Thank You!!

Last Wednesday, the 27th, your board of directors pulled me into their meeting and presented me with an envelope and two cucumbers. They all expressed how sad they were to see me go and I fumbled my response that I was equally sorry to go and that I will miss this group. I was caught off guard and couldn’t find the words to express my thanks for this last year. I got back to my desk feeling utterly inadequate with my sorry excuse for a thanks to the Board and opened the envelope. Then I saw the going away card signed by everyone and an enclosed gift for my family’s moving expenses. That brought me to tears. -THANK YOU.  

You all have been the most amazing and supportive group of people that I have ever worked with. I have enjoyed every minute, every Wednesday, every copy made, every email sent, every plant question. You all have gone through and been amazingly supportive of my big life changes this last year – starting a new job, getting married, having a baby and now leaving the best job for the big city. Your group has been one of the best perks of my job here with the AgriLife Extension in Bell County. I couldn’t of had this year work out as great as this anywhere else.  

Another perk of my experience with y’all has been the change your group has had over me – I am still in the formative period of my career path discovery and working with y’all has cemented in my mind that I want to work with volunteers and work in educational outreach in the future. I hope to be as lucky to work again with people like y’all, as passionate about the environment, about the ground, about plants and about teaching youth and others about their world around them. The BCMGA is a huge force of work here in Bell County – you touch many lives.  

Again, working with and for y’all has been the best experience. I only wish I could be more eloquent with my sincerest thanks. 

Thank you from my whole family.

Mary Pearl

Joshua 

Braden James (3yrs) 

William Cole (6mos.) 

It’s HERE!

MG Quilt

The amazingly, wonderful, beautiful T-Shirt Quilt made with Master Gardener T-Shirts from 1998! There are 12 class shirts, two Association shirts and one Conference shirt. The shirts have been collected over the last couple of years by Dirk Aaron and MaryAnn Everett. Other members have helped to contribute their old shirts for the project as well. The quilt is surrounded and backed with a wild colored wildflower border that matches the colors in the shirts perfectly.

The quilt has been donated by MaryAnn and the Bell County Extension Office to the Bell County Master Gardeners Christmas Party in December of 2010. The quilt will be put in the silent auction and auctioned off to generate funds for the BCMGA’s 2010-2011 year. Start thinking now of how much you would be willing to spend to collect this one of a kind treasure memorializing the Bell County Master Gardeners Associations last 12 years!

This beautifully crafted quilt was pieced together by Jennifer Macauley, Mary Ann Everett’s daughter. Jennifer makes T-Shirt quilts out of her house in Round Rock as a living (while staying at home with FOUR babies!). You can check out her website, Tee Squared Quilts, at http://www.t2quilts.com. The dimension of this quilt are 6′ by 6′ with 16 14″ squares.

Come by the Extension Office to view this lovely piece of artwork!

Annual Fall Plant Sale – September 25th, 2010

September 25, 2010 – Trees & Perennials

September 25, 2010 – Roses plant sale

September 25, 2010 – Vegetables & Herbs

Fall Garden Tour - September 18th, 2010

Please join us for our 2010 Fall Garden Tour. It will be held on Saturday September 18th, 2010 from 9am to 4pm. The following link has the brochure of gardens being toured and their descriptions, directions and gardening tips provided at those locations. Admission is $5.00 for adults and Kids are free.

2010_Garden_Tour_Brochure

Thank you. 

By Gy Okeson

It is common knowledge that drinking green tea bestows many health benefits on people. But, it is not generally appreciated that plants derive multiple benefits from compost tea. Compost tea is a time-honored remedy for improving plant health and vigor, speeding seed propagation, and promoting the growth of seedlings.

Compost tea offers immediately available food to the plant and provides a quick pick-me-up for plants in the house and in the garden. Greenhouse operators have long used this method to insure that their crops grow rapidly and produce the greatest profit at market.

Compost tea is simple to make, especially if you already have a compost pile at your garden. If not, you can purchase a variety of commercial composts at your local garden store that can used to make compost tea. Here are two easy ways of producing compost tea.

1. Fill a pail or other container about ¼ full of compost, then fill the container with water, Stir it several times over the next 24 to 48 hours. Before using, dilute it with water until the color is a light amber color. Pour 1 pint around each plant to speed its growth. Applications can be repeated at 10-14 day intervals as needed. 
2. Smaller volumes can be produced for feeding houseplants or small outdoor areas. Fill a small cotton or burlap bag with finished compost and place it in your watering can. Fill it with water. Agitate the solution or let it sit until the water assumes a light amber color before using it. The compost that remains in the bag can be reused until it no longer produces the amber color. When that happens, it can be mixed into the soil around your plants as mulch.

Start saving old gallon milk jugs and remember to use the tea within 48 hours. Give it a try – you’ll like it as well as your plants will!

 Have any questions about gardening in Central Texas? Contact ask.bcmga@gmail.com

By Mary Lew Quesinberry

When making your plant selections, consider adding gray plants to your landscape. Gray plants will, by their quiet demeanor, make other plants stand out; reds are redder, greens are greener when close to gray plants. Gray plants are deer resistant, drought tolerant, and are good candidates for xeriscaping. The leaves of many gray plants are soft and furry.

Gray plants that do well in Bell County are Cat Thyme, Cat Mint, Mexican Bush Sage, Lindeheimer Senna, Russian Sage, Lamb’s Ear, Texas Sage (Cenizo), Cotoneaster, Wooly Butterfly Bush, Gray Bush Germander, Eleagnus, Artemesia, Santolina, and the ground covers, Silver Pony Foot and Gregg Dalea, Lavender is also a wonderful gray, drought tolerant plant. My favorites are Spanish Lavender and Provence. Both these lavenders are cold hardy and make beautiful large shrubs.

 When planting a drought tolerant plant, ensure that it has good drainage by elevating its planting site. Soak the plant in a bucket of water for a few minutes to ensure that the root ball is moist before planting. Tease the roots and take care not to place the root ball deeper than it was in the pot. Water regularly the first year. Even drought tolerant plants must be watered the first year to get their roots established. The soil in Bell County is either rocky with thin clay soil or Backland Prairie with deep clay soil.

Decomposed granite is a good remedy to clay soil. Incorporate into the soil, one-third decomposed granite. This will keep the clay soil flexible. It will add grit to the clay and it will provide minerals that your plants will appreciate. Decomposed granite is inexpensive and can be found at your local rock yard or garden center.

Have any questions about gardening in Central Texas? Contact ask.bcmga@gmail.com

 In the photo:  This Provence Lavender has been planted here for four years.  It is a fragrant, drought tolerant plant that does well in Central Texas. It is deer resistant and if planted properly will grow into a beautiful shrub.

By Mary Lew Quesinberry

Question: I have so many pill bugs or roly-poly bugs eating everything in my garden. How do I get rid of these creatures?

 Answer: I remember when we would play with the roly-polys when we were kids, because they roll into a ball when disturbed. Now we consider them pests! Pill bugs or roly-poly bugs (Isopods) are related to lobsters, shrimp and crabs. Pill bugs are attracted to gardens with organic matter, which is the sign of a healthy garden. They are like a cleanup crew feeding mostly on decomposing organic material. In large numbers they become pests, attacking the tender growth of young plants and even coming into the home.

 Pill bugs are easily managed with a nontoxic bait product that is made with iron phosphate. Iron phosphate is an ingredient used in fertilizer. This product is advertised as slug and snail bait. Apply it in the evening around the area of infestation. After ingestion it causes the pill bugs not to eat and they die in a few days. It is safe for pets and wildlife. It will decompose harmlessly into the soil.

 Diatomaceous Earth is another solution for pill bug control. It is a powder made from fossilized sea creatures. It has microscopic sharp edges that damage the protective covering of many pests (pill bugs, flea larvae, ants, cockroaches, aphids, thrips, earwigs, silverfish and more). The exoskeleton of the creature that crawls over the diatomaceous earth becomes broken (compromised) and the pest desiccates. Sprinkle the DE powder in the areas you want protected. Wear a dust mask when applying, as with any fine powder, it can irritate mucus membranes.

Have any questions about gardening in Central Texas? Contact ask.bcmga@gmail.com

In the photo:  Garden spiders find the pill bug a yummy treat.

Homeowners consider the roly-poly pill bug a pest.  The pill bug is of the Isopod family related to crayfish.  It dines on decomposing material and sometimes on young plants. It is easily controlled with natural products.

By Marianne Miller

“Insanity.” Webster’s defines insanity as “extreme folly; senselessness, foolhardiness; a derangement of the mind.  Yes, I believe I am going insane.  This torturous itching is driving me mad.  I pray for some relief.  I swear to my higher power that, if given a respite, I will remember to wear my personal protective gear.  And to those, like me, who casually cast their protective gear aside, heed my words.  If you are going to garden, wear the appropriate personal protective gear!

The day started out like any other with allure of sunshine and warm temperatures calling me outside to play.  In my mind I had compiled a list of simple chores.   So without another thought, out I went.  My work gloves left in the drawer next to my sunglasses, my wide-brimmed hat left on the closet shelf, my long sleeved, oversized shirt left hanging in the closet, and, my pink garden clogs left on the shoe rack! And, of course, the spray on bug repellant wasn’t even thought about or even the sun block. Yes, all my protective gear was left safe and sound in the house. 

I started by pulling weeds from the flowerbeds, followed by harvesting a few vegetables, admiring a blooming mum, and wrapped things up by rinsing my hands under the outside faucet.  It was then I first noticed my hands.  Funny, those bumps were not on my finger earlier today.  But there they were and from there they spread. 

Now, indoors I stay.  An itchy, red rash covers my face, my arms, and my thighs.  A mild sunburn covers my nose and cheeks.  My big toe aches from where I dropped the rock on it.  And I swear, next time I feel the urge to garden, I will remember to wear my work gloves, my sunglasses, my wide-brimmed hat, my long-sleeved shirt, and my garden clogs. Not to mention the spray and sun block. Gardening in Texas is always a challenge, but especially in the summer, so please remember your gear or insanity may be the result!

Have any questions about gardening in Central Texas? Contact ask.bcmga@gmail.com

By David Fitch

Last week we started to talk about the Soil Food Web.  This is a complex biological ecosystem that exists in healthy soils.

More specifically, this biological diversity is beneficial in several ways.  One is by cycling nutrients from their original form into forms that can be used by the plants.  When a large variety of organisms are present, nutrients will cycle more rapidly. 

Another is the retention of nutrients within reach of the plants root system.  For example, as nitrogen is consumed by organisms it becomes less mobile and can be retained for plants’ use when most needed.  The food web also helps improve soil structure, infiltration, and water holding capacity.

 A complex soil food web contains numerous organisms that can compete with disease causing organisms.  The organisms also serve as a means to break down or degrade pollutants that can leach into the water supply. All of these actions are beneficial to your garden.

So how does one develop and promote a healthy soil food web?  You can start by adding compost generated from green materials like grass clippings.  Compost from green materials will promote the stimulation of bacterial growth.

 Next, organize your garden by using crop rotation. Crop rotation is the practice of ensuring that the same crop is not planted in the same space every year.  This will create more plant/organism interaction and increase the diversity and complexity of organisms in the soil.

One must also minimize tilling practices that tend to disrupt the structure of the soil organisms and the soil aggregates.  Also, avoid compacting the soil area closest to the plants.  Remember, as small as these little critters are, they still have to have room to move between the soil aggregates. 

And lastly, minimize the use of pesticides and herbicides.  They kill off beneficial organisms as well as the pathogenic ones. Look for alternative, organic solutions for your garden.

In conclusion, remember, feed your soil correctly and your soil will feed your plants. The proof will be in the bounty you can pick, eat, and share from your vegetable garden this season.

Have any questions about gardening in Central Texas? Contact ask.bcmga@gmail.com

Most of us have heard or read a great deal about the big three chemicals in regards to gardening.  They are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K).  They are better known as the Major elements.  Then there are the Minor elements such as Magnesium, Copper, Sulfur, Iron and several others. 

Each of these elements has a specific purpose relative to satisfying the nutritional needs of plants for healthy growth and production.  A good soil analysis will help to determine which of these elements are present and at what concentration.  All of this can become quite confusing especially when you take into account the applications rates and timing of application

Most chemicals by themselves do little to nourish your plants.  They either are out of range of the plant roots or are in a form that is not soluble for the plants.  The addition of organic nutrients such as compost, humus or mulch can also be of modest value to your plants without the help of all your little known friends living in the soil.

I am referring to the Soil Food Web.  This is a complex biological ecosystem that exists in healthy soils.  It is comprised of hundreds of millions of microorganisms, arthropods, earthworms and some mammals.  The soil food web is a community of organisms living in the soil, mostly within the top few inches.  

The food web is a food chain starting at the bottom of the chain with bacteria, then protozoa, fungi, nematodes, earthworms, mammals and birds.  Most of us have learned to be fearful of the terms bacteria, fungi and nematodes to the point of running for a can or a bag of this or that to try to eliminate them.  Well rest assured that the vast majority of these little guys are your best friends in the soil.  Though most are too small to ever see, they are present working to help you to improve your garden productivity.

I will discuss this further in Part two of this article. In the meantime do you any questions about gardening in Central Texas? Contact ask.bcmga@gmail.com