The Dirt MOBILE COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS. President s Message by Penny Claiborne

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1 August 2014 MOBILE COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS Inside this issue: President s Message by Penny Claiborne Dear Master Gardeners, Chronicles 2 Lunch and Learn Member Meeting Gomphrena Globosa Dates to Remember 3 4 NACAA Photos 5 Mission Statement and Officers 6 Aug. 4, Lunch and Learn Aug. 5, New Class Begins Aug. 6, Member Meeting Hopefully everyone has had a fun filled summer. It is so hard to believe that school will be starting again. When I was young the summer break was a full 3 months. My mother was so glad to send us all off to school again there were 7 of us. And to be honest we were so excited about seeing our friends again, not to mention the new shoes, uniforms and school supplies. The teachers were probably not so excited. Both of my girls teach special needs children in Jacksonville, FL and for them the summer flew by but then it was only two months long. They are however excited about seeing their students again. I am so proud of both of them and often wonder just how they do what they do. Both of them love their jobs and love their kids even more. I am sure those of you who were teachers can relate. Now is the time to start planning for our fall gardens. With the nights being only degrees cooler than the days it s hard to think that fall is just around the corner. I still have so much soil preparation to do I am not sure what I will be planting. My three compost bins are busy breaking down leaves and grass for my new garden area and I am so excited about the possibilities. My favorite vegetable to grow is sweet potatoes. I love digging them up it s like finding gold! One of the things I am trying to do is eat more seasonally. I cannot help but think that God created certain foods to be harvested in particular times of the year for a reason. Our bodies need the different nutrients and with so many fruits and vegetables to choose from there are always delicious recipes to try. I am not sure about you but I struggle with eating food from other countries that do not have the same guidelines for production as the United States especially since I eat mostly organic foods. If you have not heard of the dirty dozen you should definitely check them out. This is a list of foods with the highest pesticide residuals. Environmental Working Group has them listed on their website along with the cleanest foods list. You might be surprised what fruits and veggies are on the dirty dozen list. Do keep in mind that this list changes annually. I was surprised to see green beans on the list this year. Then there are the genetically modified foods now they scare me! One other thing that I am leery of is hurricane season. Having lived in the south all my life I have seen what these powerful storms can do. We built the swamp house about 16 feet above basic flood elevation and it is built with standards above what is required in south Florida but that does not mean I will rest easy should a hurricane head our way. I just pray that we have a peaceful hurricane season so we can harvest all our wonderful homegrown fall veggies! Penny

2 Page 2 Chronicles by Nancy Adams As many of you know, plans are underway in downtown Mobile for the July annual National Association of County Agricultural Agents and Professional Improvement Conference, hosted this year by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Some two-to three thousand agriculture and extension educators, along with their families, will be attending. Betsy Yager, Jane Trawick, and a team of MGs are making centerpieces and planning large decorations for the Convention Center. Jan Tanner and more MGs are working on a Mobile County Master Gardener booth featuring Farm to Table. Ellen Huckabay, the staff at Jon Archer Center and Master Gardeners have been working diligently on the myriad of details to make this conference the best it can be. For the July Lunch & Learn, Amelia McGrew, County Extension Agent II at JAC, treated Master Gardeners and guests to an informative class on preserving fruits and vegetables. Amelia reminded us that we should blanch vegetables before freezing by dropping them into boiling water for 1-3 minutes, then dropping them in ice water Bellingrath Wonderful Wednesdays.Martha Harris, Barbara Bassett, Speaker Brent Heath, Mary Youngblood and Elisa Baldwin until they are cooled before storing in bags or containers. She also talked about two ways to can foods: water bath and pressure cooking. Amelia gave each participant a Home Food Preservation book along with recipes for making jellies and jams and other helpful information. A great resource for anything on home canning can be found on (National Center for Home Preservation.) We had a big MG turnout for the seminar at Bellingrath on July 9, with Brent Heath from Brent and Becky s Bulbs of Gloucester, Virginia. The morning segment was devoted to summer bulbs, especially lilies, and by Elisa Baldwin s account, Brent s enthusiasm for them was contagious. Each one he showed us was his favorite. The afternoon segment dealt with heirloom bulbs for vintage landscapes iris, narcissus, crinums, tulips, and much more. For me, the most helpful aspect of the seminar was to see slides of these bulbs used in a landscape with other perennials, annuals, and shrubs. His garden in Gloucester, Virginia is truly amazing, and definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in the area. See the website at brentandbeckysbulbs.com. Dorothy White shares that the Master Gardener Class of 2014 is scheduled to begin on August 8 and end on November 6. Fifteen new interns will be starting their path to becoming Mobile County Master Gardeners.

3 Page 3 Lunch and Learn A First Mondays program presented by Mobile County Master Gardeners, a program of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System Monday, August 4, 2014 Noon to 1 pm Where: Jon Archer Center, 1070 Schillinger Road N., Mobile, AL Heart healthy & antidepressant - used with so many different greens and on so many different things. Come and have a taste with us! Presenter: D.J. Johnson Mobile County Master Gardener Topic: From Garden to Kitchen Making Pesto Bring a friend and a lunch. Free. Drinks are provided For more information: or Mobile County Master Gardener Monthly Meeting Presenter: Marion Titlestad and Sarah Clark, of Bay Gourmet Catering, Mobile When: Thursday, August 7, 2014, 9:30 11:00 am Where: Jon Archer Center, 1070 Schillinger Road, N. Mobile Public Welcome Topic: Garden To Kitchen: Seasonal Appetizers

4 Page 4 Tough Gomphrena Makes A Good Addition To Gardens By Gary R. Bachman MSU Horticulturist Coastal Research & Extension Center If you re looking for a tough plant to keep right on blooming despite the heat of the summer, try gomphrena in your garden. This is one tough plant that likes really high temperatures. Sometimes called globe amaranth, legend has it that the original planting was at the gates of Hades. Gomphrena produces flowers from early summer to fall frost. The flowers look a lot like clover, seem to last forever and have a straw-like texture. The flower heads are actually bracts, which are leaves resembling petals. The small, inconspicuous flowers are noticeable only when the yellow stamens poke out. Flower colors range from white to purple and red. Strawberry Fields Gomphrena Gomphrena is known botanically as Gomphrena globosa, but you may know it as Bachelor Buttons. It has relatively few pest problems. Because of its strong garden performance, gomphrena has been chosen a Mississippi Medallion winner twice in the past five years. All-Around Purple gomphrena won in This 2-foot-tall plant attracts loads of butterflies to its purple flowers all summer long. Fireworks gomphrena was a Mississippi Medallion selection in It is a large plant that can reach 4 feet tall. Its iridescent pink bracts feature yellow stamens resembling tiny firecrackers exploding. Gomphrena can be big, flowering annuals in the landscape. Some gomphrena are suitable for smaller garden or patio spaces. The Gnome series are compact plants that grow 10 to 12 inches tall and have white, pink and purple flowers. This compact selection makes a fine container plant or can be used as a border along a sunny path. Be sure to plant gomphrena in full sun. The plant will tolerate partial shade, but full sun produces better flowers. Fireworks Gomphrena Plants will thrive in well-drained planting beds. Once established in the spring, gomphrena will become somewhat drought-tolerant, but you will have to water it during extended dry periods. It reseeds well for next years garden. Gomphrena grows vigorously and should be fertilized at planting. I like to use a good, balanced, slow-release fertilizer, such as Feed it with water-soluble fertilizer once every couple of weeks to encourage the plant to keep producing brightly colored flowers. Deadheading really isn t necessary, but do it if you feel the need to clean the plants up and remove spent flowers. You can do some other pruning to keep the plants looking neat. Gomphrena makes a great cut flower and has a long vase life. Cut stems early in the morning and pair with other flowers from your garden. Gomphrena also makes a good dried flower. Tie flower stems into bunches and hang them upside down to dry in an airy room out of direct light. The everlasting flowers will retain their color and are great additions to craft projects and dried flower arrangements. Try companion planting gomphrena with lantana, melapodium and rudbeckia. It also looks great with Mississippi Medallion winner Diamond Frost euphorbia. Try Fireworks with lime colored coleus for a real attention getter. QIS Mix Gomphrena

5 Farmers Market Created by Dannae Howe Left to Right Catherine McLeod, Mary Ann LaFleur, Jane Trawick and Brenda Bolton crafting cotton boll boutonnières Cotton Boll and Kumquat Boutonnières Jan Tanner and Barbara McMullen Mary Ann LaFleur and Betsy Yager Kathy Dawe Marsha Stolz Sam Gadd, Brenda Bolton, Beth Walmsley, Marie Solomon, and Nan Costello

6 Mobile County Master Gardeners Mobile County Office 1070 Schillinger Rd. N. Mobile AL Phone: www. aces.edu/mobile/mg Officers President Penny Claiborne 10 1st Vice President Regina Gunn 11 2nd vice President Brenda Bolton 12 Recording Secretary Nan Costello 10 Corresponding Secretary Beth Walmsley 11 Treasurer Susan Morrison 07 Mission Statement: The Alabama Master Gardener Volunteer Program is an educational outreach program provided and administered by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Board of Directors Glenda Eady Greer Wilhelm Jackie Jenkins Joe Pippin Mary Ann Days Carol Eskridge Past President - Connie Barron 08 Term Expires Alice Marty will publish the Dirt on the 25th of each month. Articles for inclusion must be received by the 15th of the month and may be submitted to Alice Marty MCdirt@comcast.net or the Extension Office. Issued by Ellen Huckabay Regional Extension Agent Appointees Newsletter Editor Alice Marty 07 Volunteer Activity Coordinator Elisa Baldwin 06 Volunteer Hours Coordinator Genie Schneider Class Representatives Kathy Sanders and Jan Tanner ACES Advisor Ellen Huckabay The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) is an equal opportunity educator and employer. MoCoGardeners The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) is an equal opportunity educator and employer.