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TRANSCRIPT
be sure to check the date on the
packet.
No need to be fancy. Start your
seeds in anything that is available.
Try butter tubs, cut off milk jugs,
egg cartons or left over take out con-
tainers. It is best to wash all your
tools and the containers in a 10%
bleach solution. Have you ever
started seeds and then you see a
(Continued on page 2)
L i t t l e R i v e r B a s i n M a s t e r G a r d e n e r A s s o c i a t i o n
January-March 2010 Volume 3 Issue 1
Seeds are a living organism in a
resting state just waiting for you,
the avid gardener, to provide the
conditions that are needed to con-
tinue their life cycle.
Many of you will have seeds that
you have collected or that have been
given to you by someone else. These
can be fun, but do not always provide
a high rate of success. I spent
weeks collecting seeds from one of
my plants, and when I planted, none
of them came up. Perhaps they were
collected at the wrong time or not
allowed to dry properly. Be sure not
to collect fruit or seeds from the
ground because the seeds may al-
ready be in bad condition.
Purchased seed packets are more
reliable. They have been harvested
under strict conditions and some of
them have also been coated to help
germination. This also takes care of
any need to worry about seed dor-
mancies or seed scarification. Just
SEEDS ARE ALIVE!
Inside this issue:
Coming Events 2
Growing Vegetables in Raised Beds
3
When-How-Where to Prune Roses
4
JMG Accolades 5
Milam County Nature at It’s Best
6
Heavenly Visitor/Camp Brad-ford Chili
7
Garden Variety-Garden Wisdom 8
Persimmon Cookies/Buffet Po-tatoes
9
EarthWords staff: Anne Barr Ann Collins Katherine Bedrich Pat Camp Janice Johnson Susan Humble Dorothy Rachui Sherrie Shutt Pat Runcie Michael Vidrine Shawn Walton
LRBMG Contributors: Connie Anderle
Master Gardener supporters from Texas AgriLIFE EXTENSION: Jon Gersbach, Cheryl Walker, Erica Evans, Marcia Felton and Diann Mitchell.
Contact us at:
EarthWords The Texas Master Gardener of Texas activities
are coordinated by AgriLIFE EXTENSION,
Texas A&M System. Texas Master Gardener
programs serve all people regardless of socio-
economic level, race, color, sex, religion, disabil-
ity or national origin.
2007 Texas First Place Award Winning Newsletter
Small Division
EarthWords is a bi-monthly publica-tion of Little River Basin Master Gardener Association to educate and inspire our gardeners in an entertaining format.
Jon Gersbach, MS
County Extension Agent
Milam County
254.697.7045
LRBMGA DEMONSTRATION
GARDEN
2006 2nd Place Winner of State
Project
State Junior Master Gardener
of the Year 2008
Nathan Schupp of Cameron
Photo by Katherine Bedrich
By Connie Anderle
EarthWords Volume 3 Issue 1
January-March 2010 Page 2
fuzzy gray film all over the sur-
face of your seed bed? Give
yourself the best odds possible
by being sure things are clean,
with no leftover fungus from
the last time you tried to start
seeds.
Soil is very important. It
should be uniform, well aerated,
loose, but capable of holding
moisture. If you do not pur-
chase seed starting products,
try making your own potting mix.
Use 1/3 sterilized soil (bake soil
at 250 degrees for ½ hour), 1/3
sand or vermiculite or perlite,
1/3 peat moss.
When planting seeds, the num-
ber one error is planting the
seeds too deep. Be sure your
(Continued from page 1,‖Seeds are Alive!‖) containers have good drainage
and fill them with potting mix.
Place seeds on the damp me-
dium and gently sift soil over
them to cover. If seeds are
very fine, mix in your palm with
some dry sand and then sprinkle
over the medium.
Hopefully you can now set
your container in a pan of water
and let it soak from the bottom
so you will not be disturbing the
seeds. Keep them moist, not wa-
terlogged.
At first you can cover the
containers with clear plastic if
you choose, but if you do not,
just be sure they do not dry
out. Put them in a warm, bright
place and be patient.
As soon as seedlings emerge,
remove the plastic and begin to
reduce the temperature and hu-
(http:grovesite.com/mg/lrb)
January 13-1:00 pm – 2:00 pm, Board Meeting
January 13– 9:00am -1:15 pm, Advanced Training-Landscaping (Build your own pond on a
budget)-Milano
January 20-Regular Monthly Meeting, Jo Ann Young’s-Composting
February 10– 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm, Board Meeting
February 17– Regular Monthly Meeting
February 24– Herb Book Meeting at Shawn Walton’s, 11:00 am-12:00 Input sheets should
be completed.
March 7-1:00 pm – 2:00 pm, Board Meeting
March 17-Regular Monthly Meeting
midity. This will help to begin
the hardening process. Harden-
ing is a gradual process that
takes about two weeks. They
need this time to be ready to
transplant. You can feed them
with a very mild liquid feed. Do
not put outside at temperatures
below 45 degrees or in windy
weather unless you are pre-
pared to protect them.
Even the tiniest of seeds can
reward you with a vegetable or
a beautiful flower. Life is truly
a miracle. Do what gives you
pleasure and enjoy every minute
of it.
EarthWords Volume 3 Issue 1
January-March 2010 Page 3
Raised bed gardening is an an-
cient concept, which has gained
popularity in the new millennium.
Our ancestors actually raised
the soil to plant crops; but they
did not enclose the area for
planting. Making a structure to
grow vegetables can be reward-
ing.
The first thing you want to
consider is, what do you want to
grow? Do you want to plant
seeds or seedlings or both? Do
you want to grow vegetables
that need large areas to pro-
duce like tomatoes, squash or
cabbage? Will you be planting
year round or seasonally?
After you decide on the vege-
tables you plan on raising, you
need to determine the place for
the raised bed. Vegetables
need 8 hours of sunlight. Find
an area which will be sunny most
of the day. You will tend your
vegetables if you can see them.
Therefore have the area as
close to the house as possible.
Your raised bed can be any size.
The area you pick will determine
the size of the bed. Most
raised beds are 4’ x 4’; 4’ x 8’ or
2’ x 8’; but you can have any size
or shape. Let your imagination
be your guide.
There are many materials to
use in building the raised bed.
New lumber made with plastic
will last forever. You can use
leftover lumber, cinder blocks,
the time of planting. This will
give the microbes an opportu-
nity to work and have the soil
nutritiously ready for the
plants. Keep the soil damp. Wa-
tering is an important element
in gardening. The soil in a
raised bed dries out quicker.
You need to check daily for
moisture. Fertilize as required
for vegetables.
Now you are ready to plant.
Get the seeds in the soil and
watch your vegetables produce
fresh food for you to gather
and enjoy.
GROWING VEGETABLES IN RAISED BEDS Katherine Bedrich
and metal containers. The
amount you want to spend on
this project will help you de-
cide. If the raised bed is sit-
ting on the ground, you will
need to decide how tall you
want the structure. Mel Bar-
tholomew recommends 6‖-8‖
on his raised beds. If you
want to sit while working, you
may want to make the beds
taller and use wider material.
Another type of raised bed is to
actually raise the bed above the
ground. These boxes need to be
carefully constructed. Because
the soil will be very heavy, sup-
port structure is important.
Once your bed is built, you are
now ready to add the most im-
portant ingredient – soil. Good
soil mixture will guarantee a
productive vegetable garden.
There are different garden
mixes suggested from the pros.
All are good. Doug Welsh’s
Texas Garden Almanac has in-
formation on how to prepare
soils. I use the soil in my area
(blackland clay) and mix in sand
and organic material, compost
and manure. The manure has
been setting out for several
years; do not use fresh manure
in your garden. The mixture
should be loose. A loose, well-
prepared soil helps the roots to
absorb the nutrients in a
quicker and easier way. The soil
should be prepared ahead of
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES:
http://aggie-
horticulture.tamu.edu/
http://aggie-
horticulture.tamu.edu/
lawn_garden/veg_fruit_nut.html
http://aggie-
horticulture.tamu.edu/
publications/guides/E-
560_raised_bed_garden.pdf
AN EXCELLENT BOOK:
All New Square Foot Gardening
by Mel Bartholomew
Old tractor rim used to construct raised bed
EarthWords Volume 3 Issue 1
January-March 2010 Page 4
ter Gardeners, gives the follow-
ing advice for rose pruning:
Old roses don’t require the
stringent and careful pruning
that is needed by many modern
roses. A good rule of thumb is to
remove all dead canes and clip
back no more than 1/3 of the re-
maining bush, thus encouraging
full foliage and heavy bloom with-
out destroying the vigor and
natural attractive form of the
plant.
Everblooming varieties can be
lightly trimmed or ―tip pruned‖
several times a year since they
flower on new growth. Roses
that bloom but once annually are
best pruned after they have
bloomed. If left unpruned, some
varieties will produce attractive
hips to brighten the winter gar-
den.
The best time to prune roses
that bloom all summer is in early
spring, before the leaf buds open
but after the danger of several
days of severe cold is past. Val-
entine’s Day is generally a good
time to remove dead or damaged
canes, suckers, and cut back by a
third to a half. Cut back to an
outward-facing bud, about ¼ inch
from the bud. Doug Welsh, Texas
A & M Extension Horticulturalist,
gives further advice when pruning
roses:
The first step in spring prun-
ing of Hybrid Teas, Grandiflo-
ras, Floribundas and Climbing
roses is to remove any canes
that are dead or just old and
non-productive. These canes
are usually gray in color and
scaly. Remove any ―suckers‖
which arise from the rootstock
below the graft union.
The next step involves taking
a good look at the bud union. If
you have any old, dry, scaly
wood on the union, remove it.
Use a dull knife to scrape the
bud union to remove the scaly
wood. This will make it possible
for new basal breaks to come
about.
(Continued on page 5)
…According to Neil
Sperry:
―much of your roses’ health and vigor will depend on your pruning program. Remember that pruning is an ongoing thing, to be done several times every year. Most bush roses are pruned in mid-to-late winter 4 to 6 weeks before the last killing freeze for the area. Climbing roses should be pruned immediately after their flush of spring blooms.‖
Prune Hybrid Tea and Grandi-
flora roses by removing all weak,
spindly stems or canes and by re-
ducing the overall height of the
bushes to 18-24 inches. Always
cut right above a bud that faces
away from the center of the
plant, so the branching that de-
velops will be spreading away
from the crown of the plants…
PRUNE, TOO, THROUGH THE
GROWING SEASON. Keep old
flower heads and weak growth
removed. Floribundas should be
pruned less severely but do re-
move weak growth. On Climbing
Roses, head back the most vigor-
ous canes to 4-5 ft. Remove the
weak, spindly twigs that develop
along the stems….but always
prune after flowering.
The Real Dirt, a gardening
handbook by Parker County Mas-
By Pat Camp
EarthWords Volume 3 Issue 1
January-March 2010 Page 5
It is also important in warm
weather climates as it induces
the plant into a kind of dor-
mancy, which is something that
cold weather plants automati-
cally receive in the winter.
Roses are very tough plants…
don’t be afraid to prune. It is
not rocket science ---it will
grow back if you mess it up!!!
sealing compound such as orange
shellac or even Elmer’s glue.
When pruning is completed,
remove any old foliage left on
the canes and rake up and re-
move any leaves or twigs to re-
duce the chance of disease and
insect damage on new shoots.
The final product should be a
rose bush about 18-24 inches
tall with 4 to 8 canes. Add
some fertilizer, water, and TLC
and you will soon have a shower
of flowers.
If this all seems too tedious
for you, the Rose Magazine of-
fers one more method called
the ―easy care‖ method. Simply
cut the bush in half, straight
across with a hedge trimmer.
Leave all wood, but if you wish
you can cut out all dead wood.
Interestingly enough, experts
that have experimented with
both the moderate and easy
care method, report that there
are no noticeable differences
later on in the growth and bloom
of the bush.
Whatever method you choose,
pruning gives you a wonderful
yearly opportunity to shape the
growth and health of your rose.
Beginning to fine tune the
pruning, remove all twiggy
growth on the remaining canes.
Try to clean out the middle of
the bush as much as possible
for good air circulation.
Now you are ready to prune on
the good healthy canes. It is
important to prune each cane
back to a dormant bud. A bud
that has already begun growth
and is then pruned will simply
continue to grow vigorously and
bloom very little. Make sure to
pick a good bud that is facing to
the outside of the plant.
Another guideline in pruning
back an individual cane is to cut
the cane at the point when the
diameter of the cane is the size
of a pencil or slightly larger.
Normally this is at a height of
18-24 inches. If there is the
need to prune back to a dormant
bud, the size of the cane may
be larger and the cane length
may be shorter.
If old and large canes have
been removed to the bud union,
it is good practice to seal these
large cuts. Use some sort of
(Continued from page 4, ―How to Prune Roses‖)
How To Prune
1. Step back and look at your
rose before you start
pruning. As you choose
which canes to cut, re-
member that you want to
open up the center of the
shrub for good air circula-
tion.
2. Remove crossing and rub-
bing canes—those areas
will create wounds that
could let in disease.
3. Cut back blackened, winter
-damaged tips, trying to
keep all the canes about
the same length.
4. Prune old canes back as
close to the base as possi-
ble.
The Rockdale 21st Century after school program painted flower pots with a fall design, filled them
with candy and sent the pots to the nursing home.
A group from the Cameron JMG's entered a skit for the National Junior Master Gardeners contest,
winning second . If you would like to view the contest results, go to the JMG website, http://
jmgkids.us/
JMG ACCOLADES
EarthWords Volume 3 Issue 1
January-March 2010 Page 6
reach is for 46 coun-
ties. Should have lots of par-
ticipation from that angle. A
patch is being designed for all
children to earn when they have
completed a round of activi-
ties. TPWD is loaning us molds
to make animal tracks with
plaster of Paris. Several adults
did this activity at the TMN
Conference and they had a
ball. The kids will love it!
On Friday night Lee Ann Li-
nam and Marsha May will be do-
ing their "Sounds of the Night"
program. Those attending will
be treated to a really fun ex-
perience listening for frog
sounds, insects, bats, and night
birds. If the sky is clear we
might even be able to do a bit
of stargazing. The park at
night will be a great new ex-
perience for many of us.
There will be a Na-
ture Photography competition
with prizes in several catego-
ries. So, get out your cameras
and start looking at the nature
all around you. You may enter one
picture in each area, including
Wildlife, Plants, Scenery/
Landscapes, and People in
Nature.
A fun exhibit will be one
on Yard Art. There is a
museum exhibit based on
Jill Nokes' book that will
be at Lady Bird Johnson
Wildflower Center a bit
later this year. We have
a real expert in the
field of yard art working
on this.
Plan to set aside the
dates of June 11 and 12,
2010 as a really fun outing
for all ages and inter-
ests. We have history, litera-
ture, art, as well as science
speakers and exhibits for you to
enjoy. If you have any interest
in helping with any aspect of the
Festival please let me know. We
can put you in the perfect slot
for your interest.
The Festival is a multilayered
experience. We will be sharing
more information as time goes
on. There are lots more fun
things planned. This is just to
whet your appetite.
El Camino Real Master Natural-
ist Chapter will be hosting a
family oriented Nature Festival
in June of 2010 at the historic
Wilson Ledbetter Park in Cam-
eron. The committee has lots of
interesting speakers and activi-
ties lined up for the two day
event. We have Andrew San-
som to speak about water in
Texas. He is the best and we
are very fortunate to have him
on board.
We are working with Flo Ox-
ley to create a wildflower
meadow near the old Boy Scout
Hut. She will be speaking about
wildflowers and doing activities
for children.
We are also working with Bar-
ron Rector to create a Native
Prairie Exhibit. Barron has
agreed to come and be the
speaker. That is always inter-
esting. We never seem to get
enough of him.
Mark Klym is working with us
on a wildscape near the old
bridge. He will be giving talks on
how to make a wildscape in your
own backyard.
These will become permanent
additions to the park and will all
just get better with time.
There are lots of fun activities
planned for the children. We
are hoping to attract Girl Scouts
from the Milam County area
which includes Austin. This out-
MILAM COUNTY NATURE AT IT’S BEST By Ann Collins
EarthWords Volume 3 Issue 1
January-March 2010 Page 7
She sits serenely among the roses, watching the petals of pink and yellow and white fall
onto the ground while waiting for a butterfly
to perch on her shoulder. No one knows the
day she came into the garden….no one knows
how she arrived or from where she came. But
she has made her home in the Triangle Garden
and brings a smile to those who discover her.
This sweet angel statue was first sighted in
early Fall. Through the months that followed
she remained at her post, observing the col-
ors change in the garden, the butterflies
come and go and the air become frosty. She
sees children arrive early to begin their
school day; then leave at the end of the day to return to their homes. It must seem that she
has found a little piece of heaven here on earth and will continue to grace our garden for many
months to come. Take a moment to notice our guardian angel next time you visit the garden.
By Pat Camp
CAMP BRADFORD CHILI
From the Kitchen of: James & Jo Ann Bradford
In Large Pot (lightly greased) brown chili meat and pork loin, with crushed garlic.
Continue cooking until meat is tender approximately 30 minutes on high heat.
Add chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, crushed tomatoes and tomato soup.
Continue cooking approximately 45 minutes on low heat.
ENJOY!!
6 lbs chili meat (beef) 1 teaspoon crushed cayenne pepper
2 lbs tenderized pork loin (cut in
cubes) 1 teaspoon salt (or to desired taste)
¼ cup crushed garlic 1 can crushed tomatoes
¼ cp chili powder 1 can Campbell’s Tomato Soup
1 tablespoon cumin
EarthWords Volume 3 Issue 1
January-March 2010 Page 8
Pisces at the end of winter. This
is more sensible to a gardener
than starting in January – the
dead of winter – which the Ro-
man calendar does. Taurus, an
earth sign, is a good time to
plant root crops, especially if
fast growth is desired. Leo, on
the other hand, is a barren sign,
as is Gemini. These times are
favorable for cutting your lawn,
weeding, or cultivating.
The moon also plays a major
role in the garden. Consider cu-
cumbers. They are pollinated by
insects; it is believed that in
periods of bright moonlight the
insects will party all night, and
thus be too tired during the day
to pollinate. Thus you should
plant them when they will bloom
in the dark of the moon.
Whether or not you believe any
of this, it is delightful reading.
Most of the sections are not
as whimsical as the one on as-
trological planting. For example,
there is a lengthy discussion of
insect pests and methods of
Old Fashioned Garden Wisdom
Tips, Lore, and Good Advice for Creating a Beautiful
Healthy Garden
This small book (159 pages) is
easy to read and is chock full of
information presented with a
large dose of humor along the
way. The contents are divided
into 42 sections, starting with
―composting‖ and finishing with
―facing your mistakes. ―
For instance, under
―Astrological Planting‖, you learn
that to a gardener, the signs of
the zodiac rule each day. The
astrological year begins in early
spring with Aries and ends with
controlling them. The book is
slanted toward the use of or-
ganic methods but does cover
chemical ones as well. One of
the quotes from the book that
really struck a chord with me
was:
―Problems arise when something swings out of balance (a situation often caused by the gar-dener), and some-times the remedies applied actually make things worse.‖
The author goes on to state
insecticides, whether based
upon nature or man-made chemi-
cals, should always be handled
responsibly and used very spar-
ingly.
He has sections on growing
vegetables and herbs, annuals,
bulbs, roses, lawn care, shrubs,
trees. In short, he covers a
wide range of subjects with
tips, lore, and good advice. Just
as the title says.
GARDEN VARIETY
Book Review
Written by Larry Maxcy
Illustrated by Joanna Roy
Friedman/Fairfax Publishers, 2001
www.metrobooks.com
By Susan Humble
We currently have over forty books in our Master Gardener/Master Naturalist library which is located
in the Extension office in Cameron. The books cover a wide variety of topics including gardening, wild
flowers, grasses, birds and bird feeding. Some books are very technical but many are just good reading.
For a complete list, visit our website. Be sure to take advantage of these wonderful resources.
EarthWords Volume 3 Issue 1
January-March 2010 Page 9
We’re on the Web :
http://grovesite.com/mg/lrb
President - Connie Anderle
Past President - Ann Collins
1st Vice President - Debbi
Harris
2nd Vice President - Vivian
Dixon
Recording Secretary -
Susan Humble
Corresponding Secretary -
Anne Barr
Treasurer - Janice
Johnson
Historian - Dorothy Rachui
Board Member – Pat Camp
L i t t l e R i v e r B a s i n M a s t e r
G a r d e n e r A s s o c i a t i o n
Got questions? Ask the experts at:
http://aggie-
horticulture.tamu.edu/
plantanswers/web.html
and http://
www.plantanswers.com/
Combine liquid ingredients; add seasonings and spices; stir
well.
Add remaining ingredients and stir well again. Drop by tea-
spoon onto a greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375* for 12-15 minutes.
Store in a sealed container with waxed paper between layers
to prevent cookies from sticking together.
You may freeze ripe persimmons and use them for this recipe
later
Drop Persimmon Cookies
2 lbs. frozen hash brown potatoes 1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped onion 1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup Topping:
1 pint sour cream 1 cup cornflakes
10 oz. grated cheddar cheese 1/2 cup margarine
Thaw potatoes about 45 minutes before assembling.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, then bake in
a 9 x 13 pan for 1 hour at 350*.
Melt margarine and pour over cornflakes, then put
them on top of the potato mixture and bake another
5 - 10 minutes.
(12 servings)
Buffet Potatoes –An Easy Dish to Prepare for a
Crowd Dorothy Rachui
Dorothy Rachui
1 cup persimmon pulp 1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 egg, beaten 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup melted margarine 1 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon soda 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour