Winter Garden Drives Away Blues
I have never been one to grow a winter vegetable garden. It is difficult to admit, but true. My fall garden has usually only consisted of a leftover summer garden. A few late planted tomatoes, a pepper plant or two were all that I would keep to nurse along until the first frost.
This past weekend, we were finally getting around to cleaning up our small garden spot. As I pulled up the plant remnants and smelled the rich garden soil, I could not help but get a bit of spring fever.
True gardeners know that I'm talking about. It is the same feeling that causes folks to buy tomato transplants in late February and hold them in the kitchen until the weather warms up enough to plant them outside.
When we finished, the garden soil looked as if it had been tilled. A few strokes with a hard rake and it was leveled out. Here comes the good part. I found some turnip and snow pea seeds stored in the refrigerator along with some broccoli and collard seeds.
January is okay for snow peas but still a little early for the others. I decided to take a chance. The seeds were leftovers from last year and were certainly doing no good sitting in the bag.
With any luck, we might succeed and have a late winter/early spring garden. Harvest time should coincide with the planting of our summer garden sometime in April. Nevertheless, my early spring fever itch was scratched, helping drive away those cold January blues.
PRUNING TIME UPON US
The past several weeks have brought numerous calls about the pruning of trees and shrubs. For this reason, we have scheduled a Landscape Maintenance Workshop where pruning as well as other timely topics will be addressed. This is essentially the same event Jeff Clary has conducted for the past 14 years.
We have scheduled the workshop for Saturday morning, 8:30 - 11:30 on February 21. Location is on the grounds the Carson Jackson family, #1 Welcome Lane just off the Waverly Parkway in Opelika. We will begin with Ornamentals at 8:30. Somewhere around 10:00, we will move over into the fruit orchard. Come early for hot coffee and biscuits, bring a notepad and dress for the weather. There will be a few door prizes from our sponsors and some lawn and yard equipment on display as well. More information as details are finalized.
MASTER GARDENER COURSE OFFERED
Lee County is one of the counties in Alabama that offers a Master Gardener Course every year. The popularity of this 10 week course usually has it filled months prior to its beginning. This year, we still have a few spots available so it's not too late to register.
The Master Gardener course is nationwide..and is an educational program offered through county offices of the Cooperative Extension System.
Through this program, individuals are trained and certified in horticulture and related areas. These individuals, in turn, volunteer their expertise and services to help others through horticultural projects that benefit the community.
The Master Gardener Program trains volunteers, who work through Extension, to bring the latest horticultural information and practices from the world of research to their communities' landscapes and gardens.
The Alabama Master Gardener training program provides more than 40 hours of classroom and hands-on instruction in horticulture and related areas. The classes provide home gardeners with the information they need to become skilled Master Gardeners. The cost $75.00 which covers handbook and other course materials.
Classes in the training program include:
Landscape Design Plant Propagation
Lawn Care Vegetable Gardening
Houseplants Soil Science
Plant Selection Weed Control
Environmental Conservation Annuals and Perennials
Course are taught by Specialists from Auburn University and Alabama A & M University, Extension agents from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, local specialists, and veteran Master Gardeners.
For an application or for additional information, call 749-3353 or email me at cbrowne@aces.edu.
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