The Guadalupe Gardener April 2015 Extension Service A monthly publication of the Guadalupe County Master Gardeners in cooperation with the Texas A&M AgriLIFE Extension, Guadalupe County President s Corner Join the Earth Day Celebration and Plant Sale Fellow Master Gardeners: If you ve missed the last couple of meetings you may not be aware that Guadalupe Master Gardeners will hold a Plant Sale at Seguin s Earth Day Celebration Saturday, April 25 from 9 to 2:30 in Central Park. It s a pretty fabulous event which if you ve never attended you might want to check out. Yes. We are holding the sale to raise funds. We want to earn a good portion of the amount we committed to raise when we revised our budget for 2015. If you think about it, raising plants to raise funds should be a pretty natural thing for us. It s called mission-driven fund raising. We ve done a really good job of raising the public s understanding of sound horticultural practices at Earth Day the last few years - both children and adults. This year will be no different. We are adding two booths - for a total of 5. We ll join the United Nations in celebrating the International Year of Soil. Karen Patterson and company are putting together exciting activities for kids and great demonstrations for adults. Earth Day aficionados of all ages will join Master Gardeners in celebrating the preservation, conservation and improvement of soil. Children will learn how earth worms improve soil while adults learn about earth worm composting. Kids will play Good Bug-Bad Bug as shoppers select vegetables, herbs, annual and perennial plants, succulents, cacti, and houseplants. Children will select free tattoos (they wash off, Mom!) while parents and neighbors browse a wide selection of ornamental plants and vegetables. Children will plant herbs in recyclable containers and sign contracts pledging to care for them while parents decide which herbs to buy for their landscape. Included in the sale will be heirloom tomatoes, various peppers, herbs and other summer favorites. And we, the Certified Master Gardeners, will be available to answer questions. You ll have one more opportunity to sign up to help. See page 3 for brief descriptions of volunteers jobs. One way or the other, come to Earth Day in Seguin for fun, food & drink it s going to be Plant-astic! April Meeting Thursday April 16th - 7 PM AgriLIFE Extension Building April 16 - Dennis Hale will present Spring Activities in Your Lawn Social & Refreshments 6:30 PM Program at 7 PM followed by Business Meeting Don t forget your name tag - and plants for the plant exchange In This Issue Page 2 - Meeting Prgrm, Future Prgms Page 3 - Earth Day Page 4 - March Meeting Page 5 - MG Library, White Natives Page 6-7 - Annual Awards Page 8-9 - BC MG of the Month Page 9 - SASSR Appreciation Page 10 - Big Red Barn Page 11 - How to Report VMS Hours Page 12-14 - Gutierrez Garden Page 15 - Community Garden & Lunch and Learn Page 16 - March Volunteer Recognition Page 17 - Volunteer Opportunities Page 18-21 - Education-Classes- Seminars Page 22 - Gardening Events Page 23 - April Calendar 1
Association News March Meeting Program Deedy Wright, GCMG, presented the educational program for the March meeting. Deedy reported on NICE, a program sponsored by the Natives Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT). She has been a member of NPSOT since 1993. NICE stands for Native Instead of Common Exotics. The program is about 10 years old. NPSOT encourages gardeners to use native alternatives in their yard and works with local nurseries to carry native plants. Deedy provided a handout for the 2015 recommended native plants for Comal and Guadalupe counties. She explained that exotics often are indigestible to the wildlife, require more water, fertilizers and fungicides, may introduce harmful pests and often escape into the natural areas, taking over soil and crowding out natives. The benefits of using natives are: natives are here naturally and so are adapted to the area, they are hosts to the wildlife including butterflies and birds, they need less water and are less expensive to maintain, they can be more deer resistant, and they preserve our Texas Botanical heritage. Besides, natives are beautiful. Plants recommended for Spring by NPSOT are the Texas White Honeysuckle, the Blackfoot Daisy, Gaura and the Anacacho Orchid Tree. For Summer, she talked about Pigeonberry, Mexican Feathergrass, Black Dalea and Texas Kidneywood. For Fall, she encouraged planting Autumn Sage, Chinquapin Oak, Fragrant Sumac and Virginia Creeper. Local Nurseries that carry natives include Green Gate in Seguin, Maldonado s in Seguin and New Braunfels, and Schulz in Marion. She encouraged using the NPSOT website to look for other nurseries. She asked everyone to request the native plants at area nurseries to encourage them to begin carrying them in the local area. Deedy closed with asking the GCMG to Be part of the solution and Keep Texas looking like Texas. Submitted by Sandy Foss Photo by Marvin T Taylor Go Native with N.I.C.E. FUTURE PROGRAMS June 18 - Summer Social at the Presbyterian Church in Seguin. Class 26 will be your hosts. 2
Earth Day Celebration of Soil and Plant Sale - April 25, 2015 Here are jobs still needing volunteers & the times available. Claim a spot in one of two ways: send an email to Jose Contreras at elmerojose@gmail.com call Jose at 830-401-0800 (leave voice mail if needed) We ll try to accommodate everyone, will confirm your selection and offer you the next best spot should your choice be taken. So hurry! Children s Activities, Hands-on fun and displays Volunteers will be trained to help children Play Good Bug-Bad Bug Select wash off tattoos Understand worms and worm composting Plant herbs, adopt herbs and sign contracts for their care Volunteer times available: 7 to 10 am One opening only! Already committed: Beth Henry, Janette Barrow and Jerilyn Preston. Information Booth, with exciting new information to share Volunteers will be trained to Use displays and handouts to introduce the public to and promote United Nations International Year of Soil Hand out Educational Materials Free seeds Class 27 Information & Registration forms Answer Questions from Public Volunteer times available: 7 to 10 am Two openings. Already committed: Kay McElveen and Judith Johnson 12:30 to 2:30 Three openings. Already committed: Mike Murley. Plant Sale, Sales Team Customer Service, 4 Walk alongside customer to answer questions and make suggestions if asked Offer to carry customer s plants in flat boxes for her/him so that they have both hands free to examine more Turn customer over to check out when done Volunteer times available: 7 to 10 am Two openings. Already committed: Join Welta Burris and Guadalupe Rodriguez 12:30 to 2:30 Two openings Already committed: Mary Styblo and Katie McLean. Plant Sale, Check-out Team Cashiers: Cindy Martin and Cindy Waechter are our two cashiers. Helpers, 2 per shift Prepare sale slips Pull relevant plant care cards and give to customer Escort customer to educational side Volunteer times available: 7 to 10 am Two openings 10 to 12:30 One opening Already committed: Lisa Foss 12:30 to 2:30 Two openings. Holding Area Worker, 1 per shift: holds purchased plants for customers who want freedom to move about Earth Day Fair makes sure customers get the plants they bought Volunteer times available: 7 to 10 am Committed: Cynthia Lyssy 10 to 12:30 One opening 12:30 to 2:30 One opening 3
CH MAR TING MEE Photos by Marvin T Taylor The raffle of $17 was won by John Lewicki. The door prize was won by Janet Magee. March Meeting Refreshments I want to thank all the MGs who answered my call for refreshments for the March meeting. The Refreshments were provided by: Jose Antonio Contreras, Pam Turner, Bob Teweles, Kathy Pape, Mary Styblo, Beth Zies, Judith M. Johnson, Cynthia Lyssy, Kathy Bennett, Pat Watkins, and Bob Davis. Thank you one and all!! Submitted by Treva Hicks, Refreshment Volunteer Coordinator 4
Our Office/Library The Master Gardener Library is now set up so that Members can check out books. Jerilyn and Alfred Preston have worked hours and hours over the past two months to catalog and label all 500+ books and set up a record-keeping system. The members may now check out up to three books at a time for a two week period. The office will be open Mondays from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and on membership meeting evenings from 5 to 6:30 p.m. A book return box will be outside the door for returns when the office is not open. Please have your membership card to show when you want to check out books. We encourage your use of our many fine books on all facets of gardening. Submitted by Betty Hughes & Jerilyn Preston It s always helpful to see what s new on the Aggie Horticulture Website http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ White Trends for Native Spring Gardens Shades of white for home and garden are trending this spring, and local chapters of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) recommend four white-blooming Texas-born heritage plants to add to your home landscape this year. Gaura is a perennial flower with a leafy base and tall, thin stems topped with delicate blooms that look like butterflies. The white and pink flowers swirl in every breeze, growing to 3-4' high in the sun. As a hardy native, it's a great ornamental plant for any flower bed, wildflower garden or pocket prairie. Gaura lindheimeri is its botanical name. Blackfoot Daisy is a favorite container and sprawling groundcover flower that loves to bloom in the parched heat of Texas summers. The honey-scented flowers are white with yellow centers. To botanists, it's Melampodium leucanthum. The Anacacho Orchid tree, growing only 12' tall, is well suited to backyard patios and urban sites. White orchid-like flowers attract butterflies in spring, and anacacho leaves have an interesting cleft shape. Botanically, it's Bauhinia lunarioides. Texas White Honeysuckle is an uncommon woody shrub that can be trained as a vine. The showy white flowers in spring are followed by orange-red berries in the fall. It is a non-aggressive alternative for the highly invasive Japanese Honeysuckle. Be sure to ask for Lonicera albiflora. The Guadalupe and Lindheimer chapters of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) work with neighborhood nurseries that stock true Texas plants. Look for them at Maldonado Garden Center in Seguin, Schulz Nursery in Marion, Maldonado Nursery in New Braunfels, Canyon Lake Ace Hardware, South Texas Growers in Bulverde, Thyme N' Treasure Nursery in St. Hedwig and Green Gate in Seguin. These nurseries participate in the NPSOT chapters' NICE program: Natives Instead of Common Exotics. Homeowner and civic groups are invited to contact the NPSOT chapters for a free presentation on the many native plants for this region. For more information, call Nancy Masterson in Guadalupe County at 830-305-9104 or Mary Moses at 210-279-5748 in Comal.County, 5
GCMG Annual Awards Recognition GCMG celebrated our 2 nd Annual Awards Recognition Ceremony during the March Membership Meeting. Jose Contreras and Bob Teweles recognized 34 members receiving their 3, 5, 10, 20 and 25 year pins for service ending 31 December 2014. Class 23 Members and folks transferring in from other counties receiving 3 Year Pins were: Sharon Delcambre, Dave Elder, Joyce Friesenhahn, Susan Hadley, Gladys Haecker, Ellen Laubhan, LaVerne McKenney, Debbie Real, Randy Rye, Judy Stanley, Mary Styblo, Cindy Waechter and Cynthia Winkelman. Class 21 Members receiving 5 Year Pins were: Bob Davis, Lynda Heggy, Gail Johnson, Jim Johnson, Eddie Johnston, Joyce Johnston and Debbie Krause Class 15 & 16 Members receiving 10 Year Pins were: Mary Bowe, Ryla Cottingham, Betty Hughes, Hattie Majors, Jeff McKee, Hughlene Micheli, Jerilyn Miller, Ruthie Miller, Chuck Slaten, Dean Webb and Joe Welch. Class 5 Members receiving 20 Year Pins and standing ovations were: Ann Odvody and Dale Odvody. Transferring into GCMG from Ft Bend County, TX receiving a 25 Year Pin and standing ovation was Liz Romero. 33 Master Gardeners reported 100 or more volunteer hours in 2014 and received a Volunteers Plant Seeds of Kindness pin. Volunteer Vol Hours Volunteer Vol Hours Dale Odvody 704 Elaine McIntyre 143 Cindy Waechter 671.5 Joyce Briscoe 142.8 John Lewicki 540.25 Liz Romero 142.5 Dave Elder 463.75 Janice Knobles 135 Ann Odvody 458.5 Patricia Tyler-White 135 Robert Teweles 359.15 Treva Hicks 119.9 Betty Hughes 317 Carol Suchan 119.05 Iris Seale 310.8 Pat Schultze 118 Peggy Jones 279.3 Esther Pinter 115.01 Mary Bowe 274.25 Cynthia Lyssy 112 Jerilyn Preston 251.75 Kim Darrough 108 Jose Antonio Contreras 200.1 LaVerne McKenney 106 Mary Styblo 196.75 Welta Burris 105 Hughlene Micheli 175 Jim Johnson 103 Cindy Martin 174.75 Laurie Brunell 101.5 Joyce Friesenhahn 159.75 Pam Turner 100.25 Ellen Laubhan 158.If you were unable to pick up your pin at the March meeting, please contact Cindy Waechter at a future meeting. Article submitted by Cindy Waechter. See photos next page. 6
Awards Photos - by Marvin T Taylor Twenty Years And the Standing Ovation they ALL Deserve 7
Master Gardener of the Month From the Bexar County Master Gardeners Scion Our Master Gardner for the month of March is actually a couple, Dale and Ann Odvody, and they are not Bexar County Master Gardeners. Dale and Ann are actually members of the Guadalupe County Master Gardeners Association, but they are being featured as Master Gardeners of the Month in order to highlight the invaluable service that their gardening organization gives to the Bexar County Master Gardeners in putting together our yearly display and program for the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. Dale and Ann work as a liaison between the Bexar County and the Guadalupe County Master Gardeners Associations. The partnership started more than ten years ago when the Guadalupe County organization was much smaller and its members were straining to get in their required number of volunteer hours. Dale explains that his Master Gardener Association Dale Odvody (green hat) working at a table saw during rodeo also needed volunteer outlets for those members who, for one reason or another, construction for the MG. could not get down in the dirt and dig or do some of the hard work associated with gardening. So the opportunity that the rodeo affords for gardeners to get their volunteer time in by selling plants, acting as greeters and docents, driving the van or helping with the school tours was welcomed by all. Not that the Guadalupe County Master Gardeners don t help with the hard work. A couple of years ago, seventeen aspirant Guadalupe County Master Gardeners showed up to help with the construction phase of the rodeo as part of their class assignment, and Dale thinks that he will log in about 100 hours this year, starting with working on the fall planning committee, helping with the construction phase of the rodeo, working at the Master Gardener booth and ending Ann Odvody (blue Jjcket) at the MG Booth with the take down. Ann has put in fewer hours, but is still active in her participation in rodeo activities. Dale estimates that volunteers from the Guadalupe County Master Gardeners fill 20 to 30 percent of the volunteer slots at the rodeo each year. When asked where he lives in Guadalupe County, Dale paused and then admitted that he actually lives on the eastern fringe of Bexar County close to Marion. It seems that after Dale retired from active duty in the Air Force, and eventually ended up at Randolph Air Force Base in his civilian job as a Systems Accountant, he began to want to know more about gardening in South Texas. Both he and Ann come from families that worked the soil and the call to continue that tradition is strong in both of them. As a child, Dale spent his summers on his grandparent s farm in Nebraska, and Ann remembers that her Air Force family carried on with their farming backgrounds by planting gardens around the world. So it was natural, once they bought a home and set down roots in Bexar County, that their common interest would lead them to want to enroll in Master Gardener classes in order to expand their gardening acumen to include skills for this region. However, Dale heard a nasty rumor in 1994 that Bexar County Master Gardeners were only looking for retirees, who had more time to volunteer. Since both Dale and Ann were still working, they applied, instead, to the Guadalupe County Master Gardener Association and were accepted. Dale confesses that he and Ann were only interested in acquiring gardening knowhow to apply to their own one-acre plot of land out in the country. They were definitely not interested in volunteering! That was years and many, many volunteer hours ago. Now both Dale and Ann are very much involved in the Community Demonstration Gardens that the Guadalupe County Master Gardeners maintain in Schertz. Ann is Planning and Planting Co-chair, while Dale serves as Co-chair of the Construction Committee. The Demonstration Gardens started out small with only four raised beds but the project has quickly blossomed into 22 raised beds, not counting the 10 to 12 beds that are elevated at different levels to accommodate gardeners of varying sizes, abilities and disabilities, all with drip irrigation and timers to conserve water. This year they are adding three keyhole gardens. This is a type of garden that originated in the dry and arid climate of South Africa. This garden is circular in shape and only (Continued on following page) 8
(MG of the Month - Continued from previous page) six feet in diameter. It has an entryway to the center, where there is an upright cylinder into which composting materials are placed. The garden is watered through the cylinder and as water trickles out to the surrounding plants, so, too, do needed nutrients. Ann estimates that she and Dale, who originally wanted nothing to do with volunteerism, now spend 8 to 16 hours per week at the Community Gardens, which over the last four years has produced over 7 tons of food that was distributed to the various food banks in the area. As for their own garden, Ann admits to filling up their acre of land with a new flowerbed each of the thirty years that she has lived there, with Dale working at her side. She sighs when she remembers how frustrated she was when armadillos and other such rooting critters dug up her plants almost as fast as she could put them in the ground. But together she and Dale have solved that problem by going to the Natural Gardener Nursery in Austin to buy pine straw, which deters these marauding varmints. In all their gardening projects Ann and Dale work together; for theirs is a partnership that began with a chance meeting on a TDY assignment out of Randolph Air Force Base more than thirty years ago. It is a partnership that is enriched by a shared interest in gardening that has, in turn, enriched both the Bexar County and the Guadalupe County Master Gardener Associations. By: Ann Marie Caldwell, JMG 1 SASSR Volunteers are Appreciated Dear Guadalupe County Master Gardeners, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and the Bexar County Master Gardeners would like to give a big THANK YOU to all GCMGs that participated in the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo 2015. It was completely new for everyone to be in tent and we really appreciated everyone s cooperation, patience and determination. Construction went really well and the Little Buckaroo Farms came out beautifully. Thank you so much for stepping up and filling in those empty shifts as well. There were 86, 824 people that came through the tent those 18 days of Rodeo. All 610 trees were adopted over the weekends, and all of the Purple Heart Bluebonnets, Rodeo Tomatoes, herbs, veggies, and other plants were completely sold out by Sunday night. Breakdown couldn't have gone any better as well. It was completely done by 3pm the next Monday afternoon. Thank you so much for all your efforts and thank you for helping to make Rodeo 2015 as successful as it was.. Ruby Zavala, Bexar County Master Gardeners REMINDER If anyone needs a card from the organization for an illness or loss of a family member, contact: Welta Burris Secretary 210-273-5025, or e-mail hwburris@ctxu.net. Newsletter Staff Editor - Elaine McIntyre Photographer - Marvin T Taylor Distribution - Doug Biggs Proof Reader - Bob Teweles Wandering Gardener - Marilyn Moltz GCMG Outreach Virginia Biggs is GCMG s Outreach Chairman. If anyone knows of a GCMG who needs a meal, please let her know 830-560-1976. TEXAS GARDENER FUNDRAISER Our Treasury keeps 25% of your subscription when it is sent through GCMG 9
Report from the Big Red Barn The spring planting at the Big Red Barn is well underway. The wet, cold weather delayed the planting but those things that are in the ground are doing well. We have tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, egg plant, some beans (more to come), cucumbers, etc. and everything is looking good now that we have some warmer temperatures and sunshine. This spring we are trying a small plot with a heritage planting plan that was used in colonial America. It is called the Three Sisters and consists of pole beans growing on corn surrounded by squash. In our plot the squash is French (Courgette supplied by Patricia Watkins) but the plan is traditional. As mentioned in an earlier article, much work has been done on the Herb Garden and the Butterfly Garden. They are both looking beautiful and thanks to Beth Henry (artist) and Mike Chandler (carpenter) we have wonderful new signage. One other fairly major effort to get the garden ready for the spring school tours involved putting new, more finely shredded mulch on the paths. We hope the finer mulch will make the footing more secure for the children (and some of us older folk too). Bob Cox and Mike Chandler obtained and hauled the mulch several loads and a number of us worked to spread it. Thanks to Welta, Pam, Patte, Patricia, John (Patricia s husband), Janice, Beth, Karen (if I ve missed anyone, please forgive me) for all of the hard work. It looks like it is going to be a great spring at the Big Red Barn! Y all come visit! Article submitted by Kay McElveen. Photos by Bob Cox 10
How Do I Report My Hours in VMS? Question: I attend the Native Plant Society Meetings. Are these reportable hours for Master Gardeners? Answer: Yes and no. You can report your travel time to and from the meeting as Volunteer Hours. You can report the Speaker Portion of the program as Continuing Education. However, the business portion of the NPSOT meeting is not reportable. You would report one VMS Continuing Education entry. Question: How do I report my hours for attending a Master Gardener Meeting? Answer: Report attendance at a Master Gardener Meeting in one VMS Membership Meeting entry. Report the Speaker Portion of the program as Continuing Education. Report your travel time to and from the meeting as well as time spent attending the Business Meeting as Volunteer Hours. Question: I prepare newsletter articles for the GCMG Guadalupe Gardener. What VMS project do I record these hours under? Answer: GCMG considers volunteer hours in support of The Guadalupe Gardener to be in support of the Guadalupe County Master Gardener Association. You would report Volunteer Hours related to the newsletter under the Project (c) MG Organizational Support. Submitted by Cindy Waechter 11
Community Garden - Updates from Ann Odvody 3/4 - I disconnected the timers this afternoon while it was warm for a change. I filled another 5 gallon bucket in the GH. Hopefully that will be enough until this weekend when it may warm up again and I can reattach the timers and turn on the water. vr, Dale 3/5 - Brrrrr! 29 degrees in the garden sounds like a good excuse to sleep in tomorrow morning. So, please make good use of the good excuse. Next week sounds like it will be better and we can plant some seedlings from the green house. Hope to see you then. vr, Dale and Ann 3/8 - The threat of a freeze is over and the timers are attached and the water is on. Tuesday, at the last weather forecast, no telling about the next, shows we should be able to plant broccoli, cabbage and collards from the greenhouse as we weed the beds they are going in. Those of us who don t feel like planting, there is always weeding and the fence line around the garden needs edging with the string trimmer. The garden is starting to look trashy. The bad weather has taken its toll. vr, Dale 3/9 - Okay, I can t predict weather any better than the paid educated weather persons. In fact they were more right than usual. Who could believe a 60% chance of rain was more than a sprinkle, much less 2 inches. As result the garden is too wet to pull weeds and plant in the beds. So far as gardening is concerned, we ll wait until Friday. vr, Dale 3/14 - Thank you everyone! It was great to see old friends and new faces. You answered our call for help planting the cabbage and broccoli plants grown in the greenhouse. The plants were beautiful. Great job Greenhouse Team! Beds were weeded and amended before planting. The kids helping out seemed to enjoy learning to plant more than the weeding, but they did a good job at both tasks. If we are not rained out Tuesday (60% chance of rain), we will finish the planting and continue clearing beds. Harvest totals will be light as we remove crops planted in the fall and replace them with spring plantings. We picked lots of broccoli today, as well as onions, beets and brussel sprouts. This was our first crop of brussel sprouts. Totals for today came in at 19 pounds 7 ounces, giving us 257 pounds 6 ounces. Hope to see you soon in the garden. Lunch and Learn Programs The March 7th, Lunch and Learn program by Peggy Jones, How to Use Companion Plants in the Landscape was very well received by 34 MGs, guests and visitors. The pictures of her garden were gorgeous and I for one was very envious of all her lovely plants. It s easy to see that she truly knows and loves growing roses and has been doing it very well for a very long time. Article by Treva Hicks. Below are photos from our February Program featuring Jim Johnson on Vegetable Gardening Photos by Box Cox 12