15 January 2010 by Barbara.

Dec. 20, 2009: It’s time again to plan and gear up for the ‘Annual’ Vegetable Sale which will be held on March 13 ^th in conjunction with our Fort Bend County Master Gardener’s Perennial Sale.

Time to order the seeds for the Vegetable Sale. After reading seed catalogs, checking online seed vendors and researching information to find the best varieties for our area it was decided to keep several of the varietes from last year’s sale and add different varieties rather than use the exact list from the previous sale. Input from Master Gardeners and customers who bought plants at the sale last year or requested specific varieties was a factor in deciding which seeds to purchase.

The seeds were finally ordered from 5 vendors. Two of the vendors were used last year and three new ones were added, all of these were recommended by other MG groups or Urban Harvest. We ordered seeds for 10 varieties of tomatoes, 4 of eggplant, 5 varieties of peppers, 2 of tomatillos, 3 varieties of basil, and 1 of fennel.

It was decided to order fewer varieties of tomatoes (last year we grew 13, which included 2 free varieties from the vendors.)

Check back weekly for more updates.

Dec.21, 2009:Before the seeds arrive it time to get the paper work in order. Last year we developed several docs that would help us keep track of the planting schedule. Since we have limited space in the mist tent we must be sure that we don’t plant too many seeds at once or we’ll run out of space for the trays.

After much revising and counting dates and referring to Vegetable charts for germination, transplant, and maturity time we finally think the schedule is set. Of course this is probably going to be revised when reality kicks in. The spreadsheet has been developed and saved, we’ll print a copy to give to the volunteers who are part of the team.

Last year we had documentation sheets for each table in the greenhouse to record observations and actions taken each visit to the greenhouse. The results gave us invaluable data to apply to this year’s project. The new sheets are ready for printing.

We are now ready for the Kick-off meeting!

Dec 29, 2009: All of the seeds have arrived. So much for reducing the number of varieites. (LOL) We have ended up with 12 varieites (2 of which again are free packets from the vendors.) So we’ll still have a lot of tomato plants to sell.

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22 December 2009 by Robert.

Over the past four years, I have waged a continual battle against the bane of my existence – imported red fire ants. In this conflict, I have received numerous bites and have reached the conclusion that one of us must go. To this end, I have tried three separate commercial products to see which weapon will be the main tool in my arsenal of fire ant destruction.

Disclaimer: I am not a research scientist with unlimited funds. I am using only easily obtainable commercial products. And since I don’t receive any funding from any company, I will only talk about the active ingredient in these products.

The three active ingredients in fire ant bait which I used were Spinosad, Permethrin, and Hydramethylnon. For each, I followed the usage directions on the containers and judged the effectiveness of the ingredient by seeing how quickly the mounds disappeared when treating the individual mounds and, when broadcasting, how long the fire ants remained absent from my yard.

The first one I tried was Hydramethylnon. This product was effective in treating individual mounds within 72 hours. The broadcast method seemed to keep the ants away for only 2 to 2 ½ months. I continued this treatment for about 9 months total but was disappointed when the fire ant mounds kept returning.

The next test involved Spinosad. This product eliminated my mounds within 48 hours although I found that adding a bit more than recommended resulted in mounds dying out in as little as 24 hours. By broadcasting Spinosad over my yard, I was delighted to see no new mounds for 4 months and usually fewer mounds than before.

The last test I made using Permethrin. I hesitated to use this product since it also eliminates many other insects. However, it was advertised as a fire ant bait so I decided to give it a try. By adding this product to the fire ant mounds and watering it in well, I followed the directions explicitly. However, the fire ants either moved to a close-by location or seemed to be totally unaffected by the product. I broadcast the product over my yard and found it to be totally ineffective in fire ant control.

In summary, the Spinosad product performed the best for me. Although it’s initial cost is higher than the other two products, I found that I didn’t have to apply it as often.

Your results may be different than mine. But I will stay with Spinosad for now.

This review does not necessarily reflect the views of the Fort Bend County Master Gardeners, Inc., the Fort Bend County AgriLife Extension Office, nor the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Posted in Insects | 2 Comments »

21 December 2009 by Marilyn.

One of the crucial planning steps for any garden lover’s trip is to conduct an internet search to locate gardens of interest at the destination and along the route. Right? At least that’s what it seems I typically do before leaving home for a trip anywhere, whether it be garden-related or not. A search for botanical gardens in or near a city will often yield interesting options. Fall and spring are my preferred travel seasons for visiting gardens and it would be most interesting to know what your recommendations are for any particular destination, whether it be near or far.

Being a Native Texan who moved back here after a very long absence, one of my personal goals is to see as much of Texas as possible, especially anything of horticultural interest. I don’t plan to put this off, thinking I’ll get to it later, since that approach never quite worked out in the other places where we’ve lived.

Please tell us your top picks for gardens to visit and why…inside or outside of Texas. Let’s start the Gardeners’ Bucket List. Some of the suggestions might even become great Master Gardener field trip ideas!

OK, I’ll start the list with 3 of my own suggestions, in no particular order. My affinity for the Northwest mandates throwing in at least one garden there.

Fort Worth Botanic Garden - Home to one of the most outstanding Japanese Gardens I’ve ever seen and absolutely gorgeous and peaceful in both spring and fall. Spring is my favorite time to visit. Can’t you just visualize all of those brilliantly colored Japanese Maples? Great variety of interesting hardscapes, too. The Botanic Garden is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year! There are beautiful rose gardens, perennial gardens, trial gardens, and a fragrance garden, as well as other gardens to delight the senses. The Texas Native Forest Boardwalk displays trees both native and non-native to Texas – natives on one side of the walkway and non-natives on the opposite side. This would be a fantastic Master Gardener field trip destination.
Dallas Arboretum – Located on the shore of White Rock Lake and beautiful in any season, it’s especially nice in spring and fall since it’s so hot in the summer. If you’re going to visit the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, this is just a short drive away, though I wouldn’t suggest trying to visit both in the same day if you want to truly savor each garden or if it’s your first visit. Incredible variety of plants and many themed events throughout the year. Excellent lunch at the DeGolyer Garden Cafe, too! Since the 2010 Texas Master Gardener Conference will be held in Dallas, this is a must see and is always worth a return visit.
Butchart Gardens in Victoria, B.C. - Privately owned, so there are no plant labels - which can frustrate inquisitive gardeners - but a booklet containing all of the necessary descriptive details is provided. Words can’t possibly do justice to this garden, but if you’re going to the Northwest, it is worth any effort to get there. Summer is a wonderful time to visit, but I hear that the bulb display in the springtime is equally fabulous. Even the recycling and trash containers have plantings on top of them! The enormous sunken garden was planted in what was once a huge limestone quarry and it’s so amazing to think that nothing was there before it was partially filled in with tons of soil. Butchart Gardens is 105 years old!

What are your favorite gardens that you either have visited or would like to visit? Why do you recommend them? Have you been to any of the gardens mentioned and do you agree that they are extraordinary gardens to visit? What time of year is best to visit your recommended destinations? Please share your thoughts! Together, we can create a superb Gardeners’ Bucket List!

Posted in Excursions | 1 Comment »