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A History of the Sens Activity Center Bluebonnet Master Gardener Demonstration Garden
By Faye Beery, Master Gardener
Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association
Sens Garden produce
The original garden was started by then Master Gardener Judy Mead in 2001. It was a program started with the Boys and Girls club at the old Bellville High School. Due to planned construction, around 2003, the garden was moved to the jail with the help from then Sheriff Dewayne Burger, and was called the Jail Garden. Members decided that a more appropriate name would be the Chesley garden when the garden was moved from behind the jail to beside the jail on Chesley street. Ed Linseisen, Larry Miller, Harry DeFoy, and Marvin Schindler, along with other members, were instrumental in getting the garden established.
The garden remained at the Chesley street location until 2015. Many interns earned their hours there as well as learning about vegetable gardening from Master Gardeners. Vegetables were given to the food pantry; some were sold to the Farmer’s market and some brought to meetings for sale to the members. Some were given to the inmates for use in the jail kitchen. Many hours of friendship were forged working in the beds and learning from one another about vegetable gardening.
In 2015, Sheriff Brandes announced that the sheriff’s office would be constructing a new building where the garden was located and asked that the garden be moved. The board of directors at Sens Activity Center had contacted me for help with the landscaping at the Center. The Center had adequate land for a garden and access to water, which was not included in other sites that had been explored for a garden. In December of 2015, Garry Kroeger submitted a proposal to the City of Bellville to use the Sens Center land for a new Master Gardener demonstration garden. In return, the Master Gardeners would care for the flower beds around the Center. The city agreed to provide the necessary water and parking space. In 2016, Garry and a team of Master Gardeners and community help moved all the bedding materials and the shed to the Sens Activity Center.
Garden under construction
Many hours of hard work went into plowing the land and establishing the beds. The first year, deer and rabbit, and probably other small animals also found the garden rewarding. Unfortunately, some vandalism also occurred, and it was decided that a fence would be built around the garden. This provided security for the garden, and no further crops were lost to marauders. Garry Kroeger had been instrumental in finding a good site for the garden and had also done much of the work including using his own tractor to plow the land, and has spent many hours working to see that the garden is as productive as possible.
Garry’s Garden sign
The Master Gardeners decided to name it Garry’s Garden, and Elery Kimes, also a Master Gardener, made the sign to put on the fence in his honor. Pete Smith has also been instrumental in working the garden, and fortunately lives in the subdivision, giving him easy access to working there. Pete has been managing and directing efforts to pick and prepare vegetables to be sold at the Farmer’s Market on the square in Bellville.
The garden has been extremely prolific under Garry’s and Pete’s direction. It is still giving interns and Master Gardeners opportunities to work for their hours and to develop friendships and knowledge. Usually, around 5 to 7 people work the garden each Wednesday starting around 7:00 to 8:00 am. In 2018, 1,208 lbs. of vegetables were harvested from the garden. Some were sold, some were given to the food pantry, some were taken to meetings, some were taken home by those who worked there. In 2019, 1,505 lbs. were harvested from the garden. Vegetables included beans, peas, corn, blackberries onions, chard, cucumbers, okra, eggplant, cabbage, turnups, carrots, broccoli, squash, potatoes, peppers, bell and jalapenos, cantaloupes and some herbs.
Volunteers weighting produce
Pete Smith working in the okra
Next year will be the 20th anniversary of the garden. Hopefully, we can have some sort of a celebration and educational activity to let everyone know about the history and successes of the garden. Everyone is welcome to come and work with us in showing what can be done to raise your own produce and lessening dependence on outside sources. Not only does local produce taste better and is better for you, but it reduces transportation costs and reduces waste.
Hope to see you there!
Ed Eargle, a Master Gardener in La Grange, Texas, is known in the local Master Gardener community for his Square-Foot Garden. Ed presented on the topic of Square Foot Gardening at the October 2019 General Meeting of the Bluebonnet Master Gardeners Association in Brenham. Ed follows the method developed by Mel Bartholomew and made popular through Bartholomew’s book All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space first published in 1981. This technique reduces the amount of digging required to plant the garden and minimized wasting seed. Plus, more can be grown in less space.
The general concept is to create a garden laid out in a grid with the dimensions of each grid space one square foot. Only a certain number of plants are planted in a one square-foot area. The number of plants per one square-foot depends on the plant and its size.
Ed uses a raised bed Square Foot Garden, primarily to grow lettuces because he said “I do not like the stuff in the store.” He explained how to build a 4’x4’ raised bed box with 16 one-foot grid boxes inside.
For the growing material Ed follows Bartholomew’s recommendations and mixes up a batch of “Mel’s Mix”. Mel’s Mix is fertile, has low compaction and few weeds. There are few weeds because no soil or “dirt” is used.
Ed Eargle & his Square-Foot Garden 4’x4′ Grid
The recipe for Mel’s Mix is:
1/3 Course Vermiculite
1/3 Blended Compost (from many different sources)
1/3 Peet Moss
Ed cautioned to be aware of the compost sources used and not to use hay or straw in the garden unless you know for sure that chemicals that may harm your garden were not used on that hay or straw. This is good advice regardless of the gardening method.
Once the garden is prepared and ready for planting, its time to understanding plant spacing. Ed explanted that in the Square-Foot Garden, spacing is 1, 4, 9 or 16 plants per square foot. Larger plants, like tomato, broccoli, cabbage or peppers, are planted one plant to single square foot in the grid. Small plants, like carrot, radish & onion, are planted 16 plants to a square foot in the grid. The Square Foot Gardening method properly spaces plants at the time of planting so there is no need to “thin” the seedlings later. This saves seed, time and work.
Here is Mel’s recommendation on spacing per square foot:
| 1 Plant/Sq-Ft | 4 Plants/Sq-Ft | 9 Plants/Sq-Ft | 16 Plants/Sq-Ft |
| Broccoli | Leaf Lettuce | Bush Beans | Carrot |
| Cabbage | Swiss Chard | Spinach | Radish |
| Pepper | Marigold | Beet | Onion |
To grow plants vertically in the Square-Foot Garden, Ed attachs a trellis for plants like tomato and cucumber. He said to put trellised plants on the north side of the box so as to prevent too much shading of the other boxes in the grid with smaller plants.
Ed Eargle is a retired history teacher. He earned his Master Gardener certification in 2002 and is a fequent speaker at garden club meetings and other events on the topic of Square Foot Gardening. To learn more about Square Foot Gardening, visit Mel Bartholomew’s website.
Earth-Kind® On-Line Master Gardener Training videos are made available by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. These videos are available to the public to learn more about Earth-Kind® gardening practices. This program is designed to provide information on a variety of environmentally friendly (Earth-Kind®) practices for use in the home landscape and garden. As your interest and knowledge in this area grows you will have an increased awareness of the many programs, practices and activities that are Earth-Kind®.
All Texas Master Gardeners must recertify each year to remain in the Texas Master Gardener program. In addition to the annual volunteer hour requirements, recertification requires Texas Master Gardeners to complete continuing education hours on topics of horticulture and gardening practices. This continuing education helps Texas Master Gardeners sharpen their gardening skills and learn new fact-based and scientifically sound practices supported by Texas A&M AgriLife.
Texas Master Gardeners may select from any of these on-line modules to obtain up to 3 hours of re-certification education credits in a calendar year. Each module is worth 1 hour of credit. Progress through the training program is tracked “on-line” and the results for each completed module are automatically forwarded to the Texas Master Gardener’s county Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Master Gardener Coordinator.
Participation in the Earth-Kind® On-Line Master Gardener Training will assist Texas AgriLife Extension Service to promote principles and practices that help conserve and protect our state’s valuable natural resources. Working together we can create a healthy and sustainable environment.
To go to the online modules, click the link below and following the instructions.
Link to: Earth-Kind® On-Line Master Gardener Training videos
Available videos are:
2020 Junior Master Gardener National Leader Training Announced
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service announced registration for the 2020 Junior Master Gardener National Leader Training has officially begun! Excitingly, JMG is celebrating its 20th Anniversary and the 2020 conference will not disappoint! County Extension Agents, Assistant Agents, Master Gardeners/Master Volunteers, Health Specialists, School Educators/Administrators and community volunteers whom work closely with local Extension offices are encouraged to visit the AgriLife Conference Services website at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/JMG to register, as soon as possible. Don’t miss out on this fun, engaging and valuable training opportunity!
Additionally, to learn more about the Junior Master Gardener program, access the specific details for this training, (including the conference host site/overnight accommodations) and select the registration button which leads individuals to the AgriLife Conference Services registration page referenced above, please visit the JMG website at http://jmgkids.us/2020jmgnlt/
The JMG program looks forward to working with a great group of conference attendees representing districts and regions throughout Texas this February 24-26, 2020 in College Station, Texas on the campus of Texas A&M University!
The coneflower oddities pictured came from Sens Center Vegetable Demonstration Garden that the Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association manages in Bellville, Texas in June 2019. Our research shows that these plants are infected with Aster Yellows disease caused by phytoplasma. However interesting the effect, Aster Yellows is a serious garden disease impacting more than 300 plants species in 38 plant families.
The Texas Plant Disease Handbook lists the following as the most important impacted plants of Aster Yellows disease:
Crops: broccoli, buckwheat, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, endive, flax, lettuce, onion, parsley, potato, parsnip, pumpkin, red clover, salsify, spinach, strawberry and tomato.
Flowers: aster, anemone, calendula, Centaurea, China aster, chrysanthemum, Clarkia, cockscomb, Coreopsis, cosmos, delphinium, daisies, Gaillardia, hydrangea, marigold, Nemesia, Paris daisy, periwinkle, petunia, phylox, Scabiosa, snapdragon, statice, strawflower, veronica, and zinnia.
Weeds: cinquefoil, daisy fleabane, dandelion, horseweed, plantain, ragweed, thistle, wild carrot, and wild lettuce.
Yellows diseases are caused by phytoplasma. All known forms of these small, specialized bacteria cause plant disease. Phytoplasmas are naturally spread from plant to plant by sucking insects, particularly leafhoppers. The insects pick-up phytoplasma during their feeding on infected host plants, then spread the disease when they move to feed on other plants. The phytoplasma can overwinter in leafhoppers and on perennial host plants and will re-emerge in the Spring.
Phytoplasmas commonly cause distorted, dwarfed, and yellowish leaves and shoots often referred to as “yellows”. Other symptoms include abnormal flower and leaf development, shortened internodes, and shoot proliferation (known as “witches’ broom”). The flowers of infected plants sometimes develop green, leaflike structures as seen the coneflower photo from the Sens Center Demonstration Garden.
Aster Yellows wreaks havoc on all parts of the plant. There are no chemical or organic treatments known to cure, suppress or kill the disease so once plants become infected, they remain infected and are a host plant for further infection throught the garden. Failing to destroy the infected plant means it survives as a constant source of phytoplasma to be spread to other plants. Garden sanitation is key to managing the disease. Once the disease is discovered, all parts of the plant including the root system must be removed and destroyed. Although heat may kill the pathogen, it is best not compost diseased plants. As with all phytoplasmas, the Aster Yellows pathogen cannot survive outside of the plant so the bacteria will not remain in the soil.
An integrated pest and disease management approach including destroying infected plants immediately upon discovery of the disease, maintaining proper garden sanitation practices and attempts to control the leafhoppers is recommended. If you believe you have plants of any kind infected with Aster Yellows or a similar disease, contact the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab for information about diagnostic testing and recommendations for minimizing the spread of disease in your garden.
Web sources used for this post include: Texas Plant Disease Handbook, Texas Plant Disease Diagnosic Lab, Missouri Botanical Gardens, Ohio State Cornflower Clean-up, Wisconsin Horticulture Division of the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Ms. Haley Guerrero was awarded the Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association 2019 4-H Scholarship for Austin County, Texas on August 17, 2019. Ms. Guerrero graduated with a class rank in the top half from Bellville High School. She plans to attend Blinn College and then transfer to Sam Houston State University to study Agriculture Business. She stated:
“I am looking forward to earning a degree in Ag Business and obtain a career in an agriculture-based company. I have not decided on any particular field or career at the moment however I am looking forward to giving back my community giving back to the programs that have supported me over the years. A friend used to say if you enjoy what you do you will never work a day in your life, this would be the best career.”
Ms. Guerrero says her mother instilled in her how important it is to receive a degree. She learned first-hand how hard it was for her mother to raise two kids while working full time, maintaining extra jobs and going to school. Ms. Guerrero overcame personal challenges and used techniques and study habits to excel in Advance Placement classes and dual credit classes.
Pete Berckenhoff of the Austin County branch of the Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association presented the $1000 scholarship certificate to Ms. Guerrero.
Christy Schweikhardt, Taylor Klatte & Allen Prescott
Ms. Taylor Klatte was awarded the Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association 2019 4-H Scholarship for Washington County, Texas on August 2, 2019. Ms. Klatte’s class rank was 36 out of 359 graduating seniors from Brenham High School. She plans to attend Texas A&M University to study Political Science with a minor in Animal Science then go to law school to study Agricultural Law. She stated:
Ag-law has become a passion of mine this past year when I completed
the Advocacy Academy through the Texas 4-H Livestock Ambassador
program. I realized how much representation the agricultural community needs, especially everyday farmers and ranchers who need a positive
voice. I want to become that positive voice to help the agricultural
community in the future . . . I attribute the development of my leadership
skills to my involvement in 4-H. This transformed me from a girl in the
back of the room to a confident young woman who is not afraid to lead a meeting, voice her opinion, or work with others to achieve a common goal.
Allen Prescott and Christy Schweikhardt of the Washington County branch of the Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association presented the $1000 scholarship certificate to Ms. Klatte at the 2019 Washington County 4-H Family Night & Awards Banquet in Brenham, Texas. Mr. Prescott told that banquet crowd of 4-H participants, their families, Washington County government officials and others how difficult it was for the scholarship committee to narrow the list of six candidates down to just one. Mr. Prescott said “all six deserve a scholarshp but we just have one available to award.” Ms. Schweikahrdt later said:
All six candidates are impressive young men and women who possess
the skills and building-blocks to grow into our leaders of tomorrow.
The Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association is proud that our volunteer organization can support the Washington County 4-H program with this scholarship.
Ms. Klatte certainly is no longer the girl in the back of the room. Expect to see her standing confidently in the front, and in charge, as a future leader in our community and beyond.
Yellow butterfly vine, also known as yellow orchid vine, a perennial, twining evergreen vine, has been named a Texas Superstar selection for its low maintenance requirements and beauty.
Texas Superstar® is a registered trademark owned by Texas A&M AgriLife Research, a state agency that is part of the Texas A&M University System. Plants are designated Texas Superstars by the Texas Superstar executive board, made up of nine horticulturalists from AgriLife Research, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas Tech University.
To be designated a Texas Superstar, a plant must not only be beautiful but perform well for consumers and growers throughout the state. Texas Superstars must be easy to propagate, which should ensure the plants are not only widely available but also reasonably priced, said David Rodriguez, AgriLife Extension horticulturist, Bexar County.
Rodriguez said the clusters of dainty flowers on butterfly vine are a brilliant yellow in the summer sun. But it’s the seed pods that give the plant its most common name.
by Faye Beery, Bluebonnet Master Gardener Assocation
Broccoli in front of tomatoes
Let’s face it, fresh vegetables just taste better. As more articles appear about the need for a slimmer and healthier America, more people are paying attention to eating fresh fruits and vegetables and wondering how they can improve on what they consume. According to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension publication, The Vegetable Growers Handbook, web edition, complied and edited by J. G. Masabni, F. J. Dainello & S. D. Cotner (aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu), in the past, Texas ranked third in vegetable production behind California and Florida, however, Texas produce acreage has declined to sixth place due to problems with plant diseases, droughts, and insects and competition with growers from Mexico. Texans are showing a renewed interest in home gardening as one in every three families does some sort of gardening. Texas gardeners enjoy a year around growing season according Texas A&M AgriLife’s Texas Home Vegetable Gardening Guide, EHT-0077 6/14.
Home-Grown Vegetables are More Nutritious
Selling produce from BMGA’s Sens Center Garden
A concern is the increasing loss of nutrients in mass produced fruit and vegetables. Most produce, with the exception of the tomato and pumpkin, can lose much of their nutritional value in the large market growing, transport and canning process. Donald Davis, PhD, while a researcher with the Biochemical Institute at the University. of Texas, Austin, led a team which analyzed the nutritional value of 43 fruits and vegetables from 1950 to 1999. He found that foods had a reduction in minerals, vitamins and proteins in 1999 than in 1950. An example is broccoli, which had 130 mg of calcium in 1950, but only 48 mg of calcium in 1999. One possible explanation is that commercial growers select varieties for yield, growth rate, pest resistance and other attributes but are seldom selected for nutrient content. See Changes in USDA Food Composition Data for 43 Garden Crops, 1950 to 1999; Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol 23, No 6, 669-682 (2004). Dr. Davis further explained that intensive agricultural practices reduced the amount of nutrients in the soil which fruits and vegetables need to grow.
Spinach in a container garden
Fruits and vegetables destined to be shipped are picked before they are ripe, depriving the vegetable or fruit of reaching maturity and their full nutritive value. Buying local produce, or growing it yourself, allows the produce you eat to be grown for flavor and healthfulness rather than to remain sturdy for transport over long distances. Foods continue to breathe, or respirate, after they are picked. This also leads to flavor and nutritional loss as well as moisture loss. Eating and preserving fresh foods helps you get more nutritional value from those foods. By growing your own fresh foods, you can add compost to ensure that your soil is healthy and provide plants with adequate nutrition. You decide on your own gardening philosophy as whether to use commercial feritizer and other commercial products, whether to grow strictly with organic methods or to use a yoru own combination of methods. Whatever your philosophy, you know exactly what has gone into growing your food, and what has not.
How you cook your vegetables plays a part in the nutrients as well. Steamed vegetables are generally thought to be more nutritious than boiled ones, as the gentle heat softens cells making nutrients more available according to Sarah Burns in Prevention magazine. She also recommends pairing your vegetables. Food compounds can affect how we absorb their nutrients. According to Steve Schwartz, PhD, a professor of food science at Ohio State University, a 2004 study of salsa and avocado found that these two foods up the body’s absorption of the tomato’s cancer fighting lycopene.
Gardening for Therapeutic Benefits
A search of gardening websites reveals a plethora of types of gardens, from square foot gardens to container gardens and large square gardens for large landowners. Gardening also has therapeutic benefits, and according to the American Horticultural Therapy Association. Therapeutic benefits have been understood since ancient times. In the 19th century, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and considered the father of American psychiatry, reported that garden settings held curative effects for people with mental illness. The American Horticultural Therapy Association website gives techniques of therapeutic treatment benefits for a wide range of individuals with physical and mental disabilities. In today’s hectic world, gardening contributes to a slow down and stress reduction as well as being fun and producing healthy, delicious vegetables and fruits. Looking forward to fresh produce for the table is exciting, and introducing children to gardening and eating vegetables they grow can encourage better health habits.
How to Begin Raising Vegetables
So just how does one go about raising vegetables? A good first start is to think about what you like to eat. It would be a good idea to start small, and increase the number of vegetables as one becomes more proficient in gardening to be sure that you have the time and physical ability to work in the garden. Seed packets are available in many places these days, even in the grocery store. Nurseries and hardware stores have seed packets, as well as small vegetables ready to transplant in your garden. If you are starting with container gardening, you can grow most anything except maybe corn. Your garden should have good soil, and a soil test can kit can be obtained from your local county extension office.
Compost will probably be needed for the soil to provide nutrients and aeration. The garden should have a source of water, as rainfall is unpredictable. Basic tools, such as a hoe, shovel, rake, spade forks, and probably a tiller will be necessary to work the soil for larger gardens in order to keep the weeds out. Soil preparation is a must. If your garden is small, vertical gardening, with supports for climbing plants, such as beans or cucumbers is a good way to save space. You should also decide whether you will have a spring garden or a fall garden, and will need to know which vegetables are cool weather vegetables (such as lettuce and spinach) or hot weather plants such as corn or cucumbers and tomatoes.
Get gardening help from Master Gardeners and AgriLife Extension. As an example, most insects are not harmful to gardens, and it is important to know who the good guys are and how they can help you in the garden. If you have a problem, or a question, get help! The Master Gardener Program has knowledgeable people who can help with questions about your garden. There are websites and books that can help also. Your County Extension office has brochures and programs that can help with gardening questions and problems and they may refer to you to a local Master Gardener in your county. The Aggie website contains much information. A good place to start is the Easy Gardening Series published online by Aggie Horticulture. The Horticulture Committee of Austin County, Texas sponsors two seminars, spring and late summer/early fall, on vegetable gardening and other related topics. The next one is August 23, 2019 at the Liedertafel Hall in Sealy, Texas. Visit the BMGA Calendar for more details on that seminar.
BMGA President Keith McGraw presents certficiate to Paul McClenndon.
Master Gardener Paul McClendon was presented his certification in Rainwater Harvesting from the Texas Master Gardner Association at the Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association’s monthly meeting May 28, 2019 in Bellville, Texas. After attening the Rainwater Harvesting training class, Paul volunteered 20 hours to assist AgriLife Extension Service increase citizens’ awareness of rainwater harvesting. These 20 hours of volunteer service were on top of the annual 20 hours of volunteer time all Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association members are required to perform each year. Paul is a member of the Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association serving Austin, Colorado, Fayette & Washington Counties, Texas.
Other BMGA members with Rainwater Harvesting Advanced Training certification include B.R. Koehler and Charlene Koehler, both of Sealy, Texas.
See a complete list of BMGA members with Advanced Training certifications.
Other topics in which Master Gardeners in Texas may gain advanced training certification are:
Master Gardener Malcolm Harding and his Dutch Flat cabbage.
Local Master Gardeners Malcolm Harding and Susan Yancey donated to the Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association cabbages they grew and harvested from their gardens in Washington and Austin Counties, respectively. The cabbages, all the Dutch Flat variety and planted in the Fall of 2018, were given away as door prizes at the Washington County Lunch-N-Learn program on Tuesday, February 6, 2019 in Brenham. The Lunch-N-Learn programs are open to the public. Dr. Kevin Crosby of Texas A&M was the featured speaker about growing tomatoes in our area. A lunch time crowd of 60+ attended the session. After each Lunch-N-Learn program in Brenham, Texas A&M AgriLife Agricultural Extension Agent Kara Matheney conducts a drawing for horticultural related door prizes.
Master Gardener Susan Yancey and her Dutch Flat cabbage.
BMGA members interested in bees and pollinators can assist in a project with the ultimate goal of creating a field-tested list of the best Texas and Oklahoma landscape plants for pollinators. This is an opportunity for Master Gardeners to use their knowledge and skills in the garden to participate in a real citizen-data collection project to provide important data to scientists and researchers hoping to reduce the decline of pollinators in Texas and Oklahoma.
Michael Merchant, Ph.D, BCE, Professor and Extension Urban Entomologist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, asks Texas and Oklahoma Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists for feedback about the top plants for pollinators in their gardens. In addition, he wants to assess who is interested in participating in a pollinator count this summer. Exact details about the planned count will be provided later. But now, to get started, Master Gardeners may complete a survey indicating their interest in participating in a pollinator count and identifying top plants in their garden that attract pollinators.
Some of you may be familiar with Dr. Merchant and his AgriLife Extension Insects in the City blog or as a trainer in the Master Gardener program on the topic of entomology. Dr. Merchant says he knows there is a lot of collective wisdom of out there among gardeners and naturalist on what plants serve as highly attractive nectar sources for pollinators. If the project team can get a good response from Master Gardeners and others to this survey, it should give the project a good starting list of potential pollinator plants to study this summer.
Below is a link to a Qualtrix survey for Master Gardeners with an interest in bees and pollinators. If you are interested in assisting with this project, please complete the survey.
The Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association has a long standing interest in educating the public about and creating pollinator-friendly landscapes. The Sheridan 4H Youth Butterfly Garden in Colorado County, Texas is an example of a pollinator friendly garden. In addition, through our Kids’ Kamp summer program, Lunch-N-Learn series and other programs, we include education about the importance of pollinators to our nation’s food production and agriculture. BMGA can continue its dedication to increase awarness of the importance of pollinators and in helping to increase pollinator-friendly landscapes in our area with a strong participate in this project from its members.
Bluebonnet Master Gardeners Renee’ Kofman, Mikie Ehret, Jeri Berckenhoff, Pete Berckenhoff and Diva Garza Houlette, in a joint effort with Boy Scout Troup 548 headed by Clayton Ribardo, restored the Prayer Garden at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church (ICC) in Sealy. BMGA contributed funds for the new annual plants and shrubs and BMGA directed the project, including planting all the plants. An irrigation system was installed by Logiscapes, LLC. Seventeen-year-old Scout Clayton Ribardo jumped at the opportunity to lead the Scouts in this project and thus worked to earn his Eagle Scout Badge. Clayton, along with the eight other Scouts, raised funds for the materials, worked on replacing the old walkway of the garden with crushed granite, added new borders, new soil, mulch and sod in the garden. BMGA Project Leader Renee Kofman said “The BMGA Master Gardener’s thoroughly enjoyed working with the Scouts on this project. It was a lot of hard work for everyone and a labor of love, all for the glory of God.” The Prayer Garden is located at 500 4th Street in Sealy and is open to the public for prayer and meditation
As a four-county Texas Master Gardener Chapter, BMGA is lucky to benefit from not one, but four Texas A&M AgriLife Agricultural Extension Agent advisers, one from each BMGA county. That means BMGA can tap into the knowledge, training, experience, passion of all four professionals.
Scott Willey is the County Agricultural Extension Agent for Fayette County, Texas and one of BMGA’s County Agent Advisors. Scott was born and raised in La Vernia, Texas (Wilson County) on a small family farm. La Vernia is just east of San Antonio, Texas. The Willey farm consisted of three enterprises: a small herd of registered cattle, a 1500-tree commercial pecan grove, and 500 peach trees for a “pick your own” operation. During the summers when in elementary school, Scott and his brother would help their grandma pick and sell peaches.
Since 1992, the Willey family has been very active showing cattle, heifers and steers, all over the state. During the same time, they have been active members of the Texas Junior Simmental/Simbrah Association (TJSSA) where Scott currently serves as a youth advisor. TJSSA is a youth organization designed to teach young cattle breeders about the beef cattle industry through educational contests. Because of this organization the Willey family had an opportunity to show cattle all over the nation.
Upon graduating from high school in 2002, he attended Palo Alto Community College in San Antonio for two years. Scott than transferred to Texas A&M University-Kingsville, where he was a member of the livestock judging team and Alpha Tau Alpha. He graduated Cum Laude with a B.S. degree in Agribusiness and minors in Animal Science and Business Administration in 2007. After graduation he accepted a position with Circle M Farms in Milford, Utah; a 60,000 head farrow to finish sow farm.
In April 2008 Scott started with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service where he Frist Stepped for a month with Philip Shackelford at the Austin County Extension Office. On May 12, 2008 Scott officially became the Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent in Fayette County. In 2012 he finished his M.S. degree in Agriculture Science from Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Scott appreciates working with both adults and youth of Fayette County and helping them solve problems and improve management practices that impact their lives. In 4-H, Scott enjoys the opportunity to work with the youth livestock component, because of his background in 4-H/FFA. His primary focus is the heifer and steer, broilers, commercial heifers, swine. Scott is also the livestock judging coach in Fayette County, and helps several judging teams with oral reasons.
From an adult programing effort, the diversity is what makes his job both interesting and challenging. A few of the primary issues are new landowner education, beef cattle production, and home horticulture. Because of Scott’s early years and some opportunities, he has enjoyed his work establishing (with the help of several people) the fruit tree demonstration at Winedale.
Scott also serves on the board for the Fayette County Fair and enjoys hunting and fishing when time allows.
Within BMGA, Scott is known as a valuable resource for questions about fruit trees and pecans as well as for his organization management experience. Scott recently commented that due to his experience growing and especially eating fresh peaches, he can tell if a dish was made with canned verses fresh peaches just by taste. I for one, believe him!
BMGA members Faye Beery and Carolyn Woodruff completed the two-day First Detector Training June 11-12, 2018 in Angleton. The Master Gardener Specialist First Detector-Plant Disease training course introduces participants to the National Plant Diagnostic Network’s effort to protect US agriculture and plants through awareness information of invasive, non-native pests and pathogens. Trainees learn basic plant disease diagnostic skills and symptom documentation skills. The ultimate goal of the training is to provide these trainees, all of whom are already certified Texas Master Gardeners, with expertise to assist Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service with early detection of invasive and exotic pathogens & pests. This year’s class was sponsored by the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, the Brazoria County Master Gardener Association and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service of Brazoria County.
While the classroom part of their training is complete, to obtain the First Detector Specialist designation recognized by the Texas Master Gardener Association, Ms. Beery and Ms. Woodruff must complete 20 hours of field work assessing citrus and palm plants for pathogens. If you have citrus or palm in your gardens, be sure to contact Ms. Berry or Ms. Woodruff to conduct an assessment of your plants for invasive, non-native pests and pathogens. Their completed assessments and information forms will be submitted to the Plant Disease Clinic for Dr. Kevin Ong’s approval. Additionally, Ms. Beery and Ms. Woodruff are equipment with photos and other information to use educating the public through presentations to interested groups, clubs and societies.
Harold Pieratt (BMGA President), Cathi Pendergrast, Garry Kroeger
Annually, the Bellville Town and Country Garden Club awards a person or place in Bellville in honor of Arbor Day. The first Friday in November in Texas is the state’s Arbor Day. National Arbor Day is the last Friday in April. This April the garden club purchased a Meyer lemon tree from the BMGA Plant Sale held in Sealy and chose BMGA member Garry Kroeger as their Arbor Day Award recipient. Garden club and BMGA member Cathi Pendergraft presented Garry with the tree at BMGA’s May 29, 2018 monthly meeting in Sealy.
Mr. Kroeger is the project leader for BMGA’s thriving Sens Center Vegetable Demonstration Garden, with the help of BMGA member Pete Smith and a team of other BMGA volunteers. The garden is located behind the Sens Community Center in Bellville and is used for educational purposes including at the 2017 BMGA Kids Kamp last summer. The garden provides produce to local non-profits, Austin County residents in need and Mr. Kroeger and his dedicated team of Master Gardener volunteers sell excess produce at the Farmer’s Market in Bellville. As Ms. Pendergraft says, “He has done this for years so who better to award it to?”
BMGA is very proud of Garry Kroeger, an Austin County resident who supports the efforts of BMGA’s four-county community (Austin, Colorado, Fayette and Washington) to increase the knowledge of gardening to the general public.
This Spring, BMGA volunteers assisted Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service teaching high school students about vegetable gardening through the Growing and Nourishing Healthy Communities Garden Course, which is funded, in part, by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The program helps increase the availability of fresh produce through teaching participants how to grow fruits and vegetables in community and backyard gardens. The program is featured through the Better Living for Texans program by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and is currently offered across the State of Texas.
The culinary garden at Sealy High School was funded by the generosity of BMGA Member Renee Kofman and the Better Living for Texans program. Ms. Kofman coordinated the Master Gardener volunteer instructors for various gardening topics:
•Pete Berkenhoff and Renee Kofman – site selection and building the beds;
•Christy Schweikhardt and Renee Kofman- soil and mulch.
•Charlene Koehler and Renee Kofman – garden maintenance, drip irrigation installation, plant diseases and insects
The program goals are to teach the participants to:
After teaching the soils and mulch portion of the class, where she encouraged the students to use their hands to study the soil material, Master Gardener Christy Schweikhardt said, “in this age of keeping hand-gel-at-the-ready, kids seem reluctant to get their hands in the dirt. Besides a necessity for growing vegetables, getting a little dirty helps connect the students in a positive way to where their food comes from – the soil.”
Michelle Allen, Austin County Extension Agent-Family and Community Health, was asked last year by Angela Gutowsky, the Culinary Arts teacher at Sealy High School, about implementing a program with Sealy High School’s culinary students. “We didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to work with the students in order to increase their level of knowledge and skills in the area of gardening” said Ms. Allen. She recruited Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association members to provide gardening instructors “because of their expertise and knowledge in the area of gardening. It was a no brainer for me,” said Ms. Allen.
Ms. A
llen summed-up the Sealy project saying, “This program was a wonderful way to get the youth of our community engaged with the idea of gardening. It was also enlightening to see them actually take ownership of the project. It was a win/win moment for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association. This is education at its best!!”
As a four-county Texas Master Gardener Chapter, BMGA is lucky to benefit from not one, but four Texas A&M AgriLife Agricultural Extension Agent advisers, one from each BMGA county. That means BMGA can tap into the knowledge, training, experience, passion of all four professionals. One of those agents is Stephen Janak, the Texas A&M AgriLife Agricultural Extension Agent for Colorado County.
Stephen Janak (pronounced “Yahn-ahk” but he will answer to anything close), grew-up in Victoria County, Texas on the family’s 22 acres where he gardened with his family. He participated in 4-H and was steeped in the importance of agriculture and horticultural at a young age, assisting his Extension Agent father in establishing, harvesting, and evaluating research test plots and result demonstrations, gardening, raising hay and many other agricultural projects.
Today, Mr. Janak works with the local 4-H youth program and emphasizes the importance using fact-based knowledge in agricultural and horticultural practices. He has trained youth in plant identification and is also skilled in agricultural pest identification, while still studying to hone his skills. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 2013 with a degree is Renewable Natural Resources. He studied under Dr. Barron Rector at Texas A&M and joined ArgiLife in 2014. Mr. Janak says his current read is Bill Adams’ The Texas Tomato Lover’s Handbook and he encourages everyone to read Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac, which is Mr. Janak’s “favorite book of all time”.
Mr. Janak is a BMGA Fruit Tree Sale customer. Today he has eight peach trees planted at his 1.5-acre place. He also grows pear, pineapple guava, plum, Victoria Red grapes, Owari satsum, figs, avocado, peach-plum nectarine and pecan. The pecan tree was grafted from a native tree on his grandparent’s home place. He also has a vegetable garden at home which taught him first hand the difference between gardening in the black land of Victoria County verses the sandy soil in Colorado County. Perhaps we will elaborate on that in a later post.
An attempt to summarize the experiences that inspire him today would not give the same rich flavor to the story as told by Mr. Janak so below are his own words:
“From as early as I can remember, my family always had a big garden. I have two older brothers, 5 and 6 years older than me. Our parents made us work in the garden (really, our parents made us help with everything, chores, yard work, farming, etc.). We grew between 100 and 250 tomatoes every year. They were mostly the large, slicing type. But we also grew some cherries (tomatoes; regular sweet cherries do not grow here), and some of the different things like yellow pear tomatoes as well as heirlooms. We also grew: squash, zucchini, acorn squash, cucumbers (pickling and slicing), purple hull peas, black-eyed peas, green beans, snap peas, peppers (mostly jalapeno and bells), eggplant, potato, sweet corn, okra, radishes, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, swiss chard, mustards, cantaloupe, carrots, kohlrabi, spinach, watermelon, blackberries, wine grapes, peaches, plums, persimmons, satsumas, and pecans. There may be some other things I can’t remember.
Eventually my brothers got into Jr. High and high school and they started doing other 4-H projects like livestock, and so they no longer sold at the market or helped pick veggies. There were some Saturday’s where my parents were too busy to stay at the market with me. So they’d drop me off at 7 a.m. with my veggies and a table, then come pick me up at 4:30. We were good friends with one of the vendors, and I suppose they “watched over me.” But I would stand there in the blazing sun, trying to look happy. I can’t count how many times my dad would tell me “you need to smile!”, “people are more likely to buy from you if you are smiling and welcoming.” Darn if he wasn’t right. I didn’t enjoy selling veggies or talking to customers. I was a very shy as a kid. I was not a good salesman. Thinking back, those first few years on my own, it was probably the 4-H sign and the sight of a young kid that sold my veggies; not my customer service or quality produce.
When my brothers got a little older and I was maybe 11 or 12, we bought a green patio-type umbrella. It was a big deal for us. It was maybe 10 feet wide when fully expanded. It was expensive for us back then, so I can remember to this day, my dad stressing to me how important it would be to take care of this umbrella. I spent many hours standing on the metal umbrella stand, trying to hold it down with my 90 pounds in the south Texas winds. But we finally had shade. But Dad was all about the customer service, so the umbrella was positioned near the front of the booth to offer shade to customers. Every time we would pack up to go home after selling, we wrapped the umbrella in the original plastic wrap that it came in and put it back in the box that it came in. Dad still has that umbrella today, and it’s in good shape still.
When we got the umbrella, we started to expand. I would have three tables to sell from. It didn’t shade all three tables, but it was better than nothing. We got better at selling, too. We learned to package things differently and to make the tables more appealing with stacks, layers, and little ready-to-go mixes of veggies. The best part of the day, though, was getting home, sitting in the air conditioning, and counting my money. Eventually I was old enough to drive, and so I would take Dad’s old 78 ford to the market. It was rusty and beat-up but having the bed full of veggies in addition to my tables was a good draw. By the time I was 17, I had earned enough money from Farmers Market sales and a few 4-H livestock projects that I purchased my first truck for just less than 10k with my own CASH.
But I hated gardening until that time. I despised the taste of tomatoes until I was about 15. I’m not sure what changed, but soon I was eating enough ‘maters in the garden while picking that I started to give myself upset stomach. I can distinctly remember the Juliet cherry tomato. Skin was a little thick, but I hadn’t tasted a better tomato at the time. Unfortunately, during those years, I also wasn’t a big fan of my dad. Not sure why. Just being a brat I suppose, because he was so good to us. We got the belt sometimes (many times in the garden) but he did everything for us and nothing for himself. So, I never really had a desire to learn gardening or anything from him. Boy, if I could go back in time . . . Any expertise or skill I have now is not because I actually intentionally learned anything from him while gardening, so I rely on my memory to remember what he would do in the garden. Today, I can call up those memories and can figure out what we were doing and why. But at the time, I had no clue and I didn’t care. About the only garden pest I knew or cared about was the big tomato hornworm.
But I can distinctly remember helping to thin peaches; again, I had no idea what I was doing, but I do now. I helped spray pecans with Zinc sulfate and fungicide. I hoe’d many a row of ‘maters or sweet corn or watermelons. I laid many bales of mixed alfalfa hay that we grew in the garden, one 3-inch plug at a time. It made terrific mulch and really cut down on disease and weeds. But putting it out was a dusty job. I remember being excited to finally be old enough to drive the tractor. We used (and dad still does today) a Farmall Cub tractor in the garden with the cultivators and sweeps. It was perfect for the garden. I wish I had one of my own today.
I suppose all of this has inspired me to try and help kids today see what I was too bratty to realize back then. That hard work pays off. That most veggies are best eaten in the garden. That the natural world is so incredible. And that gardening is a lost art today, but those who can do it can save money, eat better, be happier, and feel more secure should something terrible happen in the world’s food supply. It inspires me to help people find the joy and love in horticulture and all of agriculture.
“Now-days” I love gardening. I wish I could stay home and garden and farm and survive on a homestead like my grandparents did. And now that I went to school and learned how all this stuff works and the how and why of everything, it all makes me so excited; and so I want to share that passion and excitement and joy with everyone else.
2018 BMGA Intern Class April 24, 2018
The Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association is pleased to announce that its 2018 Master Gardener Training Class graduated 23 new trained interns on April 24, 2018. Interns have one year from their training graduation date to complete 50 hours of volunteer service on BMGA approved projects to earn their Texas Master Gardener certification. One graduate, Marcella Asumus, not only successfully completed the course material, she also achieved the 50 hours of volunteer service by April 24 to simultaneously earn her Texas Master Gardener certification at graduation.
Faye Beery & Marcella Ausmus
Congratulations to the 2018 BMGA Master Gardener Training Class Graduates:
Marcella Ausmus Lorna Mangus
Tom Ayres Catherine McGraw
Lee Ann Bleyl Keith McGraw
Shannon Conroy Karen Parinello
Carol Corlis Kay Przyborski
Cathy Dannemiller Calvin Rashall
Patrick Dunne Brandon Silbernagl
Cathleen Dunne Debbie Skinner
Gerald DuPont Michael Tiller
Nicole Griffin John Williamson
Fred Helinski Lenore Williamson
Dolores Jozwiak
The Class Coordinator was Master Gardener Faye Beery who said, “My 2018 Master Gardener Intern class was a pleasure to be involved with. Everyone was excited and enthusiastic and eager to absorb all the information they could possibly remember. They warmly welcomed all the speakers and had many questions of them all. They are going to be great members of the Master Gardener Association, and great friends.”
Ms. Beery became a Master Gardener in 2012. Besides coordination for this year’s class, Ms Beery’s past service with BMGA includes chapter President in 2014 and she served as a garden project leader at the Sens Center Flower Beds and the Austin County Fairgrounds garden. She also published the chapter newsletter and took BMGA into the digital age with its initial website. Most importantly, Ms. Beery is a lifelong gardener with a passion for learning, sharing her knowledge about gardening and inspiring others to get their hands in the dirt out in the garden.
BMGA Master Gardeners who assisted Ms. Beery in class coordination were Paul McClendon, Sandy Rhodes and Cathi Pendergraft.
The 2018 Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association’s intern training class of 24 trainees held its April 4th class on the grounds of Festival Hill in Round Top, Texas. BMGA takes its intern training class to this “Jewel in the Crown of Texas” each year and the outing is usually a class favorite, especially when the weather is a nice Spring Texas day.
Guided by Festival Hill docent Mary Reeves, this year’s class and a few of their spouses toured the music conservatory’s campus and Festival Hill Herb Gardens. Ms. Reaves, along with her husband Charles, was instrumental in bringing the extensive gardens to their potential since the early 1980s. Ms. Reaves also makes all the floral arrangements for social events at the campus. The tour provided a historical overview of Festival Hill and discussed native plants around the grounds and in the different herb gardens. The group learned about herbs from around the world as well as the usual culinary and medicinal herbs. After the tour, the group enjoyed lunch in the Menke House kitchen which uses herbs from the campus gardens in their cooking. The interns last formal training class is April 11, and after passing a written exam, they will graduate the from Texas Master Gardener training program April 24th at BMGA’s chapter meeting at Grace Community Church in Bellville.
Planters & rainwater harvesting barrels made from re-purposed food production barrels
Under Master Gardener Pete Berckenhoff’s leadership, the Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association, built rainwater harvesting barrels and planters by re-purposing plastic food production barrels. Pete’s group of Master Gardener volunteers gathered at BMGA member Renee Kofman’s warehouse in Sealy and turned it into a busy production workshop for building the barrels and planters. These rainwater harvesting barrels are designed to collect roof rainwater run-off through a homeowner’s gutter downspout. Although the collected water is not suitable for drinking water, it is great for watering plants, gardens and adding water to your compost pile. Planters are available with a lightweight PVC frame or the wooden frame and are counter-top height.
BMGA will sell the rainwater harvesting barrels and planters until supplies last at its annual Spring Plant Sale in Sealy on April 14, 2018. The Plant Sale is one of BMGA’s two Texas Sales Tax Free events this year so during that event, the barrels and planters are sale tax free.
Cutting PVC for the planters
Inserting the planter barrel into the sturdy wooden frame
The Blue
bonnet Master Gardener Association welcomes on-board its new AgriLife Extension Agent Sponsor, Haylee Wolfford. Arriving in January 2018 as the Agriculture Extension Agent in Austin County, Haylee inherited sponsorship of our four-county BMGA program. Haylee grew up in a small southeast Texas town showing livestock, raising show cattle and rodeo’n. She earned her Bachelor of Animal Science degree with the emphasis on animal nutrition from Texas State University-San Marcos. She went on to earn a Master’s of Science with an emphasis on animal nutrition from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Haylee first joined AgriLife as the sole Extension Agent in Hardin County, Texas in 2015. As the sole Agent, Haylee’s responsibilities included a wide spectrum of duties including the Agriculture, 4-H, Family Consumer Science and Horticulture programs. What that means is, she did it all! With this varied back ground, Haylee comes to Austin County and BMGA with knowledge across many different aspects of Texas A&M AgriLife, although her focus is still on beef cattle production and horses. She also gained considerable knowledge in forage production and brush control. In her free time, Haylee enjoys roping and raising exotic and American cross show cattle.
As BMGA’s AgriLife Extension Sponsor, Haylee has attended several BMGA meetings this year. Although preferring to work quietly in the background and let others take the stage, Haylee’s presence has already proved to be an asset for BMGA. We look forward to assisting her with our members’ knowledge and experience in horticulture. BMGA members, if you spot Haylee at a meeting hanging in the back of the room, don’t be shy; introduce yourself and say ”Howdy!”