The Somervell County Master Gardeners will hold a Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, March 30th starting at 9am. The location will be the same as last year, the parking lot of First United Methodist Church Family Center on Barnard Street. There will be a varied assortment of perennials, annuals, hanging baskets, and vegetables. Plan to arrive early for the best selection!

 

By Tessa Chenoa Ownbey, Somervell County Master Gardener

March 12th

This is the week of the year that I wander around my garden, seemingly purposelessly.  I know it looks purposeless because my husband always asks me what I’m doing.

My wanderings are not completely without purpose, though.  My garden plans are made and committed to graph paper.  Seeds are accumulated, and I’m on the fence about the weather.  It’s my week for inventory.  I see the onions and the daylilies are up, and everything I trimmed back last month is springing forth new life…except that thing.  I wonder what that was.

I note that my natural rock borders are a little out of whack, and that it’s time to start on the next section, so I will need to go talk to my neighbor, who wants me to take away some of his limestone that I crave for my borders.  I have run out of the right size pieces on my own property.  Unless I use dynamite.

I contemplate which raised bed I am going to add into the drip system next. Probably bed #2. This implies that it is only the second one I have done, but actually Beds #1 and #3 are done, as well as old beat-up cattle trough #1.  I am about to drag old beat-up cattle trough #4 to the garden to be planted this year.  The donkeys were complaining that it no longer holds water.  Which makes it ideal for my purposes.

I note that my husband did mow down the blind prickly pear in the yard that I asked him to avoid.  And the donkeys have eaten the native honeysuckle that grew through the fence into their pasture, but the rest is doing great! The passionflower in the front yard is climbing well, but that in the garden has completely disappeared and I wonder if it will recover this year from the gulf fritillary caterpillars that overgrazed it last year. I see a rosemary bush that I want to move soon – perhaps near the yard gate; somewhere sunny.

A phoebe insists on being heard.  They are not my favorite bird.  To me, they don’t seem to be saying, “phoebe, phoebe.”  They sound like a squeaky toy being squeezed over and over again.  But I do notice that the bluebird house in the garden already has inhabitants and the start of a nest.The hummingbirds are not here yet, but I can see from the maps that they are getting close.

I think maybe I will move my “lazy-man’s” compost pile outside of the garden gate where the neighbor’s chickens, that prefer my land to his, can help me turn and aerate it. Although I am a Master Composter, this is still my favorite method of composting.  I turn it whenever I am in the mood, maybe a few times a year…but it seems to me most natural – a slow breaking down of the materials through the seasons.

I contemplate where to build my own chicken coop, since I can’t depend forever on the generosity of the neighbor’s chickens to turn my compost and be my entertainment.  And where to build the rabbit run, since I covet those little round bullets of nitrogen for my garden, as well.

My mind wanders back to the planting, and I decide to wander down the hill to see if the mesquite tree is budding.  Lord knows I’m not depending on the weather man.  No, the mesquite tree hasn’t budded yet, but that’s okay.  I have junipers to fell this afternoon, and the porch containers to fill with lemon grass and other herbs if I can find some down in Clifton.  The mesquite tree urges caution, and I listen, but in my heart spring has already sprung.

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Get ready for the springtime!

The Somervell County Master Gardeners will hold a Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, March 30th starting at 9am. The location will be the same as last year, the parking lot of First United Methodist Church Family Center on Barnard Street. There will be a varied assortment of perennials, annuals, hanging baskets, and vegetables.

 

By Tessa Chenoa Ownbey, Somervell County Master Gardener

At a recent workday, Donna Hagar and I were cutting back Autumn Sage.  “Some people like this smell,” she said.  It was a simple statement, but it surprised me.  It had not occurred to me NOT to like the smell of sage.  I know it’s a matter of personal nostrils, but to me, nearly everything in a garden smells good.  My favorite is the smell of tomato vines as I brush up against them.  But I also love the smell of fresh, damp earth, the smell of rain about to come, the smell of the “weeds” crushed and cast aside.

Last year, an intern at work planted a “sensory garden.”  It will be a great teaching tool, I am sure.  Truly, though, isn’t every garden a sensory garden?  Along with the smell of damp earth, there is also the cool feel of that soil on my bare hands because I can’t bear to weed or plant with my gloves on.  (There is also the shock of pain of a fire ant sting because I can’t bear to wear those gloves, but sacrifices must be made!)  I always embrace the rosemary as I pass it by, letting the fragrant oil cover my arms and shirt with lingering scent. The peppermint and lemon grass I grow on my porch always get a little “fluff” as I walk by and inhale their scent.

And so many things to delight our sense of sight in a garden!  The bees and butterflies hovering, creating all the future life; an orb spider web glistening in the morning sun; the sun glowing through the petals of the marshmallows or the Mexican petunias; the brightness of a newly revealed carrot; and oh!  The intricacy of the passion flowers; and look here!  The shiny marble in the path that I know I put in the bee waterer – only a raccoon could have moved it in the night – and so my sense of humor is also delighted.

So many textures to satisfy our sense of touch:  the roughness of mulch, the spongy, cool dampness of healthy soil, the fuzziness of mullein, the bumpiness of ornamental gourds, the smoothness of tomatoes and cucumbers; the warmth of the sun; and the refreshing coolness of a micro-climate.

Of course so much to taste!  Warm, sun-soaked tomatoes straight off the vine;  or the zing of the cherry tomatoes I pop in my mouth as I walk by; a cold drink of water with lemon – and cucumbers and mint straight from the garden; blackberries full of warm purple juice that runs down my chin; the tangy lemon flavor of wood sorrel.  And the mosquito I accidentally swallowed. (It really didn’t have much taste.)

The sounds of a garden have to be thought about…birds chattering away around us; the buzz and hum of insects and hummingbirds; the sound of a spade breaking soil or roots; the bell-like clank of the shovel hitting limestone; my own breath, reminding me that I, too, am a part of the garden.

So often we focus on the productivity of our gardens, and of course that is a sign of success.  But there is this, more spiritual success…our connection with the land itself, our sensory knowledge and enjoyment of it, and this, more than bounty, fulfills us.

By Elaine Wilshusen, Somervell County Master Gardener

Last month, I posted a brief article on soil blocking.

Below are some photos of my first attempt at starting seeds using the “soil blocking” technique. So far, it hasn’t been bad…

Day 1 – setting up to mix the soil with water. I purchased a pre-made soil mix for simplicity’s sake. My granddaughter thought I was making brownies!

I slowly mixed enough water with a large spoon until the mixture had the consistency of mushy oatmeal. I just mixed a small amount since I was only doing 2 blocks this time.

The mixture is packed in and ready to go.

 

Here goes nothing….

 

Ta-dah! My first thought was “wow, 20 plants from such a small footprint!” Appx 4” x 5”. After this, I placed kale or chard seed in each little divot on top of each block and covered lightly with a bit of soil from the existing block.

 

This is day 5. I had the blocks placed on a germination mat with the thermostat set to 75 degrees and covered with a clear plastic top from a salad carton to help retain heat and humidity. The chard is coming up slower than the kale. This is a picture of 2 blocks together. As soon as germination was appx 50%, I took them off the bottom heat. They will stay inside under a grow light for another week or so until I get them transplanted into a container outdoors.

AFTERTHOUGHTS…I am worried that the blocks may not hold up well to continuous watering – water is placed on the tray directly around the blocks and is absorbed. Some of them look like they may fall apart. Next time, I will try to pack the soil mixture in more firmly and also be a bit more careful when I place water on the trays. I will also not place the blocks so closely together so the water can penetrate better into the centers of the blocks.

 

As the weather gets warmer, I will keep on trying different seeds and update on how the first little seedlings are doing.

 

Please do not forget to register for the Texas Master Gardener classes beginning April 2nd. For complete information, please see flyer link below:

Flyer

The Somervell County Master Gardeners will hold a Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, March 30th.

PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR MORE DETAILS!

By Elaine Wilshusen, Somervell County Master Gardener

If you enjoy getting a jump on starting your vegetable or flower seeds indoors, you may have heard of soil blocking for starting seedlings.        I have started my vegetable seeds indoors for years using “peat pots”, seed starting soil, heating mats and grow lights. I had never heard of the soil blocking technique until recently and I am going to give it a try this spring. 

Soil blocking for starting seeds involves using a specialized type of mold to form blocks of lightly compressed soil into a cube shape. The soil mixture is different from typical potting soil, as the blocks will need to hold together while the seedlings are growing. Each cube holds one seedling. There is no additional plastic container or “peat pot”. The block serves as the growing medium and container and they are placed on a tray while the seedlings germinate. The blocker molds come in various sizes and can make as many as 20 small blocks or        just 4, depending on the type of seed/plant and the length of time they will need to remain indoors before planting. Ideally, they are best utilized to get the seedlings outside in the ground as soon as possible. The soil mixture is different from typical potting soil, as the blocks will need to hold together while the seedlings are growing. 

I will continue to use a seed starting heat mat underneath the trays to maintain adequate heat for good germination and use a grow light while the seedlings are indoors. 

The purported advantages to this technique include:

1. Reduces the use of plastic and/or peat.
2. The seedling roots spread throughout the soil cube more uniformly, are stronger, and do not become root bound if transplanted in a timely fashion.
3. Transplants establish themselves faster.
4. Takes much less space to grow many more seedlings than the alternative methods.

And certainly, being able to start your own seedlings, no matter what technique, allows you an almost infinite choice of vegetable and flower varieties instead of settling for what is available in the nurseries. 

So this spring, I will try something new and continue my “traditional” method as well. …just in case! I will post for the next few months on the good, the bad, and the ugly of my experiment. Maybe it may be something you will want to try as well!

 

Small soil blocker…makes twenty 3/4” blocks.

The underside showing the little divot to accept the seed. A wetter,  more solid soil mixture will be used to place in the mold to form the blocks.

My “traditional” supplies. Missing in action is my grow light. I will still use heat mats under the soil blocks and the grow light.

References:

www.chelseagreen.com

www.thegardenersworkshop.com

Info on “traditional” seed starting: www.seedsavers.org/starting-seeds