ANNOUNCEMENTS
Watch for the November Scion Newsletter Tomorrow!
Check Out the new VMS Codes coming in 2019 and to be discussed at the November 15th BCMG Meeting.
INVITATION TO ALL!
Sign up for AgriLife’s Maintain No Gain and enjoy your holidays the healthy way using motivational tools, healthy recipes, and fitness tips to help you control your weight over the holiday season, a 6-week period when the average American gains extra pounds. Anyone can participate! It’s FREE. Feel free to share with others. Must register online before November 12, 2018.
REMINDER FOR ALL BCMGs: Saturday, December 15th, is the last day to record your 2018 Volunteer and CEU Hours in VMS! Don’t wait til the last day, add your hours to VMS TODAY!!
NOTE: Texas AgriLife Extension Service and Bexar County Master Gardeners offices will be Monday, Nov 12th (in observance of Veterans Day!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THU, NOV 15th, 6-8pm:
Great Guest Speaker & Important Meeting
Come and hear Justin Horne, Meteorologist & Reporter for KSAT 12 News, explain the complex undertaking of predicting how the weather will behave over the coming hours, days, weeks, and months. He will present a long-range forecast for the area and explain how it compares to the averages and will take a look at El Niño and La Niña and what role they may play in 2019. 2 CEUs; Code 003: last 2018 opportunity for meeting attendance CEUs.
JUSTIN HORNE
Important BCMG Meeting: Election of the 2019 Board of Directors and presentation of some new BCMG organization information. Plus, you can order your Holiday Poinsettias if you have not done so yet!!
Next BCMG Board Meeting will take place 3-5pm on Thu, Nov 15, at 3355 Cherry Ridge 78230. If you are interested in placing items on the agenda, email President Grace Emery by Thu, Nov 8. And, all members are welcome to observe the meetings; however, in order to accommodate seating, please email President Grace Emery that you will be attending.
Don’t miss current Volunteer Opportunities on VMS…see below! Bluebonnet Beds (Tomorrow!), Arbor Day (This Saturday!), Judge at County Roundup, Dates in Nov & Dec for Culinary Docents, Kids, Kows & More, and lots of shifts for Heritage Education Tours.
Help Dr. Parsons TOMORROW, Thu, Nov 1st, 8:30 am at SABOT
Meet at the Bluebonnet planting beds to pull tall weeds and shred smaller weeds in order to prepare for seeding Red/Maroon Texas bluebonnets when beds dry out. Bring gloves (for pigweed with stickers), hoes, shovels, rakes and a reliably-starting string trimmer (if you have one). We will plant a bed of Crawford lettuce for seed collection. If you have not seeded your lettuce yet, NOW is the perfect time. Bring a small pill bottle/container and take fresh seed home. After the irrigation situation is evaluated, we will determine if hand-watering will be needed.
PARKING: turn off of N. New Braunfels onto Queen Anne; at the very end of Queen Anne, go through the back gates of the SABOT and park in front of the SABOT Greenhouses directly inside the gate. Walk up the hill to the beds. Call Dr Parsons at 210-414-7706 if you need more details.
Be part of this important effort to maintain the color program of the Texas State Flower, the Bluebonnet. The Texas Red/Maroon bluebonnet was nearly lost last year, as well as the Texas White bluebonnet was also almost lost this year.
HAVE FUN in the BEAUTIFUL AND MILD WEATHER!!!!!!
Call for Candidates –– 2019 BCMG Board of Directors
Nominations will close Friday, November 9,to allow time to prepare the election ballots (for Nov 15th election). So, please email Barbara Lutz, or call 210-699-0663 if would like to express your interest in a position!
The Nomination Committee is still seeking candidates specifically for Secretary and Membership Director.
NOTE: The Membership Director position requires internet access, email communications, fluency with Excel (reports generation), and attention to detail (identifying VMS coding errors). Other than attending monthly board meetings, all work (usually 5-15 hrs each month) can be accomplished from your home, or anywhere you have internet access with your portable device. For more details, please email Lisa Nixon at [email protected].
All board positions – President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Director/Membership and two At-Large positions – are available. The incumbents of some board positions are seeking re-election; others will not.
NEWS & INFORMATION ON:
- Membership Dues
- Christmas Party (Tue, Dec 11, 2018 with Rodeo Shift Sign-Ups)
- Rodeo Construction and Rodeo Event (7-24 Feb, 2019)
For Your Holiday Gift Shopping and Decorating!
The annual BCMG Poinsettia Sale is underway. Place your order on the BCMG website! Gorgeous, floral quality Poinsettias for 2018 include Red, White, Variegated (Pink & White), and new Red Glitter. Remember proceeds benefit the Master Gardener Scholarship!
SIGN-UP for VOLUNTEER EVENTS using the Event Calendar in theVOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM – VMS. Find number of volunteers still needed, who has signed up, Project Code and even request an event reminder!
Volunteer Hours Needed? Come and Get’em….we’ve got you covered! NEW OPPORTUNITIES: Bluebonnet Beds – Tomorrow and Arbor Day – this Saturday
MGs Who Completed SABOT Culinary Docent Training!
- Two Volunteers Each Day:
- November 3, 9, 16 & 17 and 30
- December 1, 7 & 8, 14 & 15, and 22
BCMGs to oversee trees being planted on Arbor Day – TreeCentential, Sat, Nov 3, at UTSA Main Campus, UTSA East Campus Lotoff Valero Way (map here). 90+ trees varying in size from 5-15 gallon will be planted. Please contact Ms. Meredith Tilley directly at 210-207-8603 to help out starting at 8am; breakfast tacos & coffee provided. But wait….there is more: The UTSA Monster Mash Pumpkin Smash & STEM Fair will be taking place in the parking lot adjacent to the Arbor Day Tree Planting and Adoption Event!!
Heritage Education Tours: 35 Events, 70 Volunteers (2 each day)!!!
Tours began in 1960 as a way for local students to visit various heritage landmarks. Tours are scheduled for Nov 5-9 and Nov 12-16 from 8:30-11:30 am. 19 schools confirmed with approximately 1900 students attending. MGs will serve as Greeters (not tour guides), but can answer Master Gardener questions! VMS code: 980
- Casa Navarro: Nov 9 & 15
- Spanish Governor’s Palace: Nov 6 & 14
- Mission Concepcion: Nov 8, 13, 14, 15, 16
- Mission San Jose: Nov 5, 7, 14,15
- Alamo: Nov 9, 12, 15, 16
- Yturri-Edmunds House: Nov 5, 6, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16
- Mission San Juan: Nov 6, 14
Annual Kids, Kows, and More! event needs 15 volunteers each day on Wed & Thu, Nov 14 & 15, from 8am to Noon. Training Day will be held on Tue, Nov 13 from 9:30-11am. Held at the San Antonio Livestock Expo and Rodeo Cattle Barn, 723 AT&T Center PWY, 78219, up to 1,000 students will visit during the two-day EXPO of horticulture, agriculture, nutrition and entomology. MG volunteers will help facilitate youth activities. Email Ruby Zavala with any questions, and sign up with VMS Code: 980.
Share your love of gardening with the gardeners of tomorrow by volunteering at the Children’s Vegetable Garden Program at Phil Hardberger Park (PHP), Tuesdays, 8-11 a.m, Now thru Dec 4. You can also help by volunteering for the watering team. For more information, email Kathy Breniman.
SABOT Children’s Vegetable Garden Water Teams NEED YOU!!
Sunday’s Team starts @ 8am, Tuesday’s Team starts @ 7:30am, Thursday’s Team starts @ 8am. Please email David Rodriguez or Denise Perez if you’re interested.
See all the Details for Classes in the Bexar County area on the MG Calendar! Classes listed below may be of special interest to you.
Beekeeping Basics on Fri, Nov 2 with a Field Day in Leon Springs on Sat, Nov 3. Flyer with Details here. Registration online (be sure you register for Beekeeping BASICS). Cost is $65, includes lunch and the bee field day and tons of information! 8 CEUs; Code: 001
All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar Series: Lice, Scabies, and Mites. Fri, Nov 2, 1-2pm. Part of the WebinarSeries. 1 CEU; Code: 001
Fall Festival of Roses/ Heritage Rose Foundation Conference. Friday – Sunday, Nov. 2 – 4, Antique Rose Emporium, 10000 FM 50, Brenham, TX 77833. Website. FREE. CEUs: 1 / educational training hour. Code 002.
BCMG November Speaker & Meeting: Justin Horne, Meteorologist & Reporter for KSAT 12 News, will present a weather forecasting primer on Thu, Nov 15, from 6-8pm at 3355 Cherry Ridge, Suite 208, 78230. Important BMCG meeting and 2 CEUs; Code: 003.
DON’T MISS! Annual Poinsettia Tour of Peterson Bros. Nursery: Annual free tour will take place on Wed, Nov 29th from 10am to Noon at 1630 Creekview Dr., 78219. Park on the far side of the lot. Come and be “wowed” and wear walking shoes, bring a camera, and don’t be late! Contact David Rodriguezfor details. 2 CEUs; Code: 001
ANNOUNCING: Advanced Master Gardener Home Fruit Class – Southern Texas has been scheduled for February 2019! Details and application available HERE.
And remember, you can find all the TEXAS MASTER GARDENER SPECIALIST COURSES offered in 2018 at the TMGA website. If you are interested in attending any courses, please email David Rodriguez, Extension Agent-Horticulture, Bexar County. BCMG CEU Code: 001.
Composter training will take place Dec 5-7, and will be hosted by Fort Bend County in Rosenberg, TX.
Great Gardening Events on the BCMG November Calendar. Bookmark the Calendar and visit it frequently! Here is a sample of what is coming up this month:
- Nov 4 – Native Wildlife & Habitat Celebration
- Nov 4 – Native Milkweed Propagation for Monarch Habitat
- Nov 6 – Winter Outlooks for South Central Texas
- Nov 7 – Beautiful Barkerias from A to Z
- Nov 7 – Historic Landscapes and Native Plants
- Nov 8 – Pinch Pots
Congratulations to Pam Axtell, Office Assistant who has supported the 4-H & Youth Program, is retiring effective today, October 31, 2018, after serving Bexar County and the 4-H & Youth Development Program for 31 years, 1987-2018. Enjoy every minute of your retirement, and we hope you find the gardening bug. Best Wishes from the BCMGs!
SAVE THE DATE: BCMG Christmas Party will be held at the San Antonio Garden Center, Tuesday, December 11th from 1pm to 3pm!
Board Announces Formation of Two New BCMG Committees!!
Take on an ongoing role and participate throughout the year in the new Logistics Committee or the new Events Committee.
Logistics Committee members will set up and tear down the events, to include moving and setting up canopy, tables, chairs, etc. from the storage to the location, and then being responsible for take down and return to the storage unit. The work crew need not stay for event, but return at the end of the event for tear down.
Events Committee members will check the annual calendar for event dates and secure a Chair and necessary members for the event. BCMG participates in, or hosts a variety of events such as Spring Bloom, Festival of Flowers, Monarch Festival, Spring & Fall Cultivate!, seasonal Home and Garden Shows, Poinsettia Sale, Birdies for Charity, Rodeo, and so many others. We hope to have the expertise of 2018 chairs, co-chairs and volunteers joining this committee!
These committees are key to our success as a Master Gardener organization. We need you all! Please email Grace Emery or call (210) 875-6919, if you are interested in playing a part in BCMG’s foundation for stability and endurance! More information coming!