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The Compost BinA Publication of the Travis County Master Gardeners - a volunteer program of Texas AgriLife Extension.
Guest Presenter...
Keith Amelung on Heirloom
Tomatoes
In this issue...
In the Vegetable Garden
Heirloom Tomatoes
Rover Ants
Propagators’ Toolbox
Hints from Wolf’s Garden
Designing Small Gardens
President’s Message
February 2010
Inside this Issue....
• FebruaryMeetingSpeaker-KeithAmelung• ThePresident’sMessage• IntheVegetableGarden• HintsfromWolf’sGarden• RoverAnts• PropagatorsToolbox• DesigningSmallGardens(PartOne)• ComingEvents• 2010TCMGABoard• CompostBinContributors
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On Heirloom Tomatoes
Tomatoeswhichtaste liketomatoes…yum! February’sspeaker isKeithAmelung,
anheirloomtomatoexpert! Hemadehispassionforheirloomtomatoes intoa
business.HeirloomTomatoesofTexasisawebbasedbusiness(www.heirloomtoma-
toesoftexas.com)whichsellsheirloomtomatotransplantsandafew(“Gulp,hesays,
Ijustthrewupinmymouthalittle”)hybrids.
ExpandyourknowledgeofheirloomsasKeithdiscussescharacteristicsofmanyof
thetomatovarieties.Hewillalsosharehispersonalgrowingtipstoincreaseyour
chanceofobtainingperfecttomatoesbyamendingthesoil, reducediseasesand
fungus,spacingandmore.
Keithwillbetakingordersforheirloomtomatotransplantsafterthemeeting.Master
GardenerscanhavetheseshippedorpickedupfromhisboothattheZilkerGarden
Festival(afteryouhavealsoshoppedattheTCMGAbooth,ofcourse).Hisnurseryand
greenhousearenotopenforwalk-invisitors.
February Meeting Speaker — Keith Amelung
Asanurseryownerforfiveyears,Keithspecializedinherbs,natives,rosesandaquatic
plants.Therehediscoveredheirloomveggies,asawaytooffersomethinguniqueto
hiscustomers.
Formorethantwoyears,KeithworkedforFertileGardenSupply,amajormaterials
yardinnorthwestSanAntonio,whichspecializedinsoilblends,mulchesand
strictlyorganicgardenproducts.Duringthelastyearwiththiscompany
Keithappearedasthein-house“garden-guru”forNBC’slocal‘SanAntonio
Living’show.ItwasKeith’sgreatpleasuretosubstitute/guest-hostforBob
WebsterontheKTSAGardenShowfornearlytenyears.
EachspringforthepastsixyearsKeithhasofferedtomatoplantsforsale
viatheinternettofellowTexansandhasexpandedhisownappreciation
forheirloom/open-pollinatedveggies—edibleornamentals.
BorninSanAntonio,KeithhaslivedandgardenedinBoerne,Texassince
1991.Althoughhehasreceivednoformalcollegiateeducationingardening
ortomatogrowing,hisself-taught,hands-onapproachhasearnedhimthe
respectofhisclientsandpeers.
Currently,KeithoffershisservicesunderthebannerofHaveSpade,Will
TravelLandscape&Consulting.Heenjoysspeakingtogardenclubsthrough-
outtheareaonawidevarietyofsubjectssuchasorganic/chemical-free
gardening,deer-resistantandnativeplants,watergardeningandofcourse
heirloomvegetables.
Meeting information:
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 starting at 7 pm.
Zilker Botanical Garden
Hello Master Gardeners:
A Message From Your President
Recently,whilecleaningoutacloset,Icameacrossmygrandmother’swoodensew-
ingboxandstoppedeverythingtocheckoutthecontents.Atthebottom,foldedand
turningbrownwithage,wasafourpageletteraddressedtomygrandmotherfrom
arelativewholivedinOdessa,Texas.Iamtoldbymyrelativesthattheletterwas
writtensometimerightaftertheturnofthecentury.Itreads,
”My redbud tree is really pretty now, also have a million violets in bloom.
Tho’ little violets always remind me of San Saba. Obie and I used to pick
them by the basket full there on the river every spring and take them
to school. I have had pretty hyacinths and yellow jonquils but they are
about bloomed out. Some years a hard freeze or a hard sand storm
will get the redbud about the time it starts to bloom but not this year.
The trees are all leafing out and so are the roses, in fact, some of the
roses have little buds on them. We put out some new roses this year.
Also some Sweet William, Snapdragons, Larkspur, annual and perennial
Phlox. I am trying a few new plants this year-have a Snowball bush,
a Wisteria bush and a yellow Jasmine…”
Needlesstosay,myheartleapedwithjoytoreadthislongagorelativetalkabouther
garden,herhardshipsandherrewards.Shegoesontotalkaboutherbrother,Obie,
whoworkedonaranch,sleptoutunderthestarsandhadjustpurchasedanewsaddle
for$90ofhardearnedcowboymoney!
Mygrandmotherwasmyfirstlinkintheloveofgardening.Sheandmygrandfather
hadahugeyearlyveggiegardenwithplumtreesinthebackrow.Theyraisedchickens
bothfortheeggsandthefreefertilizer.Roses,honeysuckle,snapdragonsandSweet
Williamwerecarefullytended.
Heirloomgardeningisawonderfulwaytotracenotonlywhoyouare,but“why”you
areyou.Iamattemptingtodojustthatinanewgardenareaand,withthefinding
ofthisletter,amabletoputonemoresmallpieceofourfamilypuzzletogether—with
gardening,noless.
Ihopeeachofyouisabletodothesame.Abletotracea“passalong”fern,roseor
vegetablevarietydownyourfamilyline.Abletosharewithyourchildrenandgrand-
childrenyourloveofgardeningthatformsthatbondbetweenyouforever.Andso,to
eachofyouIsendValentinewishesfor…
HappyGardening,
CarolynWilliams,
President
Tomatoesforsaleinaneighborhoodmarket.PhotobyJackGavigan,BoroughMarket,LondonEnglandNovember,2009
UsedundertheCreativeCommonsAttribution-ShareAlikelicense.
The President’s Message Continued...
Weareonthedownsideofwinter,andhopefullytheDeepFreezeofJanuary2010didnot
wreakhavoconyourvegetablegarden.Rowcoveroffersamazingprotectiontoplants
threatenedbycoldweather,andIalwaystrytokeepitonhand.Itcanbepurchased
throughmostseedcatalogsandcanbefoundatsomelocalnurseries.Iorderedalarge
sheet(12’x32’)for$31.88fromtheTexasGardenerwebsiterecently,whichishandy
forcoveringalargegardenareaorforcuttingintosmallersections.
Peasandpotatoesaretwocropsthatdobestwhenplantedthismonth.‘Cascadia’and
‘SuperSugarSnap’aretwoproductiveedible-poddedpeas
thatperformwellinmyowngardenyearafteryear.‘Cascadia’
isabushvariety,but‘SuperSugarSnap’isavinethatcan
growto5’andbeyond,sobesuretotrainitonafence,trel-
lisortalltomatocage.‘Mr.Big’isanAllAmericaSelections
gardenpeathatyieldslargepodsfullofplump,sweetpeas,
and‘DwarfGreySugar’producessnowpeasthatmakea
tastyadditiontostir-friesandprovidealittlecrunchwhen
In The Vegetable Garden
By Patty Leander
Right:Abountifulharvest of sugarsnappeas-tempt-ingtoeatright inthegarden.
Left:Thealluringbloomsof‘DwarfGreySugar’snowpeas
addedrawtosalads.Its lovelypurpleblooms
areabonus.
Ifyouhavealittleroomforapotatopatchmid-
Februaryisagoodtimetoplant.Itisbestto
useseedpotatoesfromlocalnurseries, feed
storesormailordersourcesastheyarecerti-
fiedtobediseasefree.MyorderfromRonniger’s
PotatoFarmarrived in lateJanuary,andthe
seedpotatoesarespreadoutinabinandresting
comfortablyundermybeduntilplantingtime—it’s
cool,dry,outofthewayandnoonewillbotherthem.Infact,Brucedoesn’tevenknow
theyarethere!Ifyou’dliketolearnmoreaboutgrowingpotatoes,pleasejoinmeatthe
DemonstrationGardenonFebruary13from9:00-11:00forahow-toplantingsession.
IfyourgardentookabeatinginJanuary,takeadvantageofsomewarm,sunnyFeb-
ruarydaystocleanoutyourbeds,compostthespentplantmaterial,amendthesoil
andprepareforspringplanting.Transplantsofbroccoliandcauliflowercanbeplanted
earlythismonthaswellasseedsofcoolseasonveggies,likecarrots,lettuce,turnips,
radishes,beetsandSwisschard.Wemustrememberthattheseplantswillbetak-
ingupspaceforthenextcoupleofmonths,soplancarefullytobesurethatyoustill
haveroomforwarmseasonveggieswhichneedtobeplantedinMarchandApril.We
arefortunatetohavesuchavarietyofvegetablesthatcanbegrowninourgardens,
buttransitioningfromacoolseasongardentoawarmseasongardentakesabitof
jugglinganddecisionmaking,especiallywhenspaceisatapremium.
In The Vegetable Garden Continued...
Above:Freshlydugpotatoes
CreateGoodSoilfromtheTopDown
Ibeganmylatewinterclean-upthisweek.It’sthepartofgardeningthatIreallydon’t
like,butIknowthesenativeplantswillbereadytostarttheirnewgrowthsoon.My
attentionthengoestothesoil,orthelackthereof.TheamendmentsIaddeveryyear
seemtodisappearsorapidly.So,I’vebeenthinkingabouthowIcanhavehealthysoil
andfewerweeds.Ifyoulikethatideatoo,readon.
Thefirstconceptistoavoidsoildisruption.Untilledsoilcontainsthousandsofdormant
weedseedsjustwaitingforlightandair.Sowhenyoutillthesoil,youessentiallyare
sowingweeds.Tillingthesoilputssomuchoxygenintothesoilthatitburnsupor-
ganicmatterfasterthanitcanbeadded.Naturalsoilshaveastableamountoforganic
matter,butonceyoutillthem,thatamountdropsdramaticallyandstaysatalower
level.Overtime,soildevelopsanetworkoflargeandsmallpores.Thelargeporesare
importantforaerationandthedrainageofexcesswater.Thesmallporeshavecapil-
larychannelsthatholdwaterandcanevenmovewateruporsidewaystoroots.When
planting,minimizedisruptionbymakingaholejustbigenoughtofittherootball.You
actuallygetbetterwateruseandfewerweedsinsoil
thatisnottilled.
Thesecondconceptistoputtheorganicmaterial
onthetopoftheoldsemi-decayedorganicmaterial.
Youleavetheorganicmulchontopofthesoil,and
asitbreaksdown,itgraduallyfiltersthenutrients
Hints from Wolf’s Garden - Creating Good Soil
By Becky Waak
Right:Don’tdisruptthesoilprofile.
ImagecourtesyoftheUSDA
intothetoplayers.That’showMotherNaturedoesit.Nowtheexceptionis-allyou
folkseastofI-35whohaveclaysoil.Youwillneedaone-timedigginginofsomeor-
ganicmatterlikecompost,shale,orevensawdust.(Withsawdustyou’llneedtoadd
somenitrogentoo.)Coveringthesoilwithaninchoforganicmulchkeepsitlooseso
thatwateractuallygetsintothesoilwheretherootsare.Mulchalsoallowsplantroots
todevelopinacool,moistenvironment.
Thethirdconceptistoavoidsoilcompaction.Rootsneedairtofunctionandwhen
soiliscompacted,itdrivestheairout.Themoreroomyouleavearoundtheplants,
themorelikelytherootswilltravelout.Youprobablyhavepulledoldtomatoplants
outandseehowfartherootshavetraveledjustbelowthesurface.Thisisbecauseof
notonlytheloosesoil,butalsothemulch,whichkeepsthesoilmoistnearthesurface.
Byspreadingoutmorethandown,rootsaregettingmoreoxygenandmorenutrients.
Whatnow?I’mgoingtospreadsomecompostandordersomemulchfromMolly
ClarkandMarianStasneythroughtheMasterGardeners’Buyer’sCo-Op.
Hints from Wolf’s Garden Continued ...
CalltoArms!WeneeddonationsfortheupcomingGetGrowing,KeepGoing
teachers’seminaronSaturday,February6.We'regoingtogiveeachteacherwho
attendsthepropagationclassa"sodabottlepropagator."
Here’swhatweneed:2literCokeorPepsibottles,labelsremoved,washedclean
WITHcap.(Needatleast50total,willtakemore.)
IfyoucanbringthesetoournextTCMGAmeetingWednesday,February3,thatwould
begreatoryoucandropthemoffattheExtensionOffice,MasterGardenerDesk-by
February3.
ManythanksfromTommieClayton&SusanJung-TMGPropagationSpecialists
ANewPestinCentralTexas
RoverantsseemtobepickingupspeedasanewpestintheCentralTexasarea.They
havebeenhereformanyyears,butseemtobenoticedmorefrequentlythaninthepast.
Roverantsaretiny(~1/16”long)andbrownish-black.Theyhave9antennalsegments
whichdifferentiatesthemfrommanyotherants,butyou’llneedagoodhandlensor
microscopetocountantennalsegments.Theabdomenofroverantsispudgyandthe
antshavea“humpbacked”appearance.
Forgreatphotosyoucangotothefollowingsite:
http://myrmecos.wordpress.com/2008/05/27/rover-ants-brachymyrmex-patagonicus-
an-emerging-pest-species/
Colonies,ornests,aresmallandhaveasinglequeen.Theycanoccurinsidestructures
inplacessuchaswallvoidsusuallyinareasofmoisture-kitchen,bathroomsandnear
plumbingleaks.Outdoors,peopleoftenfindtheantsnestingunderand/orinsideflower
pots,understonesandlandscapetimbersorrunningquicklyupanddownpatiofurniture
orotherverticalsurfaces.
Workerantswilloftenbeseenforagingonplants,andareoftenmistakenlyidentified
asdamagingtheplant.Theworkersaretendinghoneydewexcretedbyinsectssuchas
aphids,mealybugs,whitefliesandscaleinsects.Controllingthehoneydew-producing
insectsinthelandscapecanhelpcutdownonantproblems.
Theantscanbesomewhatdifficulttomanagesincetheydon’trespondwelltomostbaits.
Theydoappeartotakeliquidbaitsfairlywell.Spraysshouldnotbeusedtotreatfor
Rover Ants
By Wizzie Brown
roverantssincethiscansplitthecolonyupmakingtheantsmoredifficulttomanage.
Formoreinformationorhelpwithidentification,contactWizzieBrown,TexasAgriLife
ExtensionServiceProgramIPMSpecialistat512.854.9600.Alsocheckoutwww.urban-
ipm.blogspot.com
ImagesofBrachymyrmexpatagonicus-TheRoverAnt
ImagescourtesyofAntWeb(www.antweb.org)undertheShareAlikeCreativeCommonsLicense
Rover Ants Continued ...
Left:Freshlyharvested ‘Mr.Big’gardenpeas.
Right:Podsreadyforharvestingon‘Cascadia’sugarsnappeas.
Seedling Heat Mats & Thermostats
The(seedling)heatmatisaveryusefulpropagationtool;coupleitwitha(seedling)
heatmatthermostatfora“dynamicduo”-agreatinvestment!NowIsaythiscausea
singleflatheatmatandthermostatwillcostabout$65-astheheatmatsizeincreases
sodoestheprice;upgradetocommercialgreenhouseheatmatsandnowyou’retalk-
ingbigbucks.
Yourchoicewilldependonyourpropagationsetup.Doyouhaveagreenhousewith
spaceforaheatedpropagationbenchforstartingseedsandgivingcuttingsaboost,
ordoyoustartsmallquantitiesofseedsorcuttingsindoorsoroutsideonaprotected
porch?
Heatmatsarebasicallyanelectricalwiregridencased inatoughwaterproofbody
designedtoradiateheatevenlythroughthematraisingtherootingarea(flatbottom)
temperaturefrom10-20degreesaboveambientairtemperature.Athermostatgives
onetheabilityto“set”thetemperaturemorepreciselybyplacingaprobeintheflat’s
pottingsoil;thethermostatoperationistriggeredbytheprobe’stemperaturemeasure-
mentvs.thedegreesettingonthethermostatregulatordial.
Wheredoyoufindthem?Somelocalnurseriescarrythem,asdolocalhydroponic
supplystores,andseasonallyatlocalboxstores.CheckwithourTCMGABuyer’sCoop
contactforavailability.Youcanfindthemonthewebatgreenhousesupplysites,at
on-lineauctionsites,andhighvolumesellerssuchasAmazon.Shoparoundtofind
thebestpriceoption.
Propagator’s Toolbox
By Tommie Clayton
ThemostreadilyavailablebrandisHydrofarm(1,2&4flatsizes)heatmatsandther-
mostats.Theywilllastforyears,areeasytosetup,andeasytostorewhennotinuse,
andtheyhave“instructions”printedrightonthemat!
Park,Burpeeandotherseedsuppliersalsohavetheirownbrandofsimilarheatmats.
Ifyouhaveagreenhouseandneedlargermats,say,17”x60”or22”x60”,orlarger,
nowyou’retalkingcommercialgradeandbigbucks!MasterGardener,MarianStasney,
toldmetheFt.WorthBotanicalGardengreenhousefolksuseRedi-Heatpropagation
matsandthermostats.I’veseenthePro-Gro22”x60”(PGPM-9A)matinuseatthe
AustinCommunityCollegegreenhousewhenItookapropagationcoursethere.Keep
inmindthesehaveelectricalservicerequirementsyouneedtoconsiderforyoursafety
andtheefficientoperationthemat.
So…addaheatmattoyourtoolbox!
Propagator’s Toolbox Continued ...
Below: Three-day-old sunflower seedlings
Gardeninginasmallspace,beitanAustincitygardenorjustasmalllot,doesnothave
tobeaprisonsentence.Thereareplentyofwaystomakeasmallspaceintoanex-
citing,challenginggardenthatfulfillsmanydreams.Oneofthemisconceptionsabout
designingforsmallspacesisthatpeoplebelievethatgardendesignrulescanbeused
justforlargegardens.Nottrue!Allofthedesignprinciplesusedforlargergardensare
perfectlysuitableforgardensofanysize.Smallersizesmeankeepingthingstoasmaller
scaleandusingfewerofthem.
Thechallengesofsmallgardensarequitestraightforward.Firstandforemost,there’s
notenoughspacetogrowallwewanttogrow.Secondly,there’snotenoughtimeto
doallthatwewanttodo(butthat’sanotherissue).Thethirdgreatestchallengeisthat
thescaleofasmallgardenisoftenoutofproportion.Largebuildingsoftenturnthe
gardenintoacourtyard-likespaceandcreatehugetoweringverticalgoliathsthatdwarf
everythingattheirfeet.
Toovercomethechallengesofspace-challengedgardening,trysomeofthefollowingtips.
Think Simple Elegance - Not the KISS principle but “Less is More”
Resistthestrongurgetoputtoomuchintothedesignofagarden.Manygardeners
designgardenswitheverythingtheylikeinit.Stopandsavesomeofyour“wishlist”
forthenextgarden.Itisveryrarethatanyonestaysinoneplacefor40-50(oreven
10)yearsofhisorhergardeninglifeanymore.
Makeaccentsworkforyouinthegardenandnotcompetewitheachother.Accents
canbeoutstandingplants–likeabeautifulMexicanPersimmontreeorstrikingSalvia
clump.Usingcolorsorsculpturecanalsoworkasaccents.Asmallyardwithtoomany
Designing Small Garden Spaces (Part One)
By Anne Van Nest
accentsisveryvisuallyconfusing.Youreyeswillcontinuallybeonthemovelookingfor
somewheretorest.Takealotofthechoicesawayandmakeyouraccentsveryevident
andworkforyou.
Create intimate areas and private rooms
Designagardensothatithasenclosurescreatesanopportunityforveryspecialsmall
areasofmysteryorromance.Tuckasmallbirdbathorfoun-
tainintoabackcornerwithabenchjustbigenoughfortwo.
Surroundthiswithalatticefencecoveredwithclimbingroses
andaveryintimateareaiscreated.
Considerstructuresthatlimitthespaceoverheadandcreatea
roofforyourgarden.Severaldifferenttypesofmaterialssuch
asanarbororevenfencelatticecanbeusedtomakearoof
foragardenroom.Manycitygardenshavetodealwithanout
ofproportionedscalecreatedbylargebuildings.Thesestrong
verticallinesandhardbuildingmaterialsareever-present.Howcanwedealwiththese
verylimitingdesignconstraints?
Creatingasecludedgardenroom(withaceiling)istheanswer.Humansfeelmorese-
cureiftheyhavesolidstructuresaroundthem.JulieMoirMeservy,authorofThe Inward
Garden,saysthataviewoftheoutsideworldfromtheprotectionofanenclosed“cave”
isacomfortingpositionformost.
Agardenroofdoesnothavetobesolid(orevenrealinsomecases).Justtheillusion
createdbyacoupleofI-beamsandwisteriavinesgrowingonthemwillmakeyouthink
thatthere’saroofoverhead.
Designing Small Gardens Continued...
Go for the details
Anadvantageofsmallspacegardensistheopportunitytohaveinterestingandexqui-
sitedetailsinthegarden.Smallgardensmeanthateverylastdetailcanbenoticedand
appreciated.Someideasaretoincludeuniquepatiostoneswithoriginaldesigns,bird
feedercollections,statues,coloredglassballs,thelistisonlylimitedbythedesigner’s
imagination.
Use vertical accents
Becausesmallgardenshave limitedgroundarea,tomaximizethisspace,gardeners
havetostartthinkingvertical.Thisverticaleffectalsobreaksthebondswiththeearth
andsendstheeyetothe infinityof theskywherespace is
muchfreer.Afunwaytoaddinteresttothegardenistodothe
unexpectedlikeusingaplanterraisedverticallyonfourstacks
ofoldclaypots.Muchmoreimpactisgainedbythisvertical
height(insteadofplacingthemetalplanterontheground).
Therearemanyfastigiatedformsoftreesandshrubs,perfect
forthesmallergardenthathavebeenbredtogrowtalland
narrow.Theornamentalpears,pyramidaloaks,andcolumnarolivesaresuggestions
forthispurpose.
Design principles know no bounds
Sounddesignprinciplescanbeusedforallsizesofgarden-notjustforlargerproper-
ties.There’snoreasontothrowallthetechniquesofgoodgardendesignoutthewin-
dowjustbecausethespaceissmall.Infacttheyareeasiertouseonasmallerscale.
Goodgardendesignmeansthinkingaboutunity,repetition,variety,balance,emphasis,
sequence,andscalenomatterwhatthesize.
Designing Small Gardens Continued...
Get Growing & Keep Going (GGKG) Symposium
February 6th, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
GonzaloGarzaIndependenceHighSchool,Austin,Texas
GetGrowing&KeepGoing(GGKG),isasymposiumthatwillprovideteachers,admin-
istratorsandparentswiththetoolstointegrategardensandnatureareasintothe
schoolenvironment,willtakeplaceFebruary6th,2010from8am-4pmatGonzalo
GarzaIndependenceHighSchool(locatedat1600ChiconSt.,AustinTexas,78702).
Thesymposiumisthemed"GreeningOurSchools",andfeatureskeynotespeaker
KevinCoyle,NationalWildlifeFederationVicePresidentofEducation.Fieldexperts
willleadavarietyofsectionalsontopicsincludingrainwaterharvesting,vermiculture,
doubledigging,schoolyardhabitats,entomology,composting,propagation,environ-
mentalstewardship,fundraising,andbuildingagardencommunity.Teacherswillre-
ceivesevencontinuingeducationcredits(throughTexasAgriLifeExtensionService)
forparticipatinginthisevent.
Registrationis$30untilJanuary29th.Formoreinformation,contactLisaAnhaiserat
LAAnhaiser@ag.tamu.eduorcall512-854-9600.ToregisterfortheGetGrowing&Keep
Goingsymposium,visit:http://online.nwf.org/GGKG.
Coming Events
Everything's Coming up Roses
Saturday, February 27, 9:30-11:30 am
DemonstrationGardenatAgriLifeExtensionOfficeofTravisCounty
1600BSmithRd.,AustinTX78721
Rosesaren'tjustforValentine'sDay-theycanbringcolorandsweetsmellstoyour
gardenyearround!Comeattendthisfreeseminaronselecting,plantingandcaring
forrosesinyourgarden.Followingthepresentationportionoftheseminar,ahands-on
demonstrationofpruningrosesintheExtensionDemonstrationGardenwilltakeplace.
Wewilldiscusssiteselection,soilamendments,andbedpreparationsplusshowcase
anumberofEarthKindRosesworthyofconsiderationinyourgarden.EarthKindis
adesignationgiventoselectrosesbytheTexasA&MAgricultureprogram,indicating
thevarietyhasbeenthroughrigoroustestingandfoundtopossessahighlevelof
landscapeperformanceandoutstandingdiseaseandinsecttolerance/resistance.
Thisseminarisfreeandopentothepublic.SpaceislimitedsopleasecalltheTravis
CountyMasterGardener'sdeskat(512)854-9600toreserveaspot.Itispresentedby
theTravisCountyMasterGardenersAssociation,avolunteerarmoftheTexasAgriLife
ExtensionServiceinTravisCounty.http://www.tcmastergardeners.org.
Coming Events Continued ...
Spring Vegetable Gardening
Saturday, March 13,10 am-noon
ZilkerBotanicalGarden
2220BartonSpringsRd.,AustinTX
Enjoyjuicytomatoes,crispcucumbers,anddelectablegreenbeansstraightfromyour
garden.LearnhowtoplantandmaintainaspringvegetablegardenfromMasterGar-
denerVegetableSpecialistPattyLeander,whowillshareherexpertiseonvegetable
varietiesthatperformwellinCentralTexas,recommendedplantingtimes,andcompost-
ing.Thisseminarisloadedwithbasicfactsandhelpfulideas,usefultobothnewand
experiencedvegetablegardeners.Thisseminarisfreeandopentothepublic.Thisis
oneofourmostpopularseminars,sopleasecomeearlytogetaseat.Presentedby
theTravisCountyMasterGardenersAssociation,avolunteerarmoftheTexasAgriLife
ExtensionServiceinTravisCounty.Forinformation,gotowww.tcmastergardeners.org
orcalltheMasterGardenersdeskat(512)854-9600.
Coming Events Continued ...
East Austin Garden Fair
Saturday, March 20, 10 am-4 pm
SusanDeckerislookingforcoordinatorsorvolunteerstodothefollowing:
• 2-3peopletohelpEleanorwithdonations
• foodandwaterforfair-goers
• flyerdistribution/advertising
• mediaappearancesincludingTVandradio
• keepingtrackofmediaannouncements/flyerdistribution
• volunteercoordination
• recruitingmorenon-profitgroupstohavebooths
• tablesforbooths
• handoutcoordinator
• greetersandevaluations
• photographer,translatorsortransportation
Cool Plants for the Shade Garden
Friday, April 9, 9-11 am
DemonstrationGardenatAgriLifeExtensionOfficeofTravisCounty
1600BSmithRd.,AustinTX78721
CoolPlantsfortheShadeGardenisafreein-the-gardendiscussion.Seesomeof
theshadelovingplantsgrowingandlearnaboutotherperennialsandannualswhich
requirelimitedsun.Thisseminarisfreeandopentothepublic.Itispresentedby
theTravisCountyMasterGardenersAssociation,avolunteerarmoftheTexasAgriLife
ExtensionServiceinTravisCounty.Forinformation,seehttp://www.tcmastergarden-
ers.orgorcalltheTravisCountyMasterGardener’shelpdeskat(512)854-9600.
ComingEvents Continued...
Heart O' Texas Orchid Society's 39th Annual Orchid Show & Sale,
"Easter Orchids"
April 3rd & 4th, 2010
ZilkerBotanicalGardensCenter
2220BartonSpringsRoad,Austin,TX78746(512)477-8672
Show&PlantSale:10:00am-5:00pmSaturday&10:00am-4:00pmSunday.
Thisyearweareveryproudtopresentthe39thAnnualOrchidShowhereinAustin.
OrchidsareMotherNatureatherbest,socomejoinusandcheckoutallthebeauti-
fulorchidsthatwillbeondisplay.Therewillalsobehundredsofbloomingorchidsfor
sale,aswellashelpfulinformationforgrowingthesebeautifulplantsfromvendors
andsocietymembers.NeedflowersforEaster...orchidsarebecomingoneofthemost
popularflowersintheU.S.,sowhynotgetanorchidthisyearforthatspecialocca-
sion.Admissiontotheeventisfreeandthepublicisencouragedtoattend.
Foracompletescheduleofevents,orformoreinformation,pleasecontact:Geoffrey
Frost,1011StricklandDrive.Austin,TX78748-4847
Telephone(512)413-3199;[email protected]),orvisitourweb-site:
http://www.hotos.org/
CarolynWilliams,President
MandaRash,ImmediatePastPresident
RosalieRussell,VicePresidentforPrograms
VickiBlachman,Co-VicePresidentforEducation
BonnieMartin,Co-VicePresidentforEducation
CherylMcGrath,VolunteerCoordinatorforProjects
SherrillNilson,Co-VolunteerCoordinatorforTrainees
PatMokry,Co-VolunteerCoordinatorforTrainees
SusanJung,Secretary
MartyBerdan,Treasurer
JanetNewton,MembershipDirector
DorothyAkin,GreenhouseManager
ChrisGiaraffa,GreenhouseManager
VickiOlson,GreenhouseManager
JoePosern,AustinAreaGardenCouncilRepresentative
JoKautz,StateCouncilRepresentative
TommieClayton,StateCouncilRepresentative
*ThepositionofDirectorofPublicationsremainsopen
PastPresidents(Non-voting):
BillBaldwin
BillBoytim
SusanCashin
TommieClayton
SusanDecker
DonFreeman
MandaRash
TRAVIS COUNTY MASTER GARDENER ASSOCIATION
2010 EXECUTIVE BOARD
PeggyStewart
BeckyWaak
WillWalker
ExOfficioMemberoftheBoard(Non-voting):
TexasAgriLifeExtensionTravisCountyHorticultureAgent
DaphneRichards
1600-BSmithRoad,Austin,Texas78721
ThisissueoftheCompostBinhasbeenpublishedthankstothecontributionsofthefollowingTravisCountyMasterGardenersandWizzieBrown-TexasAgriLifeExtensionService...
ContributingWriters:
©2010TravisCountyMasterGardenersAssociation512-854-9600Visitthewebsites:www.tcmastergardeners.organdhttp://travis-tx.tamu.edu
EditorandLayout:AnneVanNest
Webmaster:PaulaMiddleton
WizzieBrownTommieClaytonPattyLeanderRosalieRussellAnneVanNestBeckyWaakCarolynWilliams
The End... Time to Get Gardening!
