Ascension Parish Master Gardener Association

Transcription

1 Ascension Parish Master Gardener Association SEPTEMBER 2015 NEWSLETTER MEMBERSHIP MEETING The 2015 Ascension Parish Master Gardener Association meetings are held at 9 am at the LSU AgCenter office at Lamar- Dixon. If you have an item for the agenda, please contact Julie Elzer and please wear your name tag. September 15 November 17 Ascension Parish Master Gardener Program 9039 St. Landry Road Bldg. C Gonzales, LA (225) AscensionMasterGardeners EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING The 2015 Executive Board of the Ascension Parish Master Gardener Association meets at 9 am at the LSU AgCenter office at Lamar-Dixon. The board looks forward to serving the association and welcomes suggestions and comments. September 9 November 10

2 SEE the JOY on these FACES!!!!! Stepping stones were created, garden caps were designed and mint was planted. We enjoyed the scent and texture of herbs and flowers and learned about sprouting seeds.

3 FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH COMMUNITY GARDEN Ascension Parish Master Gardener June Thomas summarizes the development and progression of the community garden that her helping hands have tended from it s concep on. When Mark Goins, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Gonzales, challenged his congrega on to begin some Cool Impossible ministries in February of 2014, one group decided to begin a community garden. First they agreed on the objec ves of the garden: to supplement the on going food pantry of the church with fresh produce, to be a source for others to learn about gardening, and to be a resource for FUMC s Li le Lambs day care as hands on experience about how food is grown. To fund the project, members solicited contribu ons from local merchants. Home Depot contributed $50. Louisiana Nursery gave a $500 store credit. Outdoor Living donated all the soil for the project. Picou Builders donated building materials for the raised garden beds. Now the commi ee was ready to build the garden on the north side of the educa on building in the grassy area facing the First Bap st Church. Many church members helped, so the beds were built and filled with soil in one morning. Pavers were placed all around the beds for ease of maintenance, and a cross with benches was built in the center for anyone to sit and enjoy the garden.

4 With an August site comple on, the group decided that a fall garden would be the best op on for the first plan ng. Broccoli, cabbage, kale, carrots, squash, and bunch onions were planted in mid October. As the sun dipped lower in the south each day, the shadow of the educa on building extended over more and more of the garden beds. By late December, none of the garden received direct sunlight. The winter crop output for the first plan ng was very sparse. Craig Roussel, Ascension Parish s LSUAgCenter hor cultural agent, was contacted because a soil test had been done that revealed that the soil had a ph of The soil amendments were lled in (5.75 lbs of sulfur immediately and 1 lb. of ammonium sulfate 2 weeks before plan ng) that Craig recommended. It wasn t just lack of sunlight that prevented the garden from flourishing. The March 21 st spring plan ng included tomatoes, bell peppers, yellow squash, cucumbers and eggplant since these could easily be harvested twice a week in conjunc on with the Monday and Thursday openings of the food pantry. This me the harvest was abundant. One main difficulty that was not en rely overcome was the birds enjoyment of the ripening tomatoes. Bird ne ng only par ally solved the problem. Also the plen ful rains of the spring caused the cucumber trellises to fall over with the weight of the many ripening cucumbers. Patrons of the food bank, which is open to anyone in the community, expressed special gra tude for the fresh produce that has been offered in addi on to the packaged food staples that are distributed through this service. Church members who were not gardeners, but who have par cipated in the building, maintenance, or harves ng of the garden, have learned from the Ascension Master Gardeners and other experienced gardeners who are part of this commi ee. Children from the Li le Lambs moms day out program made signs iden fying various plants in the garden. This Cool Impossible mission is successfully on its way to serving the community of Ascension Parish.

5 Dear Master Gardeners, I have thoroughly enjoyed becoming a Master Gardener and participating as an active member of the Ascension Parish Master Gardener Association. Iʹm looking forward to getting to know each of you better this year. The APMG Association has so many gifted and talented members and I would like to continue working together to keep our Association truly one of the best in the State of Louisiana. I would like to encourage everyone to participate in our bimonthly General Membership meetings, and the numerous events, functions, and activities sponsored by the LSU AGCenter and through our APMG Association. These venues provide so many opportunities for Master Gardeners to earn volunteer and continuing education hours at both the State and local levels. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mika Whittaker (2014) and Patti Mouton (2014) for agreeing to serve as new Members at Large for the APMGA Executive Board for I look forward to seeing everyone at our next regularly scheduled General Membership meeting on Tuesday, September 15th, Please continue to read this informative newsletter each month to keep up with valuable gardening tips, upcoming events, and stories about our Association members and how we make a difference in our community. Take care and happy gardening! Julie Ann Elzer (2013) APMGA President

6 2015 Ascension Parish Master Gardener Training Class Syllabus The City of Gonzales Public Safety Training Center 724 W. Orice Roth Road, Gonzales, Louisiana (Next to Fire Station Drive on side of Fire Station; Park in back of Training Center) Dates Sessions Instructor Monday August 31, :00 11:30 Basic Plant Pathology 12:00 2:30 Plant Diagnostics Dr. Raj Singh Tuesday September 1, :00 11:30 Home Fruit & Nut Production Dr. Charles Johnson 12:00 2:30 Basic Entomology Ms. Mariah Simoneaux Tuesday September 8, :00 2:30 Hammond Research Station Tour Ornamentals/Landscape Design Dr. Allen Owings Monday September 14, :00 11:30 Herbs Ms. Janis Poche 12:00 2:30 Home Vegetable Gardening Mr. Craig Roussel Monday September 21, 2015 Tuesday September 22, :00 12:00 AgCenter Botanic Gardens Tour 9:00 11:30 Composting/Vermiculture Ms. Janis Poche Ms. Dana Teepell 12:00 2:30 Lawn Care Dr. Ron Strahan **Classes are subject to change without prior notification** Thanks to all who have par cipated and signed up to provide snacks and refreshments for the classes. There are s ll openings so if you are interested in volunteering or if you have any ques- ons, please contact Becky Floyd at Home (225) , Cell (225) , or rhfloyd55@gmail.com.

7 U P C O M I N G E V E N T S REFLECT TIONS IN THE GARDEN GARDEN SERIES (education hours) Burden Conference Center, 4560 Essen Lane, Register at Mondays: 12:00-1:00pm (bring a lunch, drinkss provided), $10.00 for non-members, Free for Burden Horticulture Society, society.com Sep 14 Plants A-Z, 26 Wanda-Proven n Louisiana Favorites, Wanda Chase Oct 5 Trees for Small Spaces, Scott Courtight Nov 2 LSU AgCenter Food Incubator Program, Turning Your Passion Into a Dream, Gaye Sandoz Dec 7 Louisiana Culinary Institute: Holiday Cuisine, Charlie Ruffolo ONE OF TH E BEST PARTS OF FAL L IS FIN ALLY H ERE!!!! 2015 APMG A FAL L LIBR ARY S ERIES: *Ple ase call t o register and let them knoo w you are a Maste r Gardener ( e ducation/volunteee r hours) S E PTEMBER 22 (Tuesd ay): G a lvez Libb rary ( ), 6:3 0pm, Janis Po che, Asc ension Parish M aster G ardener, Mistakes in the Garden O CTOBE R 6 (Tu esday) : Dutchtown Libb rary ( ), 6:3 0pm, Martin M oser, A SLA, Landscape Architects &Co ntracto rs, Landscape Design 101 O CTOBE R 27 (T uesday): Gonzales Library ( ), 6:3 0pm, Christop her Reid, Botan ist, LA Dept. of Wildlife and F isheries, Rare Plants and Habitaa ts of Lo uisiana Save the Date! Sept 27, 1-4pm This year s PlantFest mantra Bringing Natives Home. Landscape architect and LSU professor, Wayne Womack, will discuss native trees and shrubs and Mila Berhane with Greenhand Nursery will delight with native plants PlantFest! 2015 Hilltop Oct 3, 9am-4pmm 32 nd annual Plant Sale! and honoring the 2400 th anniversary of naturalist William Bartram s visit to Louisiana, the sale will focus on our wonderful native annuals, tropicals, periannals, ferns and plants in general Arboretum Oct 4, 1-4pm Plant sale will continue as more arborist, landscape architects and horticulture experts, wax eloquent on native species of Louisiana. Gardens to attract butterflies will also be on display NOVEMBER 3 (Tuesday): APMGA HARVEST SOCIAL-Potluck Dinner (volunteerr hours) Gonzales Fire Department Safety Training Center, 724 W.Orice Roth Road, Gonzales, 6:30pm, Guest Speaker: Smiley Anderson (more information TBA)