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)
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!
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 |
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 Texas Fruit Conference is in its 10th year of providing education for the diverse fruit growing interests across Texas.
Dates for the 2021 Texas Fruit Conference are set for October 11th and 12th in New Braunfels, Texas, at the City of New Braunfels Civic Convention Center. a reduced price of $55 has been set for Extension personnel interested in participating for their professional development.
Registration is open at Texas A&M AgriLife Events: http://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/
Full Program Schedule: Texas Fruit Growers Blog – Fruit & Nut Resources Fruit & Nut Resources (tamu.edu)
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.
The Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association is proud to announce its 2021 annual college scholarships winners. Three $1000 scholarships were awarded to high school graduates from Washington, Fayette & Colorado Counties, Texas. The winners are Taylor Limbaugh (Fayette County), Clayton Boeker (Washington County) and Leroy Stavinoha, III (Colorado County). All three 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 all three 2021 scholarship winners!
The Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association is proud to announce the graduation of 10 Master Gardener Interns who completed its 2021 Master Gardener Training Class. The training classes began January 12th and continued every Tuesday through April 27th at the Weimar Civic Center. This was the first Master Gardening Training class held in Colorado County, although trainees from all four BMGA counties were eligible for the class. The 2021 Class Coordinator was BMGA member Robbie Showers, who was assisted by Lynn Showers. Colorado County AgriLife Extension Agent Laramie Kettler was the sponsor of the class. Some training presentations were virtual while some where in-person.
After completing 64 hours of intense instruction and passing a final exam, to be certified as a Master Gardener, the interns are required to complete 50 hours of gardening volunteer service within 1-year. Such volunteer activities must be work on approved BMGA projects that assist Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in educating the public about gardening.
One of the ten interns, Ms. Nancy Galloway, completed her 50-volunteer hour requirement prior to the class graduation date in April. Robbie Showers commented that the 2021 “interns are eager to learn and work hard to get their hours.” She said they “were a great bunch of people to work with” during the class.
Congratulations to the 2021 BMGA Master Gardener intern graduates:
Cheryl Rose
Mariar Schonenberg
Frank Montieth
Norma White
Nancy Galloway
Regena Williamson
Mary Ellen Holub
Lisa Slinkard
Linda Miller
Sharon Wegenhoft.
Insects and pests are some of the most diffcult challenges home gardeners and homeowners try to manage. To address these issues, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialists in entomology and integrated pest managemnt (IPM) have team-up to present two podcasts: “Bugs by the Yard” and “Unwanted Guests”. Both are free and open to the public to listen and learn from these specialists.
Bugs in the Yard: A weekly podcast focused on garden pests and bugs.
Hosts: Texas A&M AgriLife Exention
Dr. Erfan Vafaie (IPM Specialist)
Molly Keck (entomologist, Bexar County)
Wizzie Brown (entomolgoist, Travis County)
Listen: Link to Listen to Bugs by the Yard Podcasts
Unwanted Guests: This podcast covers insects and pests we don’t want in the house.
Hosts: Texas A&M AgriLife Exention
Robert Puckett, Ph.D. (entomolgist, Bryan-College Station)
Jane Hurley (IPM Specialist, Dallas)
Molly Keck (entomologist, Bexar County)
Wizzie Brown (entomolgoist, Travis County)
Listen: Availalbe on podcast platforms like iTunes and Audible.
The black soldier fly has a unique life-history and are quickly gaining global attentionf or their ability to convert organic waste into valuabe protein and rich fertilizer. This Texas A&M AgriLife Extension online workshop will highlight rearing methods of the black soldier fly application to everyone from backyard hobbiests to the scale of industrialized production.
What: Black soldier Fly – A Quick and Easy Method for Composting
When: May 28, 2021 from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
How: Via Zoom link Launch Meeting – Zoom
Bark blown off the “Lightning Tree” by lightning strike.
Lightning is a grand display of nature’s power.
Strong thunderstorms rolled through our area in March 2021. Afterwards, we suspected one of the mature live oak trees on our property was hit by lightning. I sent some photos of the tree to Daniel Lewis of the Texas A&M Forest Service. Mr. Lewis confirmed the photos showed a textbook pattern of a lightning strike. He also assured that most trees recover from lightning strike damage with no problem.
About 30,000,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes hit in the contiguous 48-states of the United States every year. Although lightning does not always strike the highest point around, it usually does so, according to NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory. This makes tall trees, particularly on a hilltop or in a pasture, more vulnerable to lightning strikes.
NOAA’s NSSL says a typical lightning flash is about 300 million Volts and about 30,000 Amps. In comparison, household current is 120 Volts and 15 Amps. There is enough energy in a typical flash of lightning to light a 100-watt incandescent light bulb for about three months. Lightning heats the surrounding air anywhere from 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit to up to 60,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lightning damage wrapped around the tree.
Lightning traveling down a tree trunk turns water to steam. If it gets under the bark into the surface moisture of the wood, the rapidly expanding steam blasts pieces of bark and branches from the tree, and the wood along the path is often killed. The charge carried by the lightning is then dissipated along the surface of the Earth. This is explained on the NSSL website Severe Weather 101. The photos in this blog show the blasted pieces of bark from our live oak tree.
There are ways to protect trees of significance or that could endanger human life if struck by lightning. For more information go to Texas AgriLife Extension Tree Care Kit, Understanding Lightning & Associated Tree Damage.
One conclusion from the study of our lightning-struck tree (we now refer to it as the “Lightning Tree”) is that a mature Texas live oak tree, even jolted by the immense power of a lightning bolt, is mighty indeed.
By Christy Schweikahrdt
Ask an Expert is now Ask Extension. This service offers one-to-one expert answers from Cooperative Extension/University staff and volunteers within participating Land-Grant institutions from across the United States. Before posting a new question, you may also search previously answered questions in the Knowledgebase catalogue.
DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR EXTENSION EXPERTS?
Texas A&M Extension Horticulture faculty are using their weekly Facebook live events and one additional event to talk about the freeze and what to expect with plants. The schedule will be as follows:
Wednesday 1:00 p.m. Ornamentals & Vegetables
Friday 1:00 p.m. Fruit
Friday 4:00 p.m. Turf
These events can be found on Facebook on the Aggie Horticulture page and will be useful information for Master Gardeners and the public. All events are free and open to the public.
The Spring Lawn, Landscape, and Garden Soil Testing Campaign is underway in Washington County and will run January 25 – February 26. This campaign is made possible through the support of the Multi-County Ag Committee and in cooperation with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Soil, Water, and Forage Testing Lab in College Station. Link to Event Page
Soil sample bags and submittal forms for the soil testing campaign are available at three locations including:
All soil samples, forms, and payment must be returned to the Washington County Extension office to receive the discounted pricing. Full payment by check payable to MCAF is due when the samples are submitted to the Extension Office. Extension Office staff will deliver your samples to the testing lab. Sample results will be returned to the County Extension Office and then distributed to submitters via email or regular mail.
Soil Campaign
This Soil Testing Campaign offers homeowners and gardeners the opportunity to have their soil tested to determine its current fertility and receive a recommendation to improve the fertility required to maintain and produce the best possible outcome for their garden, lawn, or landscape. This campaign is only intended for soil analysis on non-agricultural land; only samples from lawns, landscapes, and gardens will be accepted.
The cost for a routine analysis will be $8.00 and a routine analysis with micronutrients will cost $15.00.
In exchange for the reduced testing cost, some information regarding your management practices will be asked on the soil testing form. The information you will be asked to provide includes the last time the area was fertilized, a description of previously used fertilizers, and whether or not the soil has been sampled in the past.
If you have any questions concerning the Spring Lawn, Landscape, and Garden Soil Testing Campaign, please contact the Washington County Extension office at (979) 277-6212 ext.2.
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” — William Shakespeare
Master Gardeners have a gift. The purpose of our organization is to give that gift to others by teaching them about gardening.
What do Ernest Hemingway, Benjamin Franklin & Agatha Christie have in common? They were all volunteers during hard times! Hemingway was a volunteer ambulance driver for the Red Cross in Italy during World War I. Benjamin Franklin was a member of a voluntary fire brigade in Philadelphia. Agatha Christie was a volunteer nurse during World War I.
The year 2020 was full of hard times for so many in serious tragic ways. Volunteerism overall dropped and many chartable and non-profit organizations struggled to carry out their non-profit and charitable purpose in 2020 and continue to struggle in 2021. Some ask: Can a little Master Gardener organization make a difference now, especially since our meetings are on online and so volunteers and members of the public must avoid gatherings?
The answer is yes! Master Gardeners can, and are, making a difference. In 2020, scores of Americans, many who never put their hands in the dirt to plant a seed before, decided to try gardening to secure a healthier and reliable food source for their family. Some, with “cabin fever” during stay-at-home order times, found gardening as a way to get outdoors and relieve anxiety. Unfortunately, many of these gardens failed due to a lack of knowledge about the basics of soil preparation, the varieties to plant, how to irrigate, fertilization, pests, and other problems. Many abandoned their pandemic Victory Garden, but others will stick with it. Master Gardeners, even if for now volunteering online or in small groups outdoors, can assist these new gardeners and help turn them into passionate gardeners.
We can do this with sponsoring online education, plant and tree sales with planting and care advice, and planning for the future. Planning for when we can work with kids in school gardens, operate our popular summer Kids Kamp and all get together again for other activities. But these things, like plants in the garden, need tending now if we want them to grow and be beautiful in the future.
Charlene volunteer teaching at Sealy High School
It is important to recognize volunteers for their selfless hard work. However, volunteering is about more than logging hours worked, certificates of achievement or accolades. As an example, Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association members Charlene and B.R. Koehler exemplify the true volunteer spirit. In 2020, despite the pandemic and her own personal challenges, Charlene logged 350 volunteer hours for BMGA, and those are just the hours she took the time to enter into the system! Charlene and B.R. also volunteer long hours with other organizations giving of themselves to their community in multiple ways. When asked why she and B.R. volunteer, Charlene said, “Volunteering is all about sharing one’s time and talents. It is an opportunity to learn and work alongside like-minded people who share the same interests and goals. B.R. and I believe in helping others, our community and ourselves by learning and passing on the knowledge to others.” That is the true spirit and heart of a volunteer.
Without volunteers, many educational, health care and humanitarian needs would go unfulfilled. Volunteers make a positive difference in the lives of others.
Did you know that altruistic volunteerism also provides important benefits to the volunteer? Researchers know that volunteering benefits the volunteer by boosting the volunteer’s positive feeling, known as the “Helpers High.” According to the Mayo Clinic website, research shows that volunteering offers health benefits, especially for older adults, such as:
According to Harvard Health Blog (citing Health Psychology of the American Psychological Association) psychologists “found that participants who volunteered with some regularity lived longer, but only if their intentions were truly altruistic. In other words, they had to be volunteering to help others—not to make themselves feel better.”
In 2021, Bluebonnet Master Gardeners can make a difference in their communities by volunteering and, perhaps, live longer and healthier for it.
“You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.”
—Winston Churchill.
By Paula K. Trahan, BMGA Master Gardener
As our Texas fall has turned into a real winter including snow in Bluebonnet Master Gardener’s four counties, we are all seeking to protect our precious plants we put into the soil in September and October. Depending on the size of garden you have, there are options to shield your investment and not lose much, if any, plant stock.
In past seasons, I have not been vigilant in covering my small, raised beds and just taken my chances. This stance has cost money (losing future production and plant material) as well as extra work (all the wilted plants are a mess!). Social distancing has given me time to design a frost/freeze protection system that can be deployed easily and removed for use this year and next. With an up-front cash outlay of less than $100.00, the coverage is approximately 160 sf (two raised beds, 4×20 feet each).
The structure consists of several 1/2” pvc pipes, 10’ long. Each pipe is bent in an arch across the raised bed and tucked inside along the raised portion of the bed’s 2×10’s. The interval is about 4’ apart. With a bed width of 4’, this arch is around 4’ high giving plenty of height for your growing plants. As the bones of the system doesn’t interfere with the garden itself, you can leave these in place until the danger of frost is gone in spring.
Planket installed over raised bed for the recent freeze in Cat Spring, Austin County.
The product to cover and protect was readily available at a local do it yourself store. The brand purchased was Planket. It comes in various sizes and variations such as round and rectangular. The application for my garden needed 2 packages of 10×20’. These were cut in half resulting in four 5×20’ pieces. This was easier for one person to handle when installing, especially on a windy day. Each piece was laid lengthwise across the skeleton of pvc pipes then clipped together with colorful binder clips and then attached to the pipes themselves with small plastic clamps.
Clips holding the fabric on to the pvc skeleton.
The clamps are perfectly sized, and the fabric doesn’t blow apart or in the case of recent sleet and frozen precipitation, it won’t sag and touch the plant material inside.
With our unpredictable weather it may be necessary to remove after only one or two days. It is quite simple to take the Planket off and store for the next frost warning. Just unclip all the fabric, lay it out lengthwise on the grass and roll each piece onto the cardboard tubes in which they were purchased. Rolling them at a two-foot width allows for storage in a plastic tub along with the binder clips and clamps. Plus, storing them in a roll makes for trouble free use in the future.
After several hours of freezing weather, the brussel sprout leaves are unfazed. Very easy to check on the status of your plants by just unclipping at various places.
Brussel sprouts looking good. Ready to harvest soon.
Broccoli plants are still producing from side shoots, so we are protecting them.
As it is early January, you can still get a couple of months use out of a system such as this. Considering the cost of plant loss and replanting, it can still be cost efficient for your garden. We all remember those late Easter freezes and now you won’t be caught off guard! For more information on larger garden frost protection, please consult your local BMGA Master Gardener.
Training classes begin January 12th and will be held every Tuesday through April 27th at the Weimar Civic Center at 1754 I-10 in Weimar from 9:00 am-1:00 pm. Final assessment will be held on April 20th, with graduation held on April 27th. Applications are available at the Colorado County Extension Office or online at https://txmg.org/bluebonnet/ . Class size will be limited, so to ensure your spot in the 2021 BMGA Training Class the application and payment of $175 must be turned into the Extension Office as soon as possible.
The updated training manual published in 2020 by the Texas Master Gardener Association and horticulture specialists at Texas A&M is included in the registration fee.
For more information, call the Colorado County AgriLife Extension office at (979) 732-2082.
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!
