CHES – Community Horticultural Education Series

The next CHES meeting, sponsored by the Somervell County Master Gardeners Association, will be a “treet” for tree lovers!

Rachel McGregor, from the Texas Forestry Service, will be our guest speaker, bringing us up to date on Oak Wilt and Tree Trimming.

So mark your calendars!  Monday, March 13th, 6:30 pm,  Citizen’s Center,  209 SW Barnard, just off the square, Glen Rose.

Time to get busy in the garden! While February certainly felt like March by the temperatures, it’s now REALLY time to get busy digging in the dirt! There is still plenty of time to get winter chores completed and begin the exciting spring planting!

If you have not already done so, now it the time to cut back all the winter die back on your perennial plants. Many have already started to break bud with the warm temperatures we’ve had so just cut back to where you see the new growth springing forth. Ornamental grasses should be cut to the ground, as well as flowering native perennials such as lantana, blue mist and most salvias. Autumn Sage should be trimmed to about 1/3 of existing growth. And don’t forget roses! I have a few blooms on some of my rose bushes, but if you haven’t trimmed them back, get to it quickly. There is still time for them to put on a good growth spurt without losing too many blooms. Cut out weak or crowded growth and dead or damaged canes. Shape the plant by cutting a forth to a third of the vigorous canes. As new growth emerges, don’t forget to add a new layer of mulch! It will be like frosting on the cake in your landscape!

For the vegetable garden, hopefully you have prepared your beds with some addition of compost or other organic matter. Onions should already be in, but you may still get a decent crop if you get them in asap. Start a new perennial asparagus bed by planting crowns now. Just remember it takes a full 3 years to begin harvesting. Set out artichoke plants this month. March is the time to be direct seed beans, peas, greens, radishes, and beets. There is still time to get in a good crop of lettuce, too. Tomato transplants can go in the garden as well by mid-March but be prepared to protect them if we get a good cold snap – which we all know is a good possibility!

Consider starting an herb garden if you haven’t already! There is nothing like fresh herbs to go along with all the wonderful fresh veggies from the garden! Perennial herbs such as oregano, sage, thyme and Mexican mint marigold are great for beginners. As with most herbs, they will need good soil drainage and full sun. Cilantro and dill like the cooler temperatures so plant from seed now. Parsley and fennel are great additions as well.

By Shirley D. Smith, Somervell County Master Gardener

One of the very first things I learned when I took my Master Gardening training was the difference between “SOIL” and “DIRT”.  It seems dirt is what you sweep out of your house while soil is what you garden in.  There are different soil types in Somervell County.  Some (probably most) of us do our gardening on top of rock while others (the lucky ones!) garden in sand or sandy loam.  While both can be a challenge, it seems the soils on rock bring a special challenge.  No matter what your soil type, there are certain criteria that are proven to bring excellent results no matter whether you are growing vegetables or flowers.  Without getting all technical, let’s look at what makes up good soil.  Good soil can be said to be a complex living system that envelopes the land like a skin.

To keep this article from getting all scholarly and too complex, let’s just think about what we walk on here in our county.  Since I live on rock, I either have raised beds or have amended my flowerbeds with lots of compost.  Ahhh, compost!  That lovely stuff gardeners consider black gold.  Definition:  compost – decomposed organic matter rich in nutrients.  You can buy compost either by the truckload or bagful.  Every spring I dump bags of the stuff in my beds and then till it into the soil.  If I have already existing plants, I just put a 2+ inch of it around the particular plant and then gently hand till that in.  I love it when I turn over a spadeful of soil and there are big, juicy earthworms.  Earthworms are a sign of nutritious soil.

If you have plants that just don’t seem to be doing well, then perhaps you need to do a soil test and see what that soil consists of.  You can get a soil test kit from our local Extension Office (254 897 2809).  There is a small cost for this service, but it would be well worth it to know what type of soil and nutrients you are dealing with.

There are many websites out there that will educate you more fully about what to do to improve your soil.  Some of them are VERY technical while others offer a more practical and (pardon the pun) down-to-earth approach.  I love to go to the Texas A&M website and search there for most of my questions.  aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu.  Then you can search for nutritious soil or some such description.  This is always a good site to go to for gardening in Texas.

Happy gardening!

 We hope you are planning to attend the next CHES meeting, on the second Monday in February, the 13th!!!!

 Christine Morgan will advise us on planning our spring gardens.  We won’t want to miss her expert guidelines on what, where, when, and how to plant those delicious fresh vegetables we all enjoy. 

So mark your calendars!  Monday, February 13th, 6:30 pm, at the Citizens Center, in Glen Rose, Texas.

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office of Somervell County, along with the Hood and Johnson County Extension Offices, will be offering a Master Gardener Training starting in March 2017.  If you are an avid gardener or someone who enjoys learning about horticulture this is a great opportunity.  Training topics will include in-depth classes on plant diseases, soil fertility, trees, grasses, vegetable production, irrigation, organic gardening, entomology and more.

You may ask yourself what exactly is a Master Gardener?   A Master Gardener is an individual who has completed extensive training and has served the community by sharing their gardening knowledge through the activities of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.   They are enthusiastic, willing to learn and to help others, and are able to communicate with diverse groups of people.  What really sets Master Gardeners apart from other home gardeners is their special training in horticulture.  In exchange for their training, persons who become Master Gardeners contribute time as volunteers, working through their Extension office to provide horticultural-related information to their communities.

If you think the Master Gardener Program may be for you, contact Zach Davis at the Somervell County Extension Office by emailing zadavis@ag.tamu.edu or call 254-897-2809. The fee for the 2017 Master Gardener training is $150, this includes Master Gardener Training Manual, field trip fees and all other training fees.

• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• T. olive oil, divided
• 2 t. kosher salt
• 1 t. black pepper
• 1 t. fresh, finely chopped rosemary
• 1 large, sweet onion, cut into wedges
• a bunch of small carrots
• 1 quart of new potatoes, halved

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Rub thighs with 1 T. olive oil.  Stir together salt, pepper, and rosemary in small bowl.  Sprinkle thighs with three teaspoons of salt mixture.

Stir together potatoes, carrots, and onions in a large bowl.  Drizzle with remaining 1 T. olive oil and sprinkle with remaining 1 t. salt mixture.

Spread vegetable mixture in an even layer, in a lightly greased, heavy-duty foil-lined sheet pan.  Place thighs 2-3 inches apart on top of the vegetables.

Bake at 375 degrees for 55 minutes to 1 hour, or until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion of chicken registers 170 degrees.

Serves 6-8.

by Jes-c French, Somervell County Master Gardener

This was my first year to try vegetable gardening. Living somewhere without a yard of my own, I had a suspicion that the landlord wouldn’t appreciate my digging up their flawless landscaping. In a world full of apartments, however, I am far from alone in this struggle, and a quick look to the internet turned up endless articles and suggestions for people who want to garden but have no space. The most frequent recommendation I saw was to use containers for growing plants, and that is just what I decided to do.

As I began researching, I attempted to take the things I learned about gardening in general and apply them to container gardening. I quickly found that a good plan is crucial before you even start the physical gardening. According to Joseph Masabni and Patrick Lillard, “Planning includes selecting the garden location; deciding on the size of the garden; determining the types and varieties of vegetables to plant; and planning where, when, and how much of each vegetable to plant in the garden.”

Being a first time gardener, I spent a great deal of time on the planning phase, and now that I’ve made it through my first harvest I have a few ideas of my own for future plans. When I picked out containers for my garden early this year, I ended up with a variety of sizes. One container in particular was too large for me to move once it was full. When this spring brought seemingly unending rain, I could take advantage of the fact that most of my garden was portable. In the future, I will probably do away with the oversized container and stick to ones that can be moved. After all, with all the unpredictable variables in gardening, why not take advantage of having a little extra control over how much rain my plants are getting?

I’m almost embarrassed to admit the other big thing I learned the hard way, because it seems so obvious now. With many days of rain, I obviously wasn’t watering the vegetables as often. Several days could go by without my bothering to check on the garden, and while its water needs were being met, its other needs were not. It was during those times that caterpillars took over and also that I missed out on harvesting some of the vegetables that were ready to be eaten. In the future, even if I’m not going out to water, I’ll make a point to check on the garden, addressing any pest concerns and picking vegetables that are ready.

by Julie Connor, Somervell County Master Gardener

A great therapy for the “Winters in Texas Time Garden Blues” is to garden indoors or in your greenhouse.  Get a head start on spring by planting seeds, the future of your garden.  No greenhouse?  Start seeds in a sunny window where the temperatures can reach at least 70 to 75 degrees.  Shop your favorite seed catalog or visit a nursery for your old favorites or a new and exciting plant you want to add to your garden.  Vegetables and flowers are the most common seeds to start, but you can also use stem, leaf or root cuttings.  Always refer to your seed packet or go online for optimal temperatures for your seeds.

The growing medium for your seed should be composed of equal parts peat moss   (which holds moisture)  and perlite or vermiculite  (for drainage and aeration).  There are also seed-starting mixtures available which are finely ground and great for small seeds.  If you have trays or small pots available, utilize these, as handling seeds when grown is made easier.

When planting the seeds a good rule for depth is 2-3 times the seed width.  Water the medium before planting.  Future watering should be a gentle mist nozzle so that the seeds are not disturbed.

Germinating seeds do not need fertilizer, but once the ‘true leaf’ appears fertilize with a seaweed and fish emulsion solution.  Over fertilizing can lead to excessive growth which makes the plant weak.  Cut back on the fertilizer if you notice a growth spurt.

Before transplanting the seedlings, acclimate them to the outdoors over a two to three week period leaving them overnight gradually.  You can Google for a ‘Spring Planting Guide’ for Texas in preparation for the best time to put your seedlings in the garden.

Happy Gardening!  Hoe, hoe, hoe.

 

There will be no CHES meeting in January, but we can look forward to the second Monday in February, when Christine Morgan will advise us on planning our spring gardens.  We won’t want to miss her expert guidelines on what, where, when, and how to plant those delicious fresh vegetables we all enjoy. 

So mark your calendars!  Monday, February 13th, 6:30 pm, at the Citizens Center, in Glen Rose, Texas.