May 2019 Guadalupe Gardener
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GUADALUPE GARDENER MAY 2019 A monthly publication of the Guadalupe County Master Gardeners in cooperation with the Texas A&M AgriLIFE Extension, Guadalupe County PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Inside this issue: Greetings: Upcoming Speakers 2 Volunteer Opportunities 3-5 May means summer is almost upon us. The Summer Social is just around the corner on June 20th. Our three major plant sales are behind us, and thanks to our many volunteers, we have had a April Meeting Photos 6-7 successful year in fundraising. This guarantees another year of funding for our projects. Class 32 Update 8 Facebook 9 Class 32 is drawing to a close and Class 33 starts in July. We are now taking applications for the new class. Applications are available on VMS. If you know of someone thinking about becoming Garden Swap 10-13 a Master Gardener, give them a nudge to sign up. It will change their lives. Spring Wildflowers 14 Wandering Gardener 15-16 Class 32 has been a very active class. Most of the class has been involved in our volunteer Springtime in Italy 17-18 activities and have consistently volunteered when needed. It’s a good group that will be an asset to our organization. They have been skillfully led by our Education Team. Continuing Education 19-20 Volunteer Recognition 21-25 Members in Service 26 Treva Hicks is our Speaker’s Bureau Coordinator. She receives requests for many gardening topics. If you have specialist training, certification or a passion for a specific type of gardening, please contact Treva if you are willing to share your knowledge with others. Treva’s email is [email protected]. Sharing gardening knowledge with others is a fulfilling experience for the Master Gardener, as well as for those who receive the information. I hope to see you at the next membership meeting on Thursday, May 16, 2019, at 6:45pm. Our guest speaker is Mark Gretchen, who will present “What a Gardener Needs to Know about Bees”. Bring a guest. All are welcome Good Gardening, Mark Mullen 1 Guadalupe County Master Gardeners What a Gardener Needs to Know about Bees Presented by Mark Gretchen Thursday May 16, 2019 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Free. Everyone is welcome. Where: AgriLife Extension Service, 210 East Live Oak St., Seguin, TX 78155 Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Master Gardeners provide equal opportunities in their programs and employment to all persons, regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas cooperating. 2 Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities At Your Convenience: • Kingsbury - Kingsbury Habitable Spaces Garden, 3050 FM 1104, Monday – Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Contact Cathy Medlin at [email protected] or 830-221-8596 the first time you go so she can meet you at the gardens and discuss what needs to be done. Bring tools (hoes, trowels, etc.), gloves, hats. • Schertz – Gutierrez Xeriscape Park, 1231 Borgfeld Rd. Contact Judy Stanley at 830-765-4613 or [email protected] for further information. • Seguin – Christian Cupboard Community Garden, 516 N Camp St. Contact Michael Bednarski at [email protected] or 830-556-4268 for further information. • Seguin – Rain Garden at the Irma Lewis Seguin Outdoor Learning Center, 1865 E US Highway 90 (just past the Geronimo Creek bridge east of town on HW 90). Contact Mag Holm-Roesler at [email protected] or 512-656-2360 to discuss what needs to be done. 3 Scheduled Workdays on Mondays: •Marion - Veterans’ Memorial Park from 8:00 a.m.to 11:00 a.m. The park is located next to the Schulz Nursery parking lot, 100 W Huebinger St. Contact Joyce Friesenhahn at 210-452-2404 or email her at [email protected] •Seguin - MG Office/Library, 210 E Live Oak, is open from 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. except for holidays. Volunteers are always needed. Contact Betty Hughes at 830- 401-4066. Scheduled Workdays on Mondays & Fridays: •Seguin- Christian Cupboard Community Garden, we are having some scheduled work days to allow those who would like to volunteer but know nothing about the garden to get familiar with it. Normally this is a come and work when you can garden. The times are 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at the Christian Cupboard, 516 N. Camp St. You can park on the street or across the street in the lot with the chain link fence (if the gate is open). Contact Mike Bednarski, 830-556-4268. Scheduled Workdays on Tuesdays & Fridays: •Schertz - Guadalupe County Community Garden, 1101 Elbel Road, behind the County Annex Building. Start time is 9:00 a.m. Check with Ann Odvody at [email protected] or 210-994-9664. 4 Scheduled Workdays on Wednesdays: • Seguin - MG Office/Library, 210 E Live Oak, is open from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Volunteers are always needed. Ernestine Sykes [email protected] or 210-544-0756 • Seguin - 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays, Park West, 601-625 N. Vaughn St. Meet at Park West Outdoor Classroom, across from the soccer field. Wear long sleeves, long pants, hat, closed-toe shoes, and work gloves. Bring drinking water, lopping shears, small saws, and rakes. Clearing invasive plants to establish new walking trail. Weather can- cellations by 8:00 pm posted on Guadalupe Master Naturalist Facebook page. Sign up for workdays with Chris Dyess at [email protected]. Scheduled Workdays on Fridays: • Seguin - Big Red Barn Gardens, 390 Cordova Road. Start time is 7:30 a.m. for the summer hours and 8:15 a.m. for the winter hours. Check with Janice Knobles at 830-379-6193 or e-mail [email protected] 5 Photos by Marvin “T” Taylor 6 Photos by Marvin “T” Taylor 7 Class 32 News By Renee Scull Greetings all! Class 32 is the final stretch with just four more classes to go, and although we have already learned so much, I think I can speak for most of my classmates when I say that we will be a bit sad to see it end. But we have all been putting our new skills and learning to good use! Several folks in the class are talking about the rain barrels and other irrigation projects they are starting after our excellent class on “Smart Water Use in the Garden” back in early April. I myself have switched from the wasteful (but cheap and easy) sprinkler to more soaker hoses and my first drip irrigation system. One of the most fun evenings we had was the class on Composting at the end of March, taught by Peter Hernandez. He brought much of his own compost and showed us how to properly layer and mix and we collectively learned we were doing it all wrong! But much fun was had discussing the various ways to compost and the various items we should be using (I for one, will no longer be burning my plethora of Amazon Prime boxes!) The vermiculture section of composting was new to most of the class and Mr. Hernandez did not disappoint, bringing with him his red worms to show how the little critters did their work. Who knew one could have such lovely and beautiful compost in a month by utilizing vermiculture! My classmates are still discussing the compost class and many of us have started getting much more intense about the way we compost and several students in the class are already starting their own vermiculture compost. I am making a continuous flow system from a wheelie bin. We also had Liz Palfini back for a second time to expand on the wide world of Botany and boy does she know her stuff! In the same class Judy Stanley came to talk to us about Native Plants and why we should incorporate them in our landscaping. We even convinced Kay to get up and talk about greenhouses, which most of us do not yet have, so it was great to hear her speak about the do’s and don’ts and what she’s found that works and what doesn’t work. Finally, we had a fun class last week with the lecture from Cindy Meredith from the Herb Cottage in Lavaca County on Herbs and Herb Vinegars. I personally love growing herbs in the ground and from containers, so I will say this was one of my favorites! I learned about so many herbs that are not commonly grown or used, and which herbs have beautiful blooms that can be incorporated into the landscaping. At the end of the lecture, not only did Cindy demonstrate how to make our own herb vinegar, she also brought with her various herbs and seed packets to sell, and of course, most of us went crazy buying everything she had! I’m sure our readers can relate! Several of the class have already completed their volunteer hours with a few more folks very close to finishing so there will be quite a few finishing up as Certified Master Gardeners, but whether we certify now, or within the next year, I can tell you that this experience has been wonderful! How blessed we all are to have this resource. Until next month, let's all enjoy this beautiful spring before our legendary summer sends us into the air conditioning! 8 Spring is in the air and things are blooming, butterflies and bees are pollinating, and I saw my very first firefly of the season just last night.