2nd 2019 Scholarship Awarded

August 22, 2019 by bluebonnet

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.

2019 Summer Kids Kamp Registration is Open!

May 3, 2019 by bluebonnet

The Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association’s 2019 week long 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: June 3 – 7, 2019
Colorado County: June 10- 14, 2019
Fayette County: June 17-21, 2019
Austin:June 24-June 28, 2019

The kids will learn about worm composting, soil & gardening, nutrition & kitchen management, food preservation and good bugs and bad bugs in the garden. They will also make garden related crafts and 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 two 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 $25.00 for the week, this may be the best bargin in summer fun.

BMGA Volunteers Teach Gardening to Sealy High School Culinary Arts Class

May 8, 2018 by bluebonnet

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:

Identify the characteristics of a suitable garden site;
Evaluate soils and identify the main components as sand, silt, clay, or loam;
Make compost and know what materials are best for home composting;
Create “pots” from newspaper and use them to plant seeds or seedlings to begin a garden;
Identify good maintenance practices common to vegetable gardens;
Keep a garden journal to help observe plant health and growth, investigate problems, and record measures taken to resolve problems;
Identify causes, symptoms, prevention, and treatment of common vegetable disorders and diseases;Detect common insect pests and beneficial insects;
Follow best practices for harvesting, handling, and storing produce.

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. Allen 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!!”