Fertilizing Citrus

Saturday, October 22, 2016 8:00 am until Noon fall162jcmgsale

I Dig Techy Garden Journaling

January is the month to start new resolutions to reorganize your life. Our New Year’s resolution is to update our garden journal. Free and inexpensive ways to journal are available on your computer, iPhone and iPad. Let’s dig a little deeper.

The first dig is for free garden journals that can be printed and arranged in your own ring binder. Check the following websites: frugalliving.about.com/od/gardening- this site has a front and back outside cover along with 18 practical journal pages to use. One practical page is the Plant Profile page. www.gardensandcrafts.com- this printable garden journal includes an excellent soil analysis chart worth adding to your journal.

The second dig is free online. The Vegetable Garden Planner includes a garden journal, gardening “to-dos”, uploading pictures and smart phone apps. Your Gardening Journal from Dave’s Garden is a website to create your own gardening journal and participate in a gardening blog. You can share seeds or plants with other gardeners. The plant database is extensive.

The third dig is free with an iPhone or iPad?  MyFolia Gardening Tracker is a social tracker and organizer. It includes a garden organizer, an area to showcase your garden, and communication with other growers in your area and the world. You can write a garden journal and track your plantings. Delve down in this tracker. Mobile apps using the camera include the Garden Journal. Post the photo, document where it is purchased along with the cost, and record the growth of the plant. Gardening companion includes articles, blog, gardening know how, journal weather and more. The last app tested was Photo Garden. It lets you take pictures of plants and place them in plots on the phone. Links are given for garden ideas, designs, planters and lawn maintenance.

The fourth dig will cost you. Texas Gardener magazine offers for a nominal fee a 2016 Texas Gardener Planning Guide and Calendar. The calendar includes: when to plant, fertilize, prune and spray. Room is available for recording planting dates and rainfall.

The fifth dig is an online website that costs. The Old Farmer’s Almanac sends you email messages as to when you should start seeds or transplants in your area. It has a garden planner with a voice activated demonstration to guide you on ways to draw your garden plot.

This is just a small sampling of ways to plan your garden journal for the New Year! Can you dig it?

Reach Jefferson County Master Gardener Eileen Slater at enslater08@gmail.com or call the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service at (409)835-8461

Campbell Forestry Group in Silsbee sponsored the distribution of hardwood trees, at the JCMG test gardens in Mid-county. This was the 3rd year of partnering, and most successful endeavor. Campbell provided a variety of bareroot seedlings, and JCMG handed out the trees and planting information. At least 10,000 trees were given out to the public, as well as local municipalities benefited from the giveaway. Next year hopes to be as successful as 2014!

M.G.s & Interns,

Well, March is about roll in like a lion bringing some chilly temps  by the week end and we’ll be scampering to protect all the great  Market Day plants we received last week; and, by the way, thanks to  all of you who showed up to help unload them.  This Wednesday we’ll  need some help to move the hibiscus and hanging plants into the  greenhouses to protect them from the possibility of frost.  Yesterday  (Sat), Jerry Jobe and I scored a real bonanza at Lowes when we were  given 6 sheets of 22′ x 6′ double paneled, corrugated plastic panels  that were being taken down from over the nursery area.  We had to get  them moved by noon and thanks to the quick loan of a flatbed trailer  from Kathryn and Frank Stelly we were able to pick them up and get  them to the garden.  If new, these would’ve cost us $3600!!  The size  is a perfect fit to close the open sides of the porch area, giving us  some much needed extra greenhouse-like protection for our plants  which are on the hanging rods there which Jerry hung single handedly  – thank you sir for that. It may be a little chilly for our workdays, but should be dry, so  hopefully you can come out and play musical plants with us.  We’ve  now officially entered Market Day countdown – it’s only four weeks  away and every workday will be geared toward getting the plants  ready.  Spread the word and fliers and help to make this the most  successful Market Day ever.

The Garden Team

Cecil Hightower