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Master Memos Red Dirt

Newsletter

If you have any questions regarding anything in this newsletter, please feel free to call (870) 779-3609 or visit Room 215 in the Miller Co. Court-house, 400 Laurel.

Sincerely,

John L. Turner County Extension Agent - Agriculture

JLT: jds

Our Next

Meeting:

8, 2018 REA ~ 6 PM

Jennifer Caraway County Extension Agent - Agriculture

JWC:jds

The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact your County Extension office as soon as possible.

Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.

March 2018

The Texarkana Home and Garden Show is scheduled for Saturday, March 17th (from 9:00-5:00) and Sunday, March 18th (from 1:00-5:00) at the Texarkana Convention Center on Cowhorn Creek. We will have a table set up, along with the Bowie County MGs, to promote our organization and to answer questions about horticulture.

Last year the show had over 1500 visitors and is a great way to get our name and mission out to the community. If you would like to help out, please get in touch with Teresa Slack.

Texarkana Home & Garden Show

Texarkana

Texarkana Convention Center 2910 S Cowhorn Creek Loop

Texarkana, TX 75503

March 17th-18th, 2018

For the second year, district level education events called District Dig-Ins, are being offered to Master Gardeners only (no guests).

Our District Dig-In will be held March 19th in ElDorado at the Hanna Building, First Methodist Church of ElDorado, 304 S. Jackson. Our guest speaker will be Louisiana County Agent, Kerry Heafner who will present “Louisiana Super Plants and How They Will Do in Arkansas.”

Each of the District Dig-Ins will present different speakers and topics (and you may attend any of the ones you choose). At each of these presentations, Janet Carson will present a horticulture program and statewide update on the MG program (which will be the same at each of the Dig-Ins). Continued on page 3

Gopher & Mole Workshop Learn methods for controlling moles and gophers in your lawn and garden at this free workshop, with both classroom and field demo. Our guest speaker will be Jesse Taylor, Franklin County Staff Chair.

This workshop will take place Wed., March 7th, with classroom instruction at 10 AM at the 1st Presbyterian Church, 516 Pecan, Texarkana, AR, & the field demo at 11 AM at the home of Red Dirt MG Sheila Keever, 3707 Summerhill, Texarkana, TX.

Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop

Learn correct methods for pruning small fruits at this free workshop, Fri., March 16th at 10 AM at the home of James Thacker, 1605 East 40th St., Texarkana, AR.

Register for either workshop by calling 870-779-3609 or

emailing jcaraway@uaex.edu.

The online reporting system is down for

maintenance. An email from constant contact will be sent out once the site is available. For now, keep your hours on a piece of

paper (the old fashion-ed way). Thanks for

your patience.

Page 2

2nd-4th – Arkansas Flower & Garden Show, State Fair-grounds, Little Rock

8th – MG Monthly Meeting – REA – 6:00 PM

9th – Basic Training Commit-tee Meeting – 9 AM, MCCH

9th – MG Plant Sale Commit-tee – MCCH – 10:30 AM

10th – Dirt Friends Festival, ElDorado, AR

11th – Daylight Savings Time starts – Spring Forward

12th – District Dig-In, Forrest City

16th – Greene County Spring Gardening Seminar, Paragould, AR – 10:00-1:00

17th – Developing an Ozark Green Thumb Seminar

17th-18th – Texarkana Home and Garden Show

19th – District Dig-In, ElDorado – 10:00-2:00

23rd-25th – River Valley Lawn & Garden Show, Ft. Smith Convention Center - $5

26th – Master Gardener Monday via Zoom

26th – Spring Seminar, Hempstead Co. – 6:00-8:00 PM – Hempstead Hall, Hope

26th – Info due for newsletter (jsmallwood@uaex.edu)

26th – District Dig-In, Harri-son

31st – Membership ceases if dues ($25) not paid today

Master Gardener Zoom Mondays By Andrea Thomas

I want to encourage you to participate in an MG Mondays zoom meet-ing. You can do so from the convenience of your home, just sitting in front of your computer or iPad and/or iPhone. The next one will be the fourth Monday in March. An email will be

sent out to remind you. This is a very good way to learn more about the workings of the AR Master Gardener pro-gram, upcoming events, and what you need to plant or prune; weeds to control; when to fertilize, and general care for your plants this month. You can even

ask questions. As a bonus, you can count one hour of education.

This is not hard to do. Instructions are provid-ed in the email. If I can do it, so can you. This month I only saw one other member of our group. Come one, try something new. It might be fun.

Calendar of Events

Committee Meetings

Miller County Master Gardener Basic Training Committee will meet Friday, March 9th at 9:00 AM in the Miller County Third Floor Conference Room. If you missed our first meeting and would like to help, come to this meeting. We still have places where you can help.

Miller County Master Gardener Fundraiser (Plant Sale) Committee will meet Friday, March 9th at 10:30 AM in the Miller County Third Floor Conference Room. We will be putting the final touches on our plant sale (Sat., April 7th). Please be there to make sure you have your assignments.

Serving at the Agricultural Exposition

Serving lunch

Miller & Bowie County MGs Working Together Going for more patties

Working the water station

There were many volunteers quietly working and serving – many in the foreground and others in the background – at the 4-States Ag Expo. You are all much appreciated.

Spring … A Time to Till

Saturday, April 14, 2018

Are you having thoughts of your outdoor garden & living spaces? Join us in Prescott to hear Chris Olsen, a nationally recognized home and garden guru, author, TV personality, designer, and public speaker known for his infusion of color & creativity in all his projects.

Grow Your Own Jungle – Learn to use houseplants/ tropicals as visual stimulation to make your home fabulous inside and out.

First and Last Impressions – You will see just how easy it is to create a personal oasis out of an otherwise mundane and boring entrance, under-used corner or backyard; one that can beckon and thrill, all with just a little work and a lot of personal expression.

Cost is $15 in advance (by April 2nd) and $20 at the door and benefits the Nevada Co. Master Gardeners to fund community projects.

Lunch tickets are not available at the door and must be pre-ordered. (Lunch is chicken salad sandwich, chips, fruit, cookie and a drink for $8.00.)

Vendors and a huge plant sale will be available.

For more information, contact Betty Jones (870-887-5312 or bjones107@yahoo.com). To register, call our office for a registration form or send your name, phone #, address, email & how many tickets (X $15) and lunches (X $8) needed. Make checks payable to Nevada County Master Gardeners and mail to Betty Jones, 107 Ridgewood Rd., Prescott, AR 71857.

Let’s Report Our Volunteer Time By Andrea Thomas

Sorry to have to repeat this again everyone, but the online reporting system is still down for repairs and updating, as of the writing of this article. As soon as it gets back up, you will receive an email from Constant Contact, if you are signed up for it. If not, I know Rita will let you know by email. Please watch your email for a notification when the system is back up for use.

They are working very hard to get the online system’s issues worked out. It is being tested to make sure it will function correctly. Hopefully it will be up soon. Until then, PLEASE keep track of your volunteer hours; remember all hours are very important to report.

When the system is back up, to report your volunteer hours:

Go to www.uaex.edu, then Yard & Garden, click on Master Garden-er Program, then on Enter Volunteer Hours Here and logon. This ensures you are at the current version.

If you have any questions on reporting your hours in the online system or need a password reset, please give me a call at 903-832-8111 or email at7550@yahoo.com and I will do my best to help.

Sanctioned Hours

Did you volunteer at the Ag Expo (help register, introduce speakers, handouts or help serve lunch)? Did you go to the Basic Training meeting? Remember, Basic Training is now a sanctioned project. Did you bring one of the pots of chili, chili fixins’ or a dessert to our monthly meeting? This goes under Hospitality. You get to count the time in the store picking up items to make that dish. How long did it take to prepare it? You get to count that time also. Did you come early and help set up for the meal? That also counts. This goes under Hospitality/Social.

Non-Sanctioned

Did you go to the monthly meeting? You get 1 hour for the business part, even if ran shorter. Report it under monthly meeting-business. Have you wrote an article or sent in photos for the newsletter?

Education

Did you stay for the monthly meeting pro-gram? That counts as 1 hour education. Report it under monthly meeting program. Did you attend any classes at the Ag Expo? Have you been to any semi-nars or workshops on gardening? Did you participate in the MG

Mondays Zoom meeting?

Have you been to a public garden (Garvan Gardens, Dallas Arboretum, Rose Garden in Shreveport or Tyler, etc.)? Report that under Garden Tours. It must be a public garden, not a private or individual’s garden.

Have you read any horticulture magazines or books? You can report 1 hour each month for this activity. Have you watched or listened to any horticul-ture programs on TV or radio?

Travel Time

You cannot count travel time unless you are transporting items for a project. Then you may count the time loading, unloading, and moving/ transporting the items. Examples are hauling mulch for the Court-house flowerbeds or Downtown garden and items for displays as at Advanced Training or Horticulture Dept. at the Fair. Count the time under the project you are doing it for. Only the time you are transporting the items counts. Bringing or transporting your personal gloves, hoe, shovel, etc. to a project does not count.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Page 4

historic landmarks. The conference will begin with a celebration of Pennsylvania foods.

Penns Woods: Digging into our Roots is the theme. Recognizing the region’s rich history of horticulture for more than 3 centuries enables this conference to include a full array of lectures, demonstrations, tours, and field study classes on-site at public gardens. Highlights will include the latest research-based sus-

tainable horticultural & environmental steward-ship best practices. Networking, learning, and having fun are on the menu!

The website has been established at

www.internationalmastergardener.com as

well as a facebook page at facebook.com/IMGC.

Between 1200-1400 Master Gardeners are anticipated to attend. An October 2018 target date for early registra-tion & opening up lodging is planned.

2019 International MG Conference

June 17th-21st, 2019

Pennsylvania is very excited to be hosting the 2019 International MG Conference! It will be held in the Greater Philadelphia Region/ Valley Forge, June 17th through 21st, 2019. They are also offering trips to many of their public gardens on Sunday & Monday preceding the conference and Friday afternoon & Saturday following the conference. Tours to nearby Philadelphia are being planned to provide easy access to the city and its

March 10, 2018

College Avenue Church of Christ in ElDorado, AR

9:00 AM – Noon

Refreshments & Vendors

Cost is $10 per person

Features Chris Olsen and Janet Carson

Developing an Ozarks

Green Thumb

The Baxter Co. MG 24th Annual Gardening Seminar

March 17, 2018

8:30 – 3:00

First United Methodist Church Fellowship Center

605 W 6th, Mountain Home, AR

Topics:

Janet Carson – “In the Garden-Getting Ready for Spring”

Dr. Gerald Klingaman – “The Natural History of Ferns”

Tom Krohn – “Bees, Birds & Butterflies-Creating a Nature Friendly Yard”

Jane Druff – “Pollinators-What Would We Do Without Them?”

Ellen Chagnon – “Getting the Most from Your Vegetable Garden”

$25 seminar cost (includes lunch). Seating is limited.

For more information, visit http://www.baxtercountymg.c

om/spring-seminar.html.

Events The first District Dig-In will be held in Forrest City at the East AR Community College, 1700 New Castle Rd., on March 12th. The guest speaker will be Blann Britton presenting “How to Raise Roses Without Losing Your Mind!”

And the third is in Harrison, at the North Arkansas College, 1515 Pioneer Drive, on March 26th. The guest speaker will be Missouri County Agent Kelly McGowan who will present “Native Butterflies and Moths of the Ozarks.”

These are not mini-state conferences and there are no tours, no art and garden fair and no silent auction. It is simply an opportunity for an educational event on a smaller scale and a chance to encourage interaction within a district.

Pre-registration is required – http://bit.ly/2FzV4w3.

District Dig Ins Continued

We have some cabins available, and for those who have already signed up there are optional tours that can be added. You can also add a pre or post tour to your adventure, or change what you had already planned.

This trip can be pur-chased until all cabins

are sold. Final pay-ments are due May 10. You can still make partial payments between now and then.

For more information on this cruise, visit http://bit.ly/2Fak8Zx online or call Michelle at 253.509.0865 (email michelle@learncationtravel.com).

Space Still Available for Rhine River Study Cruise We are excited about the upcoming trip down the Rhine beginning August 20th in Amsterdam and ending August 27th in Basel, Switzerland.

The pre- and post- tours are open for people to explore on their own in Amsterdam for 2 days prior to the journey or 2 days in Lucerne or Zurich afterwards.