The Washington County Bluebonnet Master Gardeners and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service for Washington County, Texas announce their 2023 Spring Lunch-N-Learn Spring series.
These FREE to the public programs will feature speakers from the Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association.
April 5, 2023 & May 3, 2023
Washington County Expo Event Center
1305 E. Blue Bell Road
Brenham, Texas 77833
(Parking and the Event Center face Blue Bell Road) (Map)
Place orders NOW and until March 1, 2023. Pick-up plants on March 21, 2023 between 10:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. at the Washington County Expo Sales Facility in Brenham.
For paper order form, click HERE
All proceeds benefit the AgriLife Extension Horticulture Committee’s Scholarship Fund.
Bluebonnet 2023 Master Gardener Annual Plant Sale.
In addition to landscape plants for sale, tomato plants will also be available for purchase. Nine varieties will be offered. Click HERE for the complete list.
The Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association is pleased to announce that its 2023 Master Gardener training classes begin January 19th in La Grange, Texas. Registration is now open.
Go to Online Class Application
The series consists of 50 hours of training held every Thursday form January 19 to April 20, 2023. Master Gardener Carol Daniels of La Grange is the coordinator of the 2023 training program.
The BMGA class is designed for trainees from any of the four Bluebonnet Master Gardener counties of Austin, Colorado, Fayette and Washington. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service provides the training material and many of the expert horticulture and related speakers used by Master Gardener programs statewide.
This is a unique opportunity for individuals who are interested in horticulture and serving their community. Master Gardeners are trained in all facets of horticulture such as plant & soil science, entomology, plant pathology, fruit and vegetable gardening, and much more. Upon completion of their training, Master Gardeners will be required to give at least 50 hours of volunteer service time in their local community in order to receive the title of “Master Gardener”.
An Open House is scheduled January 12, 2023 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Fayette County Extension Office, 255 Svoboda Ln., La Grange, Texas for anyone interested in learning more about the program. This event will provide a great opportunity to visit with current Master Gardeners, learn about projects in each of the counties, and enjoy a few Master Gardener goodies.
The Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association is proud to announce its 2022 annual college scholarships winners. Eight scholarships, ranging from $1,500 to $1,000, were awarded to high school graduates from Austin, Washington, Fayette & Colorado Counties, Texas. To view the winners’ bios, see below. The winners are:
Mackenzie Lee (Austin Co.)
Jagar, Rau (Colorado Co.)
Brynn Mikulenka (Fayette Co.)
Laura James (Fayette Co.)
Waylon Hinze (Washington Co.)
Weston Hinze (Washington Co.)
Keely Mikolajchak (Washington Co.)
Eli Saunders (Washington Co.)
All eight demonstrated outstanding acheivement in leadership, citizenship, community service and other endevours that form the basis of becoming lifelong responsible, productive citziens and leaders in their communtiies.
Congratulations to our 2022 scholarship winners!
Hybrid Program-Live & Remote Options!
September 26 & 27, 2022, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Civic-Consvention Center
375 S. Castell Ave.
New Braunfels, TX
For more information, visit:
https://tamu.estore.flywire.com/products/texas-fruit-conference
or call 979-862-1218
When: Sept. 30, 2022 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Where: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Research & Extension Center, Uvalde
1619 Garner Field Rd
Uvalde, Tx 78801
Space is limited so RSVP now at: tx.ag/TxOliveUpdate
Colorado County members of the Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association are pleased to announce the upcoming Colorado County Lunch-N-Learn Series focused on gardening and horticulture!
Programs will be held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at the Colorado County Services Facility located at 305 Radio Lane in Columbus. Registration will open at 11:50 am with the program starting promptly at 12:05 pm and ending by 12:55pm. Attendees are asked to bring their own lunch. Light refreshments including coffee, tea and snacks will be provided. No preregistration is required for this free program.
The following is our program line-up:
For more information please contact the Colorado County AgriLife Extension Office at 979-732-2082.
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The Gardens at Texas A&M Saturday, June 11, 2022 Free parking available in lot 97. Join us at our annual community Summer Celebration for food and fun for the family, including children’s educational activities, story time with Chance The Librarian, JJ’s snow cones, and more. You won’t want to miss this fun-filled morning! |
By Faye Beery, 2022 Class Coordinator
On April 26, 2022, our new Bluebonnet Master Gardener intern class graduated with 33 interns. One of them, Joe Jimenez, completed his 50 hours of volunteer work during the class period and is now a full fledged Master Gardener. We also had the youngest intern that we have had, Webb Sherman, age 17. The class had the largest ever enrollment with 40 students, but unfortunately, we lost 7 due to various reasons.
Joe Jimenez with Class Coodinator Faye Beery.
Webb Sherman with Class Coordinator Faye Beery.
We kept statistics for our class to determine the knowledge gained during the classes. Our pretest average grade was 55 with 23 missed. Our final test (posttest) averaged 89. The highest score was 98, made by several people. We also gave them 2 bonus questions from a list of words given them weekly that corresponded with their chapter. With the bonus questions, the average score was a 95. With the bonus questions, the highest score was a 108.
Several of the students were new to the area, having recently brought property in one of our 4 counties. There were also 3 sets of couples who were new to the area.
All of them were eager for information and asked lots of questions. They enjoyed the speakers and kept some of them a little over time to ask more questions. They are going to be good master gardeners, a good source of information for our community, and good friends.
Thanks also to the helpers for the class. Nikki Griffin was invaluable handling all the food and drink for the classes, as was Marcella Ausmus, helping with the hospitality and grading papers. Esther Hartman, Susan Yancey, and Leah Pierce helped to grade papers also. Thanks to all who came.
Bluebonnet Master Gardener Intern Class 2022
Interns:
| Prudence Allwein Ramin Baranpourian Jim Campbell Mary Lu Campbell Nancy Darst Linda Duffy Carla Eriksson Tory Farley Jeri Franco Dolores Gonzalez Cheryl Grassmann Freida Hale Amy Schramm Webb Sherman John Sims Chris Terry Jim Hudgins |
Linda Huron Joe Jimenez Chad Johnson Kayleigh Johnson Lorrie Maddox Scott Maddox Rebecca Marek Margie O’Brien Mary Ott Karen Reip Jacqueline Samples Keri Sherman Barbara Shersh Carrie Staples Renee Urish Angelica Zurita |
Fruit & You in ’22!
The Texas Fruit Conference is returning for its 11th year, and we would love to have all fruit growers and enthusiasts join us for two days of education, networking, and fruit sharing!
When: Monday, September 26th and Tuesday, September 27th
Where: New Braunfels Civic Convention Center, New Braunfels, Texas
What: New grower information, advanced orchard management topics, research on new and existing fruit crops, fruit variety performance, pesticide CEU’s, and our Taste of Texas Fruit Reception!
Contact: Monte Nesbitt, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Horticulture, 979-862-1218, monte.nesbitt@ag.tamu.edu
The Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association’s popular Kids Kamp is back in 2022! The three day summer camp for kids is accepting registrations now. The Kids Kamp will be held in all four BMGA counties for kids ages 10 to 13 years of age.
Washington County: May 31 – June 2, 2022
Colorado County: June 14- 16, 2022
Fayette County: June 21 – 23, 2022
Austin: June 28 – June 30, 2022
The kids will learn about recycling, organic gardening, mulch and compost, erosion control and insect I.D. There will also be cricket races! The kampers will make garden related crafts and enjoy healthy snacks.
Christy Schweikhardt, a Master Gardener who facilitated the soil & gardening segments of Kids Kamp for two years, said, “We fill the Kids Kamp with hands-on activities that are both fun and educational. The kids who participated in the past Kids Kamps were entergeitc and eager to learn, even over summer break. For the volunteer Master Gardeners who particpate in running the Kids Kamp, it is rewarding to help AgriLife Extension Service and the State of Texas foster fact-based gardening and food knowelge in a future generation of Texas gardeners.”
At only $30.00 for the program, this may be the best bargin in summer fun.
There’s always something blooming in our native plants garden. Low maintenance and lots of color even in the fall. Texas Lantana, Scarlet Sage, Green-Eyed Daisies, Mealy Blue Sage and Esperanza are still showing off their beautiful flowers. The Chile Pequins are full of peppers and the Yaupon Holly is loaded with beautiful red berries. The garden is open to the public so stop by and see what’s blooming.
Common Name: Lantana
Botantical Name: Lantana urlicoides
This Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association Texas Natives Garden is designed to educate visitors, students and area residents as to the benefits of native plants. The garden shows how native plants, trees and grasses attract bees, butterflies, and birds as well as providing a beautiful display of seasonal color. Water-wise gardening practices are on display as an educational tool to show how rainwater harvesting and a drip irrigation system can be used efficiently.
Link to more information about Lantana urliocides
Find the garden located at:
E.A. Arnim Archives & Museum
101 E. North Main Street
Flatonia, TX 78941
The garden is between the brick and metal buildings on Hwy 95.
The Bluebonnet Master Gardener Assocation is pleased to announce that its 2022 Master Gardener training classes begin January 13 in Bellville, Texas. Registration is now open.
The series consists of 50 hours of training held every Thursday until April 21, 2022 (Two classes will be on Wednesday February 16th and April 6th). Master Gardener Faye Beery of Bellville is the coordinator of the 2022 training program. Ms. Beery was certfiied as a Master Gardener in 2012 and coordinated several training classes in Austin County. The BMGA class is designed for trainees from any of the four Bluebonnet Master Gardener counties of Austin, Colorado, Fayette and Washington. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service provides the training material and many of the expert horticulture and related speakers used by Master Gardener programs statewide.
This is a unique opportunity for individuals who are interested in horticulture and serving their community. Master Gardeners are trained in all facets of horticulture such as plant & soil science, entomology, plant pathology, fruit and vegetable gardening, and much more. Upon completion of their training, Master Gardeners will be required to give at least 50 hours of volunteer service time in their local community in order to receive the title of “Master Gardener”.
An Open House is scheduled January 6, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at the Austin County Extension Office, 800 E. Wendt St., Bellville Texas 77418. for anyone interested in learning more about the program. This event will provide a great opportunity to visit with current Master Gardeners, learn about projects in each of the counties, and enjoy a few Master Gardener goodies.
The Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association will kicks-off its Fall 2021 Citrus Tree Sale today.
Links to Citrus Growing Expert Resources:
Ambrosia from your Backyard, Growing Citrus on the Upper Coast of Texas
All Trees are SOLD OUT.
Only varieties suitable for growing in the Austin, Colorado, Fayette and Washington Counties are offered. Orders accepted from August 27, 2021 to September 7, 2021.
Pick-up: Buyer must pick-up trees:
September 10, 2021
12 noon – 3:00 p.m.
American Legion Post
1630 Meyer St.
Sealy, Texas 77474
Photo of Pete & Paula’s Patch
Pete & Paula’s Pollinator Patch is a section of the Bluebonnet Master Gardener’s Sens Center Demonstration Garden in Austin County, Texas. The garden overall is dedicated to demonstrating sound techniques for growing vegetable and other food crops. However, this year, Master Gardeners Pete Smith and Paula Trahan started the “Pete & Paula’s Pollinator Patch” to demonstrate the use of plants which attract pollinators to the garden to pollinate the vegetables in the garden. As many fruit and vegetable plants require a pollinator to set fruit, attracting pollinators to the garden is necessary.
Lantana
After about four months, Pete and Paula are pleased with how quickly our pollinator garden has progressed. “We truly got a late start, but everything has grown by leaps and bounds. Every plant was a pass along or freebie from the garden center.” Ms. Trahan explained. Pete & Paul’s next step is to include a small solar water feature in the center to attract more butterflies, bees and birds. Included in the garden are lantana, standing cypress, Asian purple basil, echinacea, porterweed, rock rose mallow.
The Fort Bend Regional Vegetable Conference is a celebration of vegetable production along the upper Gulf Coast region. Counties of Waller, Wharton, Harris, Galveston, Brazoria, Colorado, and Austin join with Fort Bend to put on this event focusing on teaching sustainable practices to help producers maximize efficiencies and profitability. Although we were not able to host our annual Vegetable Conference in February, we have put together a short virtual summer session with topics centered around sustainable and organic production, disease and insect management, and variety selection. Partnering sponsors have allowed us to offer this program at a great price. The cost to attend is $10. We will offer three (3) continuing education credits in the General category for Texas Department of Agriculture Pesticide Applicator license holders.
Come join us virtually at the Fort Bend Regional Vegetable Conference – Summer Session on Thursday, July 29, 2021. The conference will begin at 9:00 am and end at 12:00 pm.
To register, please go to https://tinyurl.com/t86xftbh. There will be no in office registrations. For general questions, please contact Brandy Rader at 281-633-7029.
Please join Texas A&M Agrilfe Extension Service August 27, 2021 for the Fall Horticulature Seminar, hosted by Texas A&M Agrilfe Extension Service for Austin County. Topics, which will be presented by AgriLife Extentions Agent Robert “Skip” Richter and Specialists Tim Hartmann, Ph.D and Monte Nesbitt, Ph.D include:
Planting Fall Vegetables
Fruit Tree Care and Maintenance
Citrus Tree Care and Maintance
Prepping Plants for Freezes
RSVP HERE by August 25, 2021 or call 979-865-2072.
