Somervell County Master Gardeners

• Plant Sale Success!
• Growing Vegetables in Hay Bales
• Growing a Master Gardener

Plant Sale Success!

The Master Gardener plant sale on March 30th was definitely a success! We want to thank everyone in the community who braved the cold and windy weather that day to shop or browse. The sale will definitely be an annual event. It was great to visit and share the love of gardening with neighbors.

Growing Vegetables in Hay Bales

Limited garden space or poor soil? Want a quick easy way to grow your own fresh vegetables? If you think that planting vegetables is too much work then you might consider growing vegetables in hay bales. Hay bales provide a well aerated, disease-free growing medium that is perfect for growing vegetables. Plus, hay bales are elevated off the ground which makes them perfect for the disabled or gardeners who have trouble bending down.
Bale selection is important. Straw, mixed grass or alfalfa hay bales will work just fine for growing vegetables. However, older square bales that have begun to rot tend to work best for this type of gardening. Make sure the fields the bales came from were not treated with picloram (Tordon, Surmount, Grazon P+D) herbicides, since these may stay in the hay and influence plant growth. Place bales where the sunlight strikes the area for as much of the day as possible. Select the area carefully, since it is hard to move the bales once crop production starts. Place bales so the wire runs parallel to the surface of the soil. Do not cut the wire or twine; the bale needs to hold its shape as much as possible. In order for hay bales to be productive they will need special treatment beginning about ten days before planting time. First, keep the bales very wet for 3 days. Then apply 5 ounces (10 tablespoons) of urea fertilizer followed by two more days of intense watering. On the seventh day, apply 2 1⁄2 ounces (5 tablespoons) of urea, followed by watering for another 2 days.
On the tenth day, apply 12 ounces of 13-13-13 fertilizer and lightly water the fertilizer into the bale. On the eleventh day, apply a two to three inch layer of topsoil or potting mix to serve as a bed for the plants or seeds. Then, simply plant your vegetables, keep them watered and watch them grow. Vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers and melons will all grow well using this technique.

Source: David Cantrell
OSU Extension

Growing a Master Gardener

By Georgette Recker – Intern,  Somervell County Master Gardeners

We grow many things in our lives. We grow careers, relationships, children, pets, vegetables, and flowers. We grow in experience, wisdom, and knowledge. We grow up, grow out, and grow older. But, have you ever wondered how a Master Gardener is grown? Although I was slightly familiar with the program and had even attended a few talks and demonstrations, I never really considered how one becomes a Master Gardener until the day I approached an acquaintance and asked how I would go about joining.
You see, I was looking for knowledge and information about growing flowers and vegetables in our new home, and I was looking to find a few friends who had similar interests. I never suspected the reaction I received. “You are ours!” my acquaintance replied, and the journey began.
Before I really had an opportunity to actually sit down and investigate the process I found myself sitting in a monthly meeting of the Somervell County chapter of Master Gardeners. I was greeted warmly and told I needed to apply soon as the training classes began in April. I filled out the application that week, wrote my check, and marched myself into the County Extension office. A quick interview on the spot (really just a getting to know you encounter) confirmed I was indeed qualified to be accepted into the training program.
After a second chapter meeting that centered around an open house and being introduced to a few of the other want-a-bees, as the new faces are dubbed, I was carpooling up the road to Granbury for our first Master Gardener Certification Course.
The training sessions began with the same promise held by an early Spring day. I chose my seat, pulled out my new school supplies and quickly began to feel overwhelmed by the gust of information I was attempting to take in. However, during the morning session I was quickly made aware that my reasons for joining the program were valid, but there is so much more. You see, Master Gardeners are all about outreach and education. So, I was going to grow beyond my own backyard, outward, to become a member of a community where I could learn, educate, and serve. Perfect!
My mood altered slightly as the afternoon session came to an end. I was unsure I really had comprehended a thing. I’d had a good time, grown to know my fellow trainees a bit better, been fed well, and entertained, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe I was too old to learn. Falling into bed that night the small seed of hope and expectation inside me needed more of what all new seeds require. I reminded myself of the warmth and wonderful feelings of fellowship with people who share my interests and passion. I let myself slip into sleep assured I would feel better in the morning.

And I did! As the week rapidly cruised toward the next meeting date, I found myself sharing information I had been given. My lucky, and very patient, husband got to be the recipient of many mini lectures concerning plant development. I had learned, and armed with new knowledge I became anxious to share.
In the days following that first training session, the small, tentative seed of hope and expectation inside me soon began to be nourished by information, smiles, encouragement, food, and yes even a few hugs. The members made me feel truly welcomed and were more than ready to include me in their meetings and projects, and I began to feel grounded in my decision.
I began to understand that just as a plant progresses from a tiny seed to a productive part of nature, a Master Gardener follows the same path. Seeds are planted in the soil where they receive protection, warmth, water, and nutrients. Seeds rely on the soil to provide stability, and they hold in themselves some whisper of hope and expectation. I felt the same.
Newly planted seeds eventually begin to crack open and out pushes the root. The meristem at the tip of the root makes new cells, and those cells divide and grow. I joined in an expedition to acquire plants for the SCMG plant sale. The zone of elongation follows the meristem as the root develops and is where the new cells continue to grow and increase in size moving the root through the soil. I arrived early in the morning of the plant sale and helped set up then worked throughout the morning selling, meeting new people, and spending time getting to know the other members. In the developing root, and behind the zone of elongation, comes the zone of maturation where the cells change and become the specific tissue that absorbs water and minerals from that water and start to move water and food throughout the plant. I joined in to help remove weeds and plant new shrubs and flowers at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. Root hairs are found on the outside of the root and take in water and nutrients. I took in smiles, confirmation, laughter, and yes, more food. And finally, there is a root cap at the very bottom of the root that protects the meristem and sloughs off cells as the root continues to move through the soil. My new friends are protecting me with kindness as I slough off all those doubts and insecurities that plagued me early on in my journey.
How do you grow a Master Gardener? I am beginning to understand and will keep you updated as I continue to grow and develop.