Ascension Parish Master Gardener Association

Transcription

1 Ascension Parish Master Gardener Association MAY 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 Jamie Trisler and please wear your name tag. May 19, July 21, September 16*, 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. May 12, July 14, September 9*, November 10 *In the event there is not a Master Gardener class this year, the association membership meeting will be 9/15 and the board meeting will be 9/8.

2 HAPPY SPRING FROM ASCENSION PARISH MASTER GARDENERS! The residents at Magnolia Assisted Living enjoyed a 'hands on' demonstra on on aroma c plants given by Becky with herbs & flowers from her garden. They also planted a decora ve container with mint for each of their rooms. We appreciate Becky's though ul demonstra on, Becky & Happy for gathering the plants & supplies, Joan for organizing the project, Julie E. for the cute plant labels and each one who was able to take part in our project. June Thomas shared a p she learned from one of our LSU AgCenter specialists. If soil clings to a pencil a er being inserted into your container the plant doesn't need to be watered. If the pencil comes out fairly clean then it's me to water. We spread joy by sharing Nature s beauty with our community.

3 SPRING LIBRARY SERIES WRAPS UP WITH PLANT SWAP We had great community participation at the Gonzales Library the evening of April 21st. LSU AgCenter Horticultural Agent Dan Gill led a very informative question and answer session that was followed by a frenzy of plant selectors! 80 people swapped & shared over 700 plants, cu ngs & seed packets at this year's event!!! Conchita Richey, Dan Gill, Jamie Trisler, and Chriselle Henry. Sheila Billingsley gave swap instruc ons and thanked everyone for par cipa ng.

4 Work day at the Lamar Dixon Demonstra on Gardens on Friday, April 24, accomplished many things: water lines for the irriga on system for the fruit and vegetable area were trenched & installed; irriga on lines in the vegetable beds and fruit orchard were ran; weed block fabric and mulch were put down between the vegetable beds; soil ph was tested & then soil was mixed and placed in 30 gallon pots for plan ng blueberries at a later date; winter annuals were pulled in the front landscape bed to prepare for warm season annual plan ng.

5 STINGING CATERPILLARS COMING SOON! S nging caterpillars that will become buck moths are beginning to appear in south Louisiana and will be ac ve through May. When mature, the caterpillars descend to the ground to pupate, which is when people typically come in contact with them. The caterpillars are covered in hollow spines that are a ached to a venom gland and the venom can cause symptoms ranging from itching and burning sensa ons to nausea. First aid for s ngs involves the following steps: Place tape over the stung area and carefully peel it away to remove any spine ps. Take liquid Benadryl to alleviate any allergic reac on; if swelling or difficult breathing occurs, go immediately to an emergency room. Aspirin or other pain relievers can reduce pain. Meat tenderizer, calamine lo on, aloe or other favorite s ng remedies can help reduce the dura on of pain. Excerpt above from an ar cle wri en by Johnny Morgan, LSU Agcenter. To read the en re ar cle go to: nging caterpillars coming soon to south Louisiana ORCHARD RESULTS AT THE HILL! March 30 brought sunshine and Master Gardeners to the new orchard at Lamar-Dixon. Four figs, two apples, one pomegranate, one olive and two pear trees were planted. Two blackberry bushes along with a red grape, white grape and muscadine vine were also secured in their new home on 'THE HILL'.

6 2015 ASCENSION PARISH VEGETABLE GARDEN CONTEST The LSU AgCenter, Ascension Parish, will sponsor the Home Vegetable Garden Contest for adults and 4 H youth in May The Contest is being held to encourage home vegetable gardeners to produce quality vegetables for home consump on, economic gain, and to improve their knowledge of cultural prac ces and insect and disease control in the home vegetable garden. Categories for vegetable gardens are as follows: Youth Gardens Adult Small Gardens (less than 1000 sq..) Adult Medium Gardens (1000 sq.. up to 3500 sq..) Adult Large Gardens (greater than 3500 sq..). All gardens must have at least 4 different types of vegetables. Only gardens located in Ascension Parish are eligible for par cipa on. Prizes will be awarded to winners in each category. The criteria for judging the gardens are: 1. Records (Plan ng, Harvest, Fer lizer, Pes cide Applica on Records, etc.) points 2. Apparent Produc vity points 3. Absence of Weed Pressure points 4. Absence of Insect Pressure points 5. Absence of Disease Pressure points 6. Vegetable Site, Adequate Drainage, Proper Spacing points 7. Bonus (Cul va on of LSU Recommended Varie es) points Gardens will be judged mid May. More details will be sent to individuals entering the contest. Call Hor cultural Agent Craig Roussel to enter at (225) ENTRY DEADLINE IS MAY 1st Please encourage your family, friends & neighbors to par cipate in this annual contest. Flyers can be picked up at LAMAR DIXON & you can direct folks to our AMGs' Facebook page.

7 Check out the Louisiana Advanced Master Gardener Program push card. A photo of our Ascension Master Gardeners working in the landscape bed at Lamar Dixon highlights the card Congratula ons! Craig Roussel has a few copies for anyone interested in the Advanced Class.

8 UPCOMING EVENTS THE REFLECTIONS IN THE GARDEN GARDEN SERIES (education hours) Burden Conference Center, 4560 Essen Lane, Register at Mondays: 12:00pm 1:00pm (bring a lunch, drinks provided), $10.00 for non members, free for Burden Horticulture Society members, May 4 Jun 1 Jul 6 Aug 3 Sep 14 Oct 5 Nov 2 Dec 7 LSU Lakes Project: Reclaiming Nature in an Urban Setting, Jeffrey Carbo Carefree Gardening with Succulents, Mark Meese Red Stick Farmers' Market: Local Farms and Food, Copper Alvarez Wondrous World of Zingiberales: Gingers and their Relatives, Glen Stokes Plants A Z, 26 Wanda Proven Louisiana Favorites, Wanda Chase Trees for Small Spaces, Scott Courtight LSU AgCenter Food Incubator Program, Turning Your Passion Into a Dream, Gaye Sandoz Louisiana Culinary Institute: Holiday Cuisine, Charlie Ruffolo April 29 (Wednesday): St. James Parish Ag Day (volunteer hours) St. James Fast Food Farm, Gramercy, 7:45am 2:30pm. Contact Craig Roussel at or croussel@agcenter.lsu.edu. May 1 (Friday): 2015 Ascension Parish Vegetable Garden Contest Entry Deadline. Contact Craig Roussel at or croussel@agcenter.lsu.edu. May 8 (Friday): *Please RSVP to Craig by Thursday, April 30 see below. Master Gardener Appreciation Day (education hours and FUN!) Hammond Research Station, Hammond, 9:00am 2:00pm. There will ample educational booths hosted by LSU AgCenter experts, guided garden tours with Hammond faculty and staff, a chance to vote for your favorite plants, in addition to the Annual/Biennial/Perennial Challenge and Weed ID Contest. Dan Gill will give an educational talk and a jambalaya lunch will be provided by Chef Byron Gautreau. Contact Craig Roussel at or croussel@agcenter.lsu.edu. May 12 (Tuesday): APMGA Executive Board Meeting (volunteer hours) Lamar Dixon Expo Center, 9:00am May 19 (Tuesday): APMG Association Meeting (volunteer hours) Dixon Expo Center, 9:00am June 20 (Saturday): Garden Fest at Burden (FUN!) LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens, 4560 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, 7:30am 1:00pm. Focus on locally grown & produced food and beverages, garden and research plots. $10.00 for adults, $5.00 for children (ages 4 10), free for children ages 3 and under.