Hunt County Master GardenersTexas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Square Foot Gardening

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Square Foot Gardening by Pat Abramson.

I’ve been hearing a lot of reasons why friends think their garden will be more than they can handle.  “Without a tiller, I can’t prepare a bed.” “With my arthritis, I don’t think I can do all that bending.”  “It’s more than I can take on right now.”  These folks need to discover the “Square Foot Gardening” way!

No tilling is necessary, because you don’t use any soil you have!  Instead, you create a bed ON TOP OF your own soil!  You only plant what you want to eat, or can, or give away.  And, if necessary, you can create your garden plot (4’ x 4’, or smaller) on a table, with holes in the bottom, so there’s no bending or kneeling.

Mel Bartholomew’s “Square Foot Gardening” book has sold more copies in the last 25 years than any other garden book.  An engineer/efficiency expert, Mel wondered why everyone gardened in long rows that created lots of weeds, why they planted more than they could ever eat, and why they thinned or threw away 90% of what they had planted.  Reason:  “Because that’s the way we’ve always done it.”

Mel’s only tool need is a trowel.   “Mel’s soil mix” is equal parts of compost, peat moss, and vermiculite.  In our area, NK Lawn & Garden Seeding Mix will work better.

Locate your garden “box” plot close to the house.  Make it 4’ x 4’ on each side.  Each box will be 6” deep.  Space each box 3’ apart.  Wet 5 – 6 layers of newspaper on the bottom of your box, then fill it with the modified Mel’s mix described above

Place on top of each box frame a permanent “grid” that divides the box into one-foot squares.  This grid is what makes the whole system work so well.  Venetian blinds work great.  Secure them to the sides & bolt them where they cross.  You now have 16 squares for up to 16 different vegetables.  In each 1-ft. square you can plant the following:  16 carrots, 9 spinach, 9 beets, 4 lettuce, 1 cabbage, 1 broccoli, 1 pepper, 1 tomato, 2 cucumbers, 8 pole beans.  On one side of your box you will trellis plants like tomatoes vertically.

There won’t be room for weeds.  Your plot is so small, watering is now manageable.  Each time you harvest a plant, you’ll add a cup of compost and plant something new.

Bartholomew has begun a Foundation to help teachers, gardeners and missionaries carry Square Foot Gardening information to countries where families can learn to grow what they eat.  Islands like Bermuda import all their food.  The Government is working with Bartholomew to help teach residents how to go back to growing more of their own food.  A manageable, square-foot garden seemed so ideal for schools that Utah decided to install one in each elementary school in the state!

“Square Foot Gardening” is available at bookstores.  More information and products are available at www.squarefootgardening.com.

Southern Pine Beetle

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Southern Pine Beetle by Stephanie Suesan Smith Ph.D.

Ever notice lots of oozing wounds on your pine, cedar, or juniper tree? See rows of circular holes in the trunk? You have crossed paths with the Southern Pine Beetle. Now this may be good news if you want the cedar in your pasture to die, but if you happen to like the tree that is infected, you have a problem.

Pine Bark Beetle Damage

Pine Bark Beetle Damage

The Southern Pine Beetle is a type of bark beetle. It bores a hole in the bark of the tree and lays eggs there. When the eggs hatch, the grubs, or larvae, chew the wood around the hole they are in. The newly hatched ones eat the soft, inner bark. The older ones eat the harder outer bark.When it has grown enough, the grub pupates and changes into an adult. The adult chews a circular hole through the bark and flies off to find a mate.

The beetle kills trees by either girdling it or by simply sucking so much of the needed water and nutrients the tree starves. Often, the first time a homeowner sees a problem is when the crown of the tree turns yellowish, then red, and finally brown. By then, it is very difficult if not impossible to treat the problem.

Other signs that there is a problem are tubes of pitch, or resin, flowing from the tree. When first attacked by these beetles, trees often exude large quantities of pitch in an attempt to push the invaders out. Sometimes this works. Other times, it does not, or the tree is not able to mount this counter attack.In any case, such pitch tubes are signs of a problem and should be investigated further.

The beetles and their larvae are small, about 1/8 inch long. If you chip the bark off a suspected invasion site, you will see holes with tiny grubs in them. You may see the black adult beetles, as well.

If you have this problem, you will want to treat it promptly so other trees do not become infected. How you treat it depends on how severely the tree is infested and what symptoms it has developed. If the crown is brown, your tree is probably dying and should be cut down and burned as soon as it is cut to kill the larvae and beetles it contains.

If your tree is at the pitch tube stage, or the crown is still green, you may be able to save it. The district entomologist has had some success with using Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Insect Control. This is a drench you mix in a bucket and pour all around the tree. The tree takes up the drench as if it were water. When the larvae and beetles suck the sap from the tree, the poison kills them. Be sure to follow the label directions and be advised that this is not as successful with heavy infestations.

What Vegetables to Plant Next

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What Vegetables to Plant Next by Byron Chitwood.

By now, all the cool weather crops that should be planted in late winter and early spring should be in the ground and maybe some of them are being harvested and enjoyed. We are right in the middle of the time to plant vegetables that would be killed by a late frost. Mid March is about the average date of the last killing frost.

One of these can always occur a little later but now is the time for planting if you want to realize maximum production. Ones that can be safely planted after mid March are beans of all kinds including green beans, limas, and pintos. Other’s that can be planted this early are corn, cucumber, eggplants, pumpkins, squash and tomatoes. Watermelons and cantaloupes can also be planted since they are in the same family as squash but there is still plenty of time to plant these two. They can be planted up until about May 1.

Green beans are one of the all time favorites. Even kids love them when they will eat very few other vegetables. The Master Gardeners of Hunt County ran a test to determine the most productive variety of green beans in the Heritage Garden. Contenders came out way ahead of the second best. However, if you prefer another variety over Contenders, plant your favorite. Measure the soil temperature before planting green beans. If the temperature is much below 60 degrees wait a few days before planting because they will not germinate very cool ground.

One of the guides for planting that contains information on planting by temperature can be obtained at the AgriLife building at 2217 Washington Street or you can Email me at: chitwood@geusnet.com . I will send a copy back to you by email and you can file it and also print a copy for future reference. To save space, use trellising for those plants that can be trained to climb such as cucumbers or can be trimmed and tied to a stake such as tomatoes. If your garden is relatively small or you have some older seeds that need used up, my Grandmother used a trick that insured a well planted garden without large spacing due to non germination of seeds. She would plant two seeds very close together and then use a normal spacing followed by another two seeds close like the previously mentioned ones. After the seeds germinated and the plants were a couple of inches tall, she would thin the plants out by cutting the excess ones.

Vegetables that can be planted after March 1 until mid May are Okra, Southern or Field Peas, Peppers of all varieties, Watermelons and Cantaloupes. These crops like to be planted in soil temperatures that are from 70 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Seeds planted in the temperature ranges that are recommended will do better in the long run over those that are planted in too cold or hot soil.

Hunt County Master Gardener, Pat Abramson will give an excellent program, “The World of Herbs” at the Fletcher Warren Civic Center on April 21. Be sure and come see this program. The topics covered will be on the growing, harvesting and culinary cooking with herbs. Your knowledge of gardening will be greatly increased if you are well versed in herbs as well as vegetables.

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Lamont Cunningham, Master Gardener Emeritus

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Lamont Cunningham, Master Gardener Emeritus

In academia, a professor who retires after serving his or her University and scholastic discipline long and well may be granted the title Professor Emeritus.  This means that the professor retains an office at the university, has access to university resources, and is accorded a great deal of respect.  Not everyone gets this title.  Actually, few attain it.

Master Gardeners are volunteers under the auspices of the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Program, administered by the Texas A&M University System.  There have been a few instances where master gardeners have served with such distinction that they have been accorded the title Texas Master Gardener Emeritus upon retirement.  These master gardeners retain some privileges that active master gardeners are given, as well as being listed on the Texas Master Gardener Emeritus website and being accorded the respect of their peers.

To date there have been just 14 people who have been awarded the title of Texas Master Gardener Emeritus.  The latest is Lamont Cunningham.  Lamont entered the master gardener program in 1997, the second year it was offered in Hunt County.  He has served tirelessly since then.  He served the entire Texas community, both master gardeners and consumers, with his presentations on the history of Extension.  He gave it to each master gardener class in Hunt County, to civic clubs and organizations, and to anyone else that asked.

However, his biggest contribution has been the spearheading of the creation of the Heritage Garden of Hunt County.  Without him it likely would not have happened.  He is in the back row of the hose cutting, beside Judge Bobbitt, the County Judge at that time.

Hose cutting at the opening of the Heritage Garden of Hunt County

Hose cutting at the opening of the Heritage Garden of Hunt County on May 21, 2004

When Lamont decided to retire, it was clear he deserved Emeritus status for both his spearheading of the Heritage Garden of Hunt County and his work on the history of Extension.  Calls were made and paperwork was filed.  To be accorded this honor, the paperwork has to reach the Regents for the Texas A&M System and be voted on.

On Thursday, March 24th, the plaque and certificate making things official were presented to Lamont Cunningham by Sara Allen, Hunt County Extension Agent.  Lamont became the 14th Texas Master Gardener Emeritus.  Lamont said a few words about how much Extension meant to him and how much this honor meant.  Then his wife, Sarah, read a letter from their daughter expressing how proud she was of her Dad.  Then it was over and Lamont and Sarah left.  Lamont’s contributions, however, will continue to live as long as there are master gardeners in Hunt County and people who benefit from Extension in Texas.

Sara Allen, Extension agent, Lamont Cunningham, Master Gardener Emeritus

Sara Allen, Extension agent, Lamont Cunningham, Master Gardener Emeritus at the presentation of the title Emeritus to Lamont

Good Things Coming

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Good things coming

Master Gardeners have a busy week.  On March 22, we meet the follies director.  This is at the Fletcher Warren Civic Center at 7 pm.  The very next day, on the 23rd, at 5:30 pm, the follies auditions will be held at the municipal auditorium.  Do your best Fred Astaire, or Ginger Rodgers, as the case may be, and you may get picked. [Read more…] about Good Things Coming

Late Frost Protection for Vegetables

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Late Frost Protection for Vegetables by Byron Chitwood

One of the best frost protections for certain vegetables is to wait until after the last killing frost.  For our area, the last average date for a killing frost is March 14.  This article is being written on March 15 so we are safe, right?  Well not exactly since the average date is an average of many dates which can include some later dates as well as earlier ones.  Be prepared to protect some of your young vegetables in case a late frost is predicted.  The Meteorologists are getting more accurate at predicting the weather so pay attention to their predictions.

Some crops such as all the Cole plants being, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower can stand a certain amount of below freezing so they probably will not need protection unless a severely low temperature is forecast.  Also, onions, spinach, radishes and various greens can stand these lower temperatures without a great deal of damage.

Vegetables that will be killed by a frost are squash, beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, peppers, tomatoes and all melons.  Therefore, wait until the last killing frost to plant beans, corn and vegetables that are planted from seeds.  Then, only plant a fraction, about one-third of any one at a time and ten days later, plant another third, etc. until as many have been planted as is required.  This way, an oversupply of any one vegetable will not take place and the harvest will be stretched out over thirty extra days.

Potatoes can certainly be nipped by a light frost but will usually send forth more vegetation after frost damage.

Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants can be killed by the lightest of frosts and will need to be replanted if this happens.  However, in this area, these vegetables need to be planted as early as possible so that will be at the right stage of their growth when the time comes for them to set blossoms.  Blossom set on tomatoes at between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit and will not set very well in hotter temperatures, thus, the need to plant them early to hit this temperature window at the proper time.   If a frost is predicted at some time when the tomatoes are small, take precautions to protect them.  If they are very small, they can be covered with fruit jars of any one liter soda bottle that has had the top conical portion of the bottle removed.  An extra precaution would be to cover the jars or bottles with leaves for insulation.  If leaves are not handy, wrap the containers with newspapers and tie securely so that the paper won’t be blown off.  If the plants to be protected are too large for the bottles or jars, use five gallon buckets or old ice chests to cover them.

Cover potatoes with a layer of leaves.  Some frost damage might still occur but after uncovering the plants, most will have survived.

If some of the vegetable plants have been killed, obtain some new ones and replant.  Nobody can be certain of when a frost will occur but if you follow some of these rules, you will be a more successful gardener.

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Pruning Roses

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Pruning Roses by PJ LaRue Smith

What is the purpose behind pruning roses?  To improve the health and vigor of the bush by removing dead, diseased, damaged, or unproductive canes and opening the bush up to allow for air flow in order to assist in natural disease prevention.  Understanding these two primary purposes can act as a guide in the technical part of pruning roses.

Some exceptions to pruning a rose bush need to be mentioned before proceeding.  If the bush only blooms on old wood (i.e. blooms once a year in the spring or summer) then it is NOT to be pruned until AFTER it blooms).  Healthy wood (a creamy white color on the inside) on repeat blooming climbers should be pruned lightly.  Old garden roses (OGRs) and Shrub roses should be pruned lightly as well.

Before making the first cut on any bush, assemble the necessary equipment.  Standard rose pruning equipment includes, but is not limited to:  (a) sharp pair of BY-PASS pruners (not the anvil type that tends to crush the canes); (b) solid leather thorn-proof gloves (no part of which should be cloth); (c) either a pruning saw, or sharp pair of long-handled, BY-PASS loppers (to trim away large diameter canes); (d)  trash can for debris (both what has been cut off and what may be lying below the plant); (e) good whet stone to keep the pruners/loppers sharp (dull blades damage canes and tend to be a hazard for the operator); (f) appropriate footwear for working in the garden (sandals and flip-flops don’t protect from thorns, ants, or the accidentally dropped pair of pruners); (g) long-sleeved shirt and jeans (did I mention roses have thorns?); and (h) stocked first-aid kit (complete with tweezers for picking out the “thorn in the flesh”).

“How to cut” requires a little rose anatomy lesson and remembering the second purpose listed above.  In order to “open up  the bush” one has to cut above an outward facing bud eye.  Since there are likely no leaves left, this would be where the leaves were attached.  This looks like a little smile with a nose above it.  New growth will originate from the “nose” of the bud eye and grow in the direction it is pointing.  If the bud eye faces the inside of the bush, then that is the direction it will grow.  Cutting to an inside facing bud eye will close up the bush instead of opening it up.  The cut should be approximately 1/4” above the bud eye at a 45° angle with the peak above the bud eye.

Climate determines the best time to prune roses in the spring.  For the north Hunt County area, this would be the end of the first week in March, for the southern half of the county, around the first of March.  Understand that these are general dates, and if you haven’t yet pruned the garden’s roses this spring, the window is still open to do so.  Be sure to remove and dispose of (not in the compost pile) all trimmed material and any leaves or rose pieces on the ground as they can harbor disease and insect pests.

At the time of pruning, fertilize the roses lightly (per soil testing), add more mulch as needed, and begin the year’s spray program for disease if you are so inclined.  The fungicides that are available to the home gardener are preventative, not curative, and must be applied prior to the outbreak of disease.  If spraying is begun at pruning time, and old diseased plant parts are removed from around the bushes, the incidence of disease can be significantly lowered.

PJ LaRue Smith is a master gardener in Hunt County.

Where We Have Been

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Master Gardeners Present Mock Check To Commissioner’s Court

Hunt County Master Gardener Association President Byron Chitwood presents County Judge John Horn with a “mock check” in acknowledgment of the $107,000 of volunteer time contributed by the Master Gardeners to Hunt County in 2009. The presentation was made to the Hunt County Commissioners Court, where the court honored Master Gardeners with a Certificate of Appreciation.
Hunt County Master Gardener Association

Hunt County Master Gardener Association President Byron Chitwood presents County Judge John Horn with a “mock check” in acknowledgment of the $107,000 of volunteer time contributed by the Master Gardeners to Hunt County in 2009. The presentation was made to the Hunt County Commissioners Court, where the court honored Master Gardeners with a Certificate of Appreciation.

Commissioners Court Presentation by Sara Allen, County Extension Agent – Agriculture Hunt County

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Commissioners Court Presentation
Commissioners Court Presentation

2010 “Art of Gardening” Off To A Good Start

Though only 23 people had pre-registered, Hunt County Master Gardeners’ quarterly “Art of Gardening” talk at the W.

Art of Gardening
Art of Gardening

Walworth Harrison Library in Greenville, Texas experienced record attendance after 97 people signed in. The topic seemed to be timely, since the economy is motivating more and more people to learn how to grow their own vegetables, or to learn about new techniques that have come along in recent years. “Square Foot Gardening: How to grow twice as much in half the space, reduce watering by half, and eliminate weeding” was the title of the talk on January 21st. When people hear they can have a garden a little bigger than a large card table and grow 16 different plants in an area that small, they’re intrigued. In addition, there’s no need to use one’s own soil: this is “above ground” planting that requires no tilling or other heavy tools. A 6” high raised bed is constructed right on top of your own little plot of grass, if necessary, and the raised bed can be done in a box that’s waist-high for older gardeners with arthritis, or for people in wheelchairs.

Art of Gardening
Art of Gardening

This informative seminar was given excellent media coverage when the local Greenville radio station ran continuous ads during the week before the talk. The Greenville Herald Banner announced the talk and ran two informative newspaper articles close to the date of the talk as well. Master Gardeners also engaged in their own “media blitz” by e-mailing to any possible prospects the attractive flyer that had been created for the event.

The 22-minute video that the author, Mel Bartholemew produced, covers everything you need to know to use this approach to planting. People are usually surprised to hear his book is the biggest selling gardening book in the country, since so few people have heard of this “non-traditional and non-row-type” planting. The speaker, Pat Abramson, is a ten-year veteran square foot gardener, demonstrated how one would construct a “vertical trellis” on one side of the 4’ x 4’ garden plot. She also demonstrated how one can incorporate the square foot method into existing flower or herb beds.

Free seeds were given out, refreshments were served, and handouts included Spring and Fall vegetable planting dates. The door prize given away consisted of a Square Foot Gardening book as well as garden accessories and tools.

The evaluation of this seminar produced outstanding results such as: “97% have a better understanding of square foot method compared to row planting”

The next “Art of Gardening” talk is also expected to have record numbers of attendees, since it is being repeated after its huge popularity last year: Byron Chitwood will be speaking on growing tomatoes and vegetables in the spring garden and explaining various ways of composting. It is scheduled to be held at a larger facility to accommodate the larger numbers of local residents who are finding these topics very timely.

Gardeners Giving Back…

Book Donation
Book Donation

Hunt County Master Gardeners recently donated two best-selling gardening books to the W. Walworth Harrison Public Library in Greenville. From left, Sherry Thomason, Master Gardener, Paul Phelan, Library Director, Sara Allen, County Extension Agent, and Byron Chitwood, 2010 president of the Hunt County Master Gardeners, preview the new books including Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space by Mel Barthelomew and Doug Welsh’s Texas Garden Almanac. Master Gardeners in conjunction with the library present quarterly gardening programs of interest to area residents. On Thursday, January 21, at 6PM the first program of the year will be “Square Foot Gardening: How to Grow Twice as Much in Half the Space, Reduce Watering by Half, and Eliminate Weeding”.