to do volunteer work in Westfield, but I didn’t yet know that I would become part of an amazing group of individuals laser focused on protecting the land. I didn’t realize at the time the incredible toll that invasives were taking on our natural areas.  But I could see the need for more trees as Westfield underwent explosive growth.  Many of the older trees were being wiped out by development. Thankfully, my friend, Sarah Gillim started Westfield Green Together (WGT) and I got involved with the group in 2018. Through WGT, I made the connection to Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District (HCSWCD).  It was during a meeting sponsored by HCSWCD that I first learned about the invasive issue.  I wanted to be a part of the solution and I became a founding member of the Hamilton Invasives Partnership (HIP) in 2019.  I am so thankful for the leadership at HCSWCD, my HIP family, and the partnership between WGT, HIP, and the City of Westfield.
 
Advice for someone getting started:
Get the right gear for the job.  Safety glasses. Tool belt.  Great gloves.  Farmer’s sleeves. And most importantly, bug spray for the summer.  Once you go to one weed wrangle, you’ll be hooked!  It’s a great way to meet incredible, dedicated, like minded persons like you. You always feel like you made a difference!
 
Favorite Nature Spot in Hamilton County:                       :
There are so many it’s hard to choose just one!  But I have to choose my “home park” and that is Raymond Worth.  It’s been a dream to see it transformed from an invasive species nightmare into what is now a phenomenal park.
 
One word that describes my volunteer work: 
Restoration.  I want to do my best to restore habitats in our natural areas and help others understand how they can play a part in helping create native plant-based habitats on their own properties.

-Shelly 

Phragmites australis, also known as Common Reed, is a tall, perennial grass found along the edges of lakes, ponds, ditches, wetlands, and other drainage areas. While a native subspecies exists, it’s the non-native, invasive strain of Phragmites that poses serious ecological challenges. This aggressive invader spreads rapidly forming dense patches that disrupt pond ecosystems, degrade habitat, and reduce overall pond health.

At first glance, Phragmites may appear harmless—lush, green, and even attractive—but beneath the surface, it’s one of the most ecologically damaging wetland invaders in North America. Once established, it can dominate shorelines and shallow waters, outcompeting native species and altering the function of entire aquatic systems.

To learn more about how to identify and manage Phragmites australis, please see this fact sheet from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources on Common Reed or email Jacob Luken ([email protected]) for a personalized management plan on your property. 

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​I started volunteering with HIP at the tree and shrub sale in 2023. Lots of hands are needed at this annual event. It’s a great way to meet fellow plant lovers and familiarize yourself with species native to Hamilton County.

My advice for someone getting started is: do it! HIP is a kind bunch of people always willing to listen, learn, and share experiences. Check out the events calendar on HIP’s website and find one that works for you. Definitely sign up for the mailing list and attend a monthly meeting if you can (virtual or in person, first Wednesdays 12-2pm). There are also opportunities to volunteer on your own schedule such as the mapping project and the park stewards program. Most importantly, ask questions, all sorts.

My favorite nature spot in Hamilton County (besides the jungle we call home) is Carmel Central Park. I’m very fortunate to visit this park frequently and experience the ecosystems through days, seasons, and years. It’s a nice place to be on Nature’s pace. Central Park has a wide variety of habitats and tons of species. It’s a great spot to practice plant identification and get ideas for your own landscape. You can see what does well together and what likes it where.

One word that describes my volunteer work is: community.
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Photo: Me with Ribes americanum (American black currant). I was inspired to add this plant to our yard after seeing one growing in a wet area near Carmel Creek at Central Park. Thank you to Cool Creek Park for providing such an awesome selection of species at your native plant sale this spring!

Samantha Shoaf-Miller: I grew up with my mom, stepdad, and sisters on the intercoastal waterway in Pensacola, FL. They are all (I mean ALL) lawyers in Pensacola today.  My dad is a cotton farmer in West Tennessee. Growing up I thought that the beach was something boring you do on Tuesdays after school, but over summer break you could maybe get to go ride in a combine!
  
Shawn Miller: I was born at Riverview Hospital and grew up in Arcadia.

Jessica Irvine: Carmel, Indiana​

SSM:  My work with the SWCD highlights how a 'normal' suburban household can support conservation through planting native species, removing invasives, composting, managing stormwater runoff, mulching leaves, and so much more- and we only "farm" a third of an acre in a cul-de-sac! Modern life is a high density, high tech, highly specialized world. Agriculture needs to be high density, high tech, and highly specialized to support our communities sustainably. I start with agriculture when you ask about conservation because when you think about the things humans need from the environment, calories come first. Everyone wants to have a robust economy made up of experts, so we need to also trust experts who produce calories from sunshine. If we can generate more calories more reliably from the agricultural acres, that means that we can save acres for native habitats, green spaces, parks, riparian buffers- all of the other ecosystem services we enjoy. Those ecosystems services are only possible at a large scale once we have enough food to eat. Hamilton county is growing and changing -it is a great place to raise a family in part because our community is unique in access to urban, rural, and natural areas. It will take a specific dedication to maintain that balance moving forward. 
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SM: Conservation means taking care of the land, water, soil, and environment that we have been given to ensure it is in the best condition possible for the next generation. It is easy to take the lazy way out, those that go above and beyond to protect the conservation we have been given truly stand out!
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JI: To me, conservation means equitably and responsibly sharing this incredible planet with all life on Earth, including but not limited to plants, animals, and insects. It means to minimize harmful impacts and promote habitat conservation and biodiversity. Conservation is to care for others with you in this moment of time on Earth and those who will come after you. It is everyone's responsibility individually and collectively to be good stewards of this planet. Protecting and defending all my fellow earthlings is my fiercest passion and my greatest calling.