Topic: Veggies, Veggies, Veggies
Speaker: Mr. Randy Albers & Mr. Bob Haeuser, Bluebonnet Master Gardeners
Free to the Public! Light refreshments provided. Bring a sack lunch to enjoy while you learn!
Lunch-N-Learn Washington County
41st Annual Fort Bend Regional Vegetable Conference
For registration click → HERE
41st Annual Fort Bend Regional Vegetable Conference
For registration form → HERE
Lunch-N-Learn Fayette County
Registration at 11:50 am – 12:05 pm
Program from 12:05 pm – 12:50 pm
Free to the public!
Presentation: “Growing the Salad Garden” by Master Gardener Gerald DuPont
Growing your own vegetables means a better and fresher salad. A variety of greens and salad toppings are best grown in the fall/winter garden. Learn hints and tips for making your salad garden more productive whether in containers or in the ground.
Home Grown Vegetable Contest
Do you think you have the best vegetables or the biggest tomato? The Horticulture Committee of Austin County, Linseisen’s Feed & Supply, and Nelson’s Plant Food are pleased to present the Home-Grown Vegetable Contest and Program being hosted on Saturday, June 7th. Show off the prize-winning vegetables from your garden!
The contest is open to the public, with no entry fee and no age requirements! If you love to garden and grow vegetables, you can enter. Vegetable check-in will be at Linseisen’s Feed located at 551 W Main, Bellville, from 9:00 AM until 10:00 AM. The judging will be closed to the public, with awards being presented no earlier than 11:00 AM.
There will be a free educational presentation offered at 10:00 AM held at the Bellville VFD meeting room located at 511 W Main, Bellville, walking distance from Linseisen’s. The presentation will be given by Gary Kroeger with the Bluebonnet Master Gardeners. He will be showing us how to make “Fermented Cucumber Pickles”. If time permits, Gerald Dupont with the Bluebonnet Master Gardeners will show off produce from the San Felipe Museum 1823 Garden.
Only one entry per person in each of the main categories according to specifications on the informational flyer. No rotten or split vegetables will be allowed or judged. All vegetables or fruits entered must be edible and grown by the exhibitor. No store-bought products permitted. Please provide the correct number of samples per category when entering to avoid disqualification.
For more information, please visit https://austin.agrilife.org/agriculture/acvegcontest/.
Small Farms & Vegetable Conference
Information to be covered includes:
Hydroponics by Dr. Joe Masabni
Invasive Plants & Control by Dr. Stacy Hines
Pest Management Considerations in Home Gardens by Dr. Jose Santiago Gonzales
Update on Pesticide Laws & Regulations by Greg Baker
and Why Healthy Plants Don’t Get Pests by Gerald DuPont.
The 5 CEUs awarded have TDA approval for 1 L&R, 2 IPM, and 2 General units. You will also get 5 Hours of CEU credit for Master Gardeners.
40th Annual Fort Bend Regional Vegetable Conference
Earn 5 CEUs! Register early for discounted pricing!Lunch-N-Learn Fayette County
2024 Austin County Home-Grown Vegetable Contest
New Texas Superstar Brochure
The Texas Superstar brochure is updated. The new brochure is a beautiful, full color 44-page booklet with detailed descriptions, suggested uses and special notes for each plant with the Texas Superstar® designation. 
Link to the Texas Superstar: Strong & Stunning Plants for Texans brochure
You may print, download, view it in your browser or on device. Be sure to have it available when planning your landscape and vegetable gardens.
To be designated a Texas Superstar® a plant must be beautiful and perform well for growers throughout the state. Texas Superstars must also be easy to propagate, ensuring the plants are widely available and reasonably priced.
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.
Lunch-N-Learn Washington County
Bluebird Eggs at Sens Center Demo Garden
Bluebird eggs are a welcome herald of Spring at the Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association’s Sens Center Demonstration Garden. Five lovely bluebird eggs are in a nest box attached at the top of an 8′ tall chain-link fence which encloses the garden. The nest box faces west toward an open area with woods approximately 100′ away. The Sens Center Demonstration Garden is located in Bellville, Texas behind the Sens Community Center.
There are several species of bluebirds found in Texas, including the Eastern Bluebird, Western Bluebird, and Mountain Bluebird. Eastern Bluebirds are the most common throughout the eastern and central parts of the state, while Western Bluebirds and Mountain Bluebirds are less common and typically found in the western and northern parts of the state. Bluebirds in Texas prefer open areas with scattered trees and may be found in fields, pastures, and orchards. They primarily feed on insects and berries and can often be spotted perched on fences, power lines, or other elevated perches. Bluebirds are a beautiful and welcome sight in Texas and are often attracted to birdhouses placed in suitable habitats.
Bluebird nest boxes are encouraged by Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) as the boxes provide important habitat for bluebirds and other cavity-nesting birds. In many areas of Texas, natural cavities suitable for nesting are in short supply, so nest boxes can be a vital resource for bluebirds.
The photo was taken by certified Master Gardener and BMGA member Leah Pearce, on Wednesday, April 5, 2023.
Lunch-N-Learn, Austin County
February 21: Garden Stretches: Stop the Ache before you Rake (Michelle Wright, Austin County, CEA)
March 21: Composting (Mary Karish, Waller County Master Gardener)
April 18: TBA
May 16: Orchids
June – August: No Program
September 19: Plumerias (Faye Beery, Bluebonnet Master Gardener)
October 17: Wonderful World of the Honeybee (Tom Shaughnessy, Local Beekeeper)
Pete & Paula’s Pollinator Patch
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.
Twenty Years and….Counting! (& the Keyhole Garden)
By Faye Beery, Bluebonnet Master Gardener Assocaiton
That is how long the Master Gardener program has been going in our 4 county region. On May 25, 2021 the Bluebonnet Master Gardeners celebrated our 20th anniversary of the demonstration garden in Austin County. While the weather was not the best, everyone enjoyed the program given by Dr. Shackelford, good food and seeing the Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association’s demonstration garden located at the Sens Acitvity Center in Bellville, Texas. Vegetables were available, most gave a voluntary donation to the garden, as well as some produce was avaialbe to pick in the garden.
Pete Smith standing the in the “keyhole” of the keyhole garden
A big attraction in the garden was the keyhole garden. The keyhole concept was first introduced into arid African regions by the U.K. organization Send a Cow. The idea was to help poor families grow their own food despite the poor soil and drought conditions. The keyhole concept is a raised circular bed with a wedge shaped cutout on one side which allows persons easy access to the whole bed. When seen from above, it resembles a lock and keyhole. In the center is a wire cage for compost which decomposes and provides nutrients to the bed. This form is less labor intensive and more affordable for people who want to grow their own food. And you don’t have to bend over.
The outer structure can be any sturdy material, cinder blocks, bricks, rocks are a good choice. They are placed in a round design with a wedge on one side so that individuals can reach the middle as well as the outsides allowing for easy planting and harvesting. The wire cage in the center makes it easily accessible to place the compost materials.
Keyhole garden constuction
Keyhole garden under construction
Rainwater system & keyhole garden
A strong advocate of the keyhole concept is Deb Tolman, PhD, from Clifton, Texas. She is an environmental scientist and landscape designer and co-founder of the Silo Project a non-profit organization, which is centered on sustainability. Due to her outreach and workshops, there are more than 70 keyhole gardens in Clifton, which is in arid North Texas. She recommends a 3:1 ratio of brown and green material which forms the core garden. Decomposition rapidly generates heat and breaks down the material to feed plants. Brown material includes brown grass/leaves; paper and wood, straw, sawdust, lint from the dryer or vacuum, and lots of cardboard, which is the first layer in the bottom of the bed. It should be thoroughly wet to begin decomposition. Green materials include kitchen scraps, manure, green grass/leaves, or plants. Her website provides instructions on how to construct a keyhole garden. Follow the link to her Field Guide PDF .
There is also a new addition to the garden which is currently under construction this week. It is Pete and Paula’s pollinator patch. They plan to include plants which attract pollinators to the garden to pollinate the vegetables that grow there. We’ll have more on this when they begin planting.
I know everyone is happy to get back to our regular meetings. See you at the next one!
Plant Picturepages by Aggie Horticulture
Sometimes, the answer is just knowing where to look; and someitimes, a picutre is just what you need to answer the question. With the help of many collaborators, Aggie Horticulture assembled a few theme-oriented searchable databases for use in their classes and for the public to use and enjoy. If you have not checked out Aggie Horticulture’s Plant Picturepages, the link is below. Find the information you need in pictures or just enjoy the many horticulature related sites and photos.
Ask an Expert is now Ask Extension
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?
Frozen Plants? Aggie Horticulture Facebook Live Events
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.
Protecting Landscapes & Horticulture Crops from Frosts & Freezes
As temperatures drop below freezing in our area, gardeners may need to take action to protect their plants and landscapes. Luckily, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s Monte Nesbitt and Robert “Skip” Richter give advice on protecting landscapes and horticultural crops from frosts and freezes. For the full version of this paper (9 pages) please click this link: Protecting Landscapes and Horticulture Crops from Frosts and Freezes
Frost/Freeze Protection in Small Raised Beds
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.
Online Horticulture Learning Could Never be Easier
So many online horticulture learning opportunities you don’t know where to start? This guide can get you started learning from horticulture experts.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension recorded many of their programs for viewing on your own schedule. These recorded presentations are free to the public.
Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association members may claim Continuing Education Units (CEU) for these all AgriLife programs that pertain to gardening and horticulture; live or recorded. Just watch the presentation and record your time as CEU. BMGA members, remember to get your CEU credits recorded by December 31, 2020 to apply those hours to your re-certification requirement. For 2020, you need 6 CEU credits.
Below are links to some of these programs to start learning from our Aggie experts.
Gulf Coast Gardening Online Series
There are 22 videos for more than 24 hours of learning. Topics include:
Young Tree Care – Video #5
Earth Kind Pest Disease & Weed Control – Video #10
Texas Superstar Plants – Video #19
Horticulture & Gardening Webinar Series with David Rodriguez, County Extension Horticulture Agent, Bexar County
There are currently 17 of these recorded sessions for more than 13 hours of education. Topics include:
Getting Your Lawn and Landscape Ready for Summer Heat – Video #9
Tomato Basics 101 – Video #13
Butterfly Gardening – Nectar Plants – Video #5
Aggie Horticulture Facebook Live Recordings
There are 55 horticulture recorded events. Wow! You do not need a Facebook account to watch. Topics include:
Homeowner Greenhouses- Video #41
Transitioning to a Fall Garden, Two Parts – Video #40 & #45
Toys for Vegetable Gardening – Video #50
Fall Blooming Flowers & Biennials Planted in Fall – Video #51
Growing Blueberries in Containers – Video 18
A History of the Sens Activity Center Demonstration Garden
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!
Tomato 101: The Basics of Growing Tomatoes – Online Course
Tomatoes are the most popular garden edible crop in Texas according to Joseph Masabni, Assistant Professor and Extension Horticulturist, The Texas A&M University System. Although the jewel of the Texas garden, many home gardeners have disappointing results with tomatoes.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s online course Tomato 101: The Basics of Growing Tomatoes teaches the basics of growing tomatoes in your garden. You may cover the material at your own pace and on your own time schedule so begin when you’re ready. This course was first developed for Texas gardeners. However, most information is suitable for other regions.
The cost of the course is $20.00
See all available AgriLife online courses under the Plants and Garden.