Hunt County Master Gardeners-
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Article Key Words
Animal Name Bed, Asters, Birds, Bluebonnets, Butterflies, Chili Peppers, Commissioners Court, Cover Crops, Earth-Kind Roses, Fall Greens, Fall Vegetable Gardening, Fire Ants, Fruit Trees Gardening and Allergies, Garlic, Grasshoppers, Greenhouses, Grubs, Holiday Wreaths, Houseplants, Lawn Care, Lawn Problems, Master Gardener Awards, Native Plants, Ornamental Grasses, Oxalis, Peppers, Perennial Vegetables, Pine Trees, Planting Bareroot Trees, Plant Stress, Poison Ivy, Poisonous Plants, Pruning, Salsa Fest, Shamrocks, Southern Pine Beetle, Spider Mites, Squash Bugs, St. Patrick's Day, Starting Seeds, Trees & Shrubs, Valentines, Warm Season Garden, Wildflowers,
Category Archives: Fruits and Nuts
Bare Rooted Fruit Trees
Bare Rooted Fruit Trees by Wanda Loras, Master Gardener. There is nothing better than a firm, juicy peach or a crisp apple plucked from your very own tree. If this sounds good to you, start now and in a couple of years it can happen. Bare rooted fruit trees are available in the garden centers now. They come packed with damp moss or sawdust covered with material to keep the roots moist. They are less expensive and if planted properly are just as successful as container plants. Plant… Read More →
Pecan Grafting Seminar
Pecan Grafting Seminar by Sara Allen Pecan production is popular in Hunt County in both backyard small orchards, as well as larger orchards. We have had requests recently to host a Pecan Grafting Clinic, and are pleased to be doing so on Thursday, January 15, as part of the Art of Gardening Seminar Series. This seminar will be the first “Art of Gardening Series” seminar for 2015. The program will begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Fletcher Warren Civic Center, 5501 Business Highway 69 South in Greenville. The… Read More →
Grape Harvesting 101
Grape Harvesting 101 by Diane Sidebottom. Whether you have a few grapevines in your backyard or acres of grape-producing vines, knowing when and how to harvest the grapes is critical to success. Make sure your grapes are ripe before you harvest. Grapes generally mature from late August to late November depending on the variety. Keep an eye on the color changes of the grape such as green to blue or red to white. Most cultivars color up long before they flavor up. Although color change is important, it… Read More →
Blackberries
Blackberries by PJ LaRue Smith. Blackberries of the wild type (sometimes referred to as ‘dewberries’ or brambles) are typically considered a curse to those who seek to cultivate the land for livestock forage. Even the home gardener will struggle with this plant when attempting to tame the landscape into the garden of their dreams. These native perennials (of which there are ten listed species) can either be ground hugging or upright and thicket forming like Rosaceae oklahomus. Spread of these plants happens not only via natural seed dispersal,… Read More →
Blackberries, a Thorny Delight
Blackberries, a Thorny Delight by Diana Sidebottom. Ouch, Ouch, Ouch!! If you are a gardener, you know that can mean only one thing; it’s time to prune the Blackberry vines! Well, it may actually mean several things…. like you have been sitting on the couch all winter and after a few days of working in the garden, every muscle in your body is screaming, ‘Are you crazy?’ Yes, as most gardeners know, you have to be a little crazy to do this. After all, you can purchase most… Read More →
Edible Landscaping
Edible landscaping by PJ LaRue Smith. Ornamental landscapes of flowers, shrubs, and trees will often have a few herbs scattered throughout due to their beauty and usefulness in the landscape. Why not consider the beauty and usefulness of vegetables, fruits, and nuts as well? Designs that incorporate large proportions of vegetables, nuts, and fruits, are often referred to as “edible landscapes”. Edible landscaping (as such a design is called) incorporates varying proportions of vegetable, nut, fruit, and herb plantings amongst ornamentals in a landscape. What are the benefits… Read More →
Pruning Grapevines
Pruning Grapevines by Byron Chitwood. When research is done on anything to do with growing grapes, the name Thomas Volney Munson surfaces. T.V. Munson as he was commonly referred to was born in Astoria, Illinois in the early 1800’s. He graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1870. Early on he pursued a lifelong career of developing grape varieties. His first choice of location was in Nebraska. However, cold weather conditions and insects wiped out his early experimentation. T.V. had two brothers who had settled in the Dennison,… Read More →
Planting Fruit and Nut Trees
Planting Fruit and Nut Trees by DeAnna Hambly Ah, delicious juicy summer peaches. But wait! It’s November. And most people are thinking about turkey and dressing– not warm summer days and fruit trees swaying in the breeze. True. But because fruit and nut trees have a minimum chilling hours requirement, November is the best time of year to think about planting them. Chilling hours refers to the number of hours a tree needs to spend in approximately 32-40 degree temperatures every year. Depending on what type of tree… Read More →
Growing Cantaloupe
Growing Cantaloupe by Madeline Sullivan. The cantaloupe or “muskmelon” is wonderfully delicious and unique in flavor. It is a member of a large Cucurbitaceae family. Other members of this family include squash, cucumbers, gourds, and pumpkins. All of these relatives and the melons trail as vines on the ground surface. Cantaloupe is thought to have originated either from India, ancient Persia or Africa. It grows best on draining, sandy soil with a proper irrigation facility, and requires honeybees for effective pollination. The melon is a summer season fruit… Read More →