Our Next

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

Meeting:

Jennifer Caraway County Extension Agent - Agriculture

JWC:jds

University of Arkansas, United States Department of Agriculture and County Governments Cooperating

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.

10, 2017

REA – 6:00

Advanced Master Gardener Training

Cost is $55 and includes training materials.

The purpose of this class is for Master Gardeners to learn how to utilize and integrate community resources to make positive change in our commun-ities. Participants will receive instruction on how to identify needs, develop a plan and put together a sustainable program to “make it happen”. Emphasis is on “working together” and community-wide involvement. Existing successful programs that include farmers markets, community and school gardens will be used as examples and “tool kits” will be provided to help those who wish to initiate similar programs in their own communities.

For registration form, agenda and lodging info, visit the MG Only portion

of the UAEX website (password protected) or call our office.

Return registration form & check/money order for $55 per person payable to: Miller Co. Red Dirt Master Gardeners and mail to: Miller Co. Extension Office Attn: Janet Smallwood, Advanced MG Training 400 Laurel, Suite 215 Texarkana, AR 71854

For more information, contact James Lamb (870-826-4103), Teresa Slack (903-244-6222), or Debra Bolding (870-557-2352.

If you would like to volun-teer to help with this (such as registration, etc.), please contact Teresa Slack. If you are helping or you just want to get education hours, you do not have to pay. If you want credit & a certificate for the Advanced Training, you must pay the fee.

Advanced Master Gardener classes are offered to Master Gardeners who have been in good standing in their county program for at least 3 years.

The Miller County Master Gardeners are sponsoring an Advanced Training – Master Gardeners Grow Healthy Communities – at the Howard Co. Farmers Market in Nashville, AR

September 12th

– Hemp-stead Hall, AR 29, Hope, AR – 12:15 – 5:00

September 13th

– Howard Co. Farmers Market, 110 S. Washington, Nashville, AR – 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

No refunds will be given after August 8

th. This

date is also the deadline. Registration may be transferred to another MG but that person must submit a separate registration form and we must be notified.

Master Gardeners Grow Healthy Communities

Dallas Arboretum Mums Extravaganza

Extravaganza in October. As a special THANK YOU, if you have all of your volunteer and education hours turned in by October

1st, YOU GET TO GO

FOR FREE!! More information will come later – but GET YOUR HOURS IN. It will be a great trip!!

Mark Your Calendars! The Miller County Master Gardeners are planning a trip to the Dallas Arboretum Mums

Pesticide Applicator Training We are offering a PAT August 17

th, 5:30 PM at the Four States Fairgrounds Ag Learning

Center. If you need a license or need to renew an existing one, please attend.

Jennifer will address the membership as a whole at the monthly

meeting – August 10th – to conduct some

important business. If at all possible, please

be in attendance.

Fundraiser Plant Sale. We are asking each Master Gardener to begin plan-ning on what you want to contribute to the sale.

We are also asking each Master Gardener to begin saving their plastic pots. More information will be available soon.

By Teresa Slack

The Miller County Red Dirt Master Gardeners have scheduled Saturday, April 7, 2018 as the date for our

I for one am thankful that it cooled down a wee bit. Working out in the 105-110 degree heat index drained me. This brings up a good point; don’t stay out in the heat for long periods of time, drink plenty of water and try to do your work early of the morning.

We have several exciting things coming that

members will be able to get hours doing. We have some new Red Dirt Master Gardeners that only have one more Saturday of Basic Training before joining us.

I would like to thank the Red Dirt Master Garden-ers for sponsoring the second Saturday of Basic Training; you guys did great.

We have the Four States Fair Horticulture Booth coming up. Get with Chris Engledowl if you are interested in helping.

We have the Advanced Gardener training in Sep-tember and if you are interested in going, you need to sign up now.

PNG conference is coming up & the deadline to sign up has been extended to

August 15th.

Also Charlotte Fuller and the Fundraising Commit-tee have some exciting ideas and hope to get her to share them with us at the meeting. So, as you can see, things are hop-ping over the next few months.

Again, be safe out there and have fun gardening.

James Lamb

Save the Date & Save Your Pots

Horticulture Plants at Four States Fair

plants to the 4-States Fair!

To enter into the fair, you must have had them for at least 3 months prior to the fair. There are cash prizes awarded and you could just be a winner. Please tell your Garden Club members to enter plants, also. We really want to fill the Fine Arts building with plants. The plants will be judged by certified judges.

We also need help with registration and watering during that week.

There will be a MCMG table on display with information about our training in Oct. & Nov. We would like to have the table manned during peak times during the fair. If you can help with this, contact Teresa Slack and she can get you a fair pass for the week. See back page.

The MCMG Horticulture Committee is asking all Master Gardeners to help with the Horticulture Exhibit at the 4 States Fair this September 8-17, 2017.

As most of you know, it has been several years since the Fine Arts building has been loaded with hanging baskets and potted plants to be judged. We are asking that you bring your hanging baskets and potted

Kids Day at the Fair

The Ag Learning Center is gear up for the 2017 Kids’ Day at the Fair. This is a great educational field day with lots of fun that is FREE to all schools and educational organizations within the four states area.

This year’s Kids’ Day at the Fair will be held September 13

th & 14

th. Your help will be

needed from 8:30-1:30. This is always a fun day for the Master Gardeners to help our Miller County Agents. You will receive a free T-Shirt and lunch is provided for the volunteers.

If you are planning to help, please contact Teresa Slack for a pass to get into the fair. She will also need your t-shirt size and what day you want to work.

During last year’s Kids’ Day, we had approximately 6,000 children, teachers, parents, and adults participate. Without volunteers, this day would not be possible. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Basic Training Committee to Meet

County Third Floor Conference Room. It is time to put the finishing touches on our classes scheduled for October 23

rd, 24

th, 26

th, 27

th, 31

st

and November 3rd

.

If you have not made a committee meeting and would like to help, COME ON! It is not too late to help.

By Teresa Slack

The Miller County Master Gardeners Basic Training Committee will meet Friday, August 11

th, at

9:00 a.m. in the Miller

branches for hands-on demonstrations with the attendees.

Again, on June 13th,

Andrea presented a program on Tree Identi-fication. Using a Power-Point presentation she talked about local trees as well as trees across the U.S. to the Collins Community Center. She shared facts about the planting and also distin-guishing features of trees.

…

On May 30th, Andrea

Thomas presented a program for the sub-committee of the Talks at the Library to the Sandflat Community Center. Her topic was trees and how to identify them. Andrea used a PowerPoint program as well as answered questions and shared her knowledge of trees and interesting facts about trees.

For the program, she brought limbs and small

child was given a “bee” visor made by the committee.

The same program on bees was again presented to the Adults at the Sand-flat Center at 12:30 p.m.

From this program, every-one learned the import-ance of respecting bees and why they should grow flowers & other foliage that encourage bee numbers.

Talks at the Library sub-committee presented a program on Bees to the Sandflat Community Center Kids’ Group on July 18

th at

11:30 a.m.

Glenda Griffin & Rita Lamb showed the kids the differ-ent parts of a bee’s home & educated them on the importance of bees and their habitat.

The bee protective suit was shown by Glenda. Each

…

grow their own potatoes.

Jan Lavender talked to the adult group about planting avocado seeds, which will grow into actual trees. She told the group how to best care for the tree once it begins to grow. Also demonstrated was how to root a loquat

…On July 25

th, the sub-

committee of Talks at the Library presented to both Kids and Adults at the Sandflat Center.

Judith White demonstrated an easy way to begin a bean plant by putting dried beans in a plastic bag with water. The kids each did their own beans and bags.

Willene Akin demonstrated growing vines on sweet potatoes. She explained to the kids how they could also plant the slips and

stem. Jan shared some interesting facts about the loquat tree as well as giving each adult a cutting planted in a small pot.

Also shared with the adults were a few monthly Gardening Tips from MGs, taken from the 2016 MG calendar.

August 21, 2017

University of Arkansas Community College Hope

9:30 – 12:30 Hempstead Hall

2500 S. Main, Hope, AR

Join us for our Annuals to Perennials program for new Master Gardeners & Mentors. We know how important you are to the success of our MG Program. This program is designed to encourage our new MGs to become more involved in their county programs, assist new MGs to grow from an Annual to a Perennial MG, and show appreciation to our Mentors for their vital roles during this process.

This program is open to first-year Master Gardeners who completed basic training from June 1

st, 2016 through Aug. 17,

2017 & Mentors. The deadline for online registration or mail-in registration is Aug. 11

th.

All sessions will feature:

Janet Carson, University of AR Extension Horticulture Special-ist – “In the Garden-What You Should Be Doing Now to Make Your Garden Shine”.

Bill Byers, Director of the Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens – “Color Combinations in the Garden”.

Register online at https://forms. uaex.edu/registrations/MG/annuals-perennials/Registration.asp or call our office at 870-779-3609 for your registration form.