ANNOUNCEMENTS
Now’s the Time to Get Growing Your Tomatoes and Veggies with an Eye on a Prize in our TOP TOMATO CONTEST! Get all the juicy details on our website! June 15th will be here before you know it!
GREAT NEWS! BCMG will be awarding not one (as announced earlier), but twoScholarships in Horticultural Studies. All the details and the scholarship application are available on the BCMG website. Applications must be submitted by April 30, 2019.
Join the Children’s Vegetable Garden Work Party TOMORROW, Thu, Mar 28th, 8:30am to 11:30am (or whenever you can make it). Duties include: getting the tomato trials area ready for planting, and other miscellaneous chores. Email David Rodriguez if you have any questions. Parking map HERE.
The Children’s Vegetable Garden Program at Phil Hardberger Park needs MGs to help water the garden on Thursdays, Fridays, or Saturdays (mornings or evenings) from Now to the first week of June. Please email Kathy Breniman for details and to volunteer.
Seeking two volunteers to help serve on the SABOT Children’s Vegetable Garden Water Team: Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Sundays; shift typically starts around 7:30am. Email David Rodriguez if you can help out!
The 2019 Volunteer Recognition Luncheon will highlight all of the time, passion, and hard work put in by the wonderful Texas A&M AgriLife Extension- Bexar County Volunteers. Register online to attend no later than this Friday, March 29th!
Do You Volunteer at SABOT? If the answer is Yes, SABOT wants to say a Special Thank You on Saturday April 6 from 11:30am to 1pm at a Volunteer Party in the Garden Classrooms. Come enjoy the food and music, and receive a Fiesta medal! Please RSVP to Nadezhda I. Garza, SABOT Volunteer Coordinator, by Monday, April 1st by email or call: 210-536-1415.
BCMGs & FRIENDS CAN STILL MAKE YOUR BIRDIES DONATION
Using the pledge form which you received at the Rodeo meeting or received by mail, or members and our Friends can donate online using our custom link. Deadline for the donations is Tomorrow, Thursday, March 28. Funds raised help support our programs and activities with 100% of the donations made to BCMG through this program benefitting us, AND Valero matches 7%. So we get 107% of donations made! If you have any questions or need pledge forms, please email Barbara Lutz or call 210-699-0663. THANKS FOR YOUR DONATIONS!
Also, if you are planning to attend the tournament at TPC San Antonio, April 1-7, 2019, be sure to stop by a Donation Station located in both the main and VIP entrances and make a donation for Bexar County Master Gardeners for your chance to win a prize!
★ Ford Ranger Truck – Donors who check in at one of the Donation Stations or make a contribution onsite will be entered into a drawing to win a two-year lease on a 2019 Ford Ranger truck, compliments of Jordan Ford. One entry per day, Thursday-Sunday, so please stop by daily to check-in.
★ $20,000 – The donor who wins the Ford Ranger truck will automatically earn the charity they supported a $20,000 donation in honor of the donor.
★ Fiesta® Medal – Make a donation of $10 or greater and receive a limited edition 2019 Valero Texas Open Fiesta® medal!
Mark Your Calendar for THURSDAY, APRIL 18th from 1-3pm
John Strickland will talk with us about the Greenhouse at the San Antonio Zoo and how he plans for yearlong plantings.
John is the Manager of Horticulture at the San Antonio Zoo. He started his career at the zoo in 1999 and has experience as a Gardener, Greenhouse Technician, Senior Horticulturist, and finally Manager. John worked at several nurseries in his hometown of Abilene, and also ran my own landscape company. He grew up on a 150-acre farm in north Texas and that is source of his love of horticulture.
Bexar County Master Gardener (BCMG) Educational Seminars/General Meetings are held in the evenings of the third Thursday every other month at 3355 Cherry Ridge, Suite 208, 78230. For more information contact the BCMG President. 1 CEU. BCMG Code: 002.
SIGN-UP for VOLUNTEER EVENTS using the Event Calendar in the VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM – VMS. Find number of volunteers still needed, who has signed up, Project Code and even request an event reminder! REMEMBER: If you volunteer for any event and have a last minute change of plans, please contact the coordinator listed on VMS to let them know!
MGs Who Completed SABOT Culinary Docent Training!
VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED: 10am – 1pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. VMS has all dates/times for sign-ups! VMS Code 100.
Open Regular Shifts in April: 4, 5, 6 and 11, 12, 13 and 18, 19, 20 and 25, 26, 27
Extra Shifts in April: Self-guided Adult Groups on Mon, 15th 10 am to 1 pm, Wed, 24th, 9am – Noon, and Tue, 30th, 9:30am – 12-20pm; plus Sat, 20th Noon – 2pm for Viva Botanica
Coming Up for Youth Gardens Program (Sign Up on VMS: Code 1200)
- Youth Garden Activity Prep, 3355 Cherry Ridge Dr. on Wednesdays and Thursdays in April from 10am-1pm. Need 2 volunteers each day to help cut out bees and butterflies, put youth activities together and other. Email Ruby Zavala if you are interested, or sign up on VMS.
- Looking for 3 volunteers to take a Pot-A-Plant youth activity to St. Gregory the Great STEM event (700 Dewhurst Rd 78213). Expect to see approx. 100 kids from 11am to 2pm on Sat, Apr 6th. Please arrive at 10:30 to gel set up. Email Ruby Zavala if you are interested, or sign up on VMS.
- Looking for 6 (3 per shift) volunteers to take a Pot-A-Plant youth activity to Nimitz Middle School Earth Day event (5426 Blanco Rd, 78216). Expect to see approx. 500 kids from 9am-3pm on Mon, Apr 22nd. First shift is from 9am to 12pm and second shift is from 12pm-3pm. Email Ruby Zavala if you are interested, or sign up on VMS.
STILL NEED Brown Bag Lunch & Learn (VMS Code 100) Support: Come and help set up, hand out information, and clean up; arrive 30 minutes prior to each session. Need help July & November. Contact President Grace Emery if you have any questions.
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:
Growing a Spring Vegetable Garden: David Rodriguez will talk about in-ground and raised beds, soils and plants at The Garden Center, 10682 Bandera Rd on THIS Sat, Mar 30 from 10:45am – Noon. 1 CEU: Code 001
Spring Gardening To Do List: David Rodriguez will speak at the San Antonio Garden Center meeting from 10 to 11am, Wed, Apr 3 at 3310 N. New Braunfels, 78209. Coffee at 9:30am. 1 CEU: Code 001
Turfgrass 101: with Lou Kellogg on Wed, Apr 10 from 6:30-8:30 pm, part of the Earthkind Home Gardening Series held at 3355 Cherry Ridge, Suite 212, 78230. 2 CEUs: Code 002
Lawn Basics: with Lou Kellogg on Fri, Apr 12 from Noon-1 pm, a Brown Bag Lunch & Learn session held at 3355 Cherry Ridge, Suite 212, 78230. 1 CEU: Code 001
Annual Fruit Tree Grafting Seminar: with Dr Larry Stein on Sat, Apr 13 from 9am – Noon at Fanick’s Garden Center, 1025 Holmgreen Rd. 3 CEUs: Code 001
Learn from Master Gardeners at this 2019 Speakers Bureau Presentation: Xeriscaping with Oliver Smith, hosted by San Antonio OASIS, at 2201 St. Cloud, 78228 on Tue, Apr 16, from 10:30am – Noon. 1.5 CEUs, Code: 001
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THESE GREAT EARTH-KIND CLASSES!
TRY A LUNCH TIME TREAT!
And remember, you can find all the TEXAS MASTER GARDENER ADVANCED (formerly Specialist) COURSES offered 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.
Plant Propagation – Apr 12-13, Hosted by Tarrant County, Fort Worth
First Detector #1 – May 2-3, hosted by Ellis County, Waxahachie
First Detector #1 – May 20-21, hosted by Williamson County, Georgetown
Earth-Kind® – May 16-18, 2019, hosted by Henderson County, Athens
Turfgrass – May 23-24, 2019, hosted by Montgomery County, Conroe
Tree Care – Jun. 12-14, 2019, hosted by Kerr County, Kerrville
Vegetables – Aug. 13-15, 2019, hosted by Bexar County, San Antonio
2019 State & International Conferences
Registration for the 2019 TGMA Conference is underway for the April 25-27, 2019 event being hosted by Victoria County Master Gardener Association. Great speakers, plenty of good food, wonderful tours and garden-crafty workshops are planned for you! Registration thru Apr 1 = $200. Leadership training (Topics = Mentoring, Fundraising and Technology) will be held on April 24th. Visit the Conference website for tons of information!
The 17th biennial conference for the international master gardener community, Penn’s Woods: Digging into Our Roots, will be held June 17-21, 2019 at the Valley Forge Casino Resort, Valley Forge, PA. A conference update has just been received. You can use online registration and also subscribe to the IMGC newsletter for conference updates.
Great Gardening Events on the BCMG March Calendar. Bookmark the Calendar and visit it frequently! Here is a sampling of what is coming up:
- Mar 30 – Native Plants 101
- Mar 30 – How To Grow Roses / Talk to the Experts
- Apr 3 – Hill Country Native Plant Working Workshop (FREE)
- Apr 5 – 2019 All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar Series: Snakes – Identification and Environmental Importance
Let’s Have Tons of Little Bee Houses All Over San Antonio
Molly Keck is looking for large, clean, empty cans with tops removed (larger than typical veggie can sizes; metal, plastic or cardboard) for building native pollinator homes for an educational program. Please drop off at the Bexar County Extension Office, 3355 Cherry Ridge, Suite 212 (or in Suite 208 if you are there attending a meeting anyway!). Collecting NOW through end of THIS WEEK!
SAVE THE DATE: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will host a Texas Community Futures Forum on Friday, April 5 to assess the community’s needs. Four program areas will be addressed: Agriculture & Natural Resources, Families & Health, Youth Development and Community Development.
GVST Watersaver Landscape Design School – Course and Consultation will be held on Sat, Apr 6, 9am-1pm at the The Wells Center, 303 Pearl Parkway, Suite 114, 78215 Fee: $30 per person or $50 household; more information online.
Purple Martins: Their Role and Requirements in San Antonio Ecosystems will be presented by John Henry, retired educator and purple martin house manager at San Antonio Botanical Gardens (SABOT) for 15 years. Learn about habits, habitat requirements, role in our ecosystems, and how to attract them to your yard. Class will include a tour of SABOT birdhouses. Sponsored by San Antonio Water System and held at SABOT on Sat, Apr 6, 10 am to 11:30 am; Fee: ($9-$12), or free with membership or general admission. Registration required.
Join the AgriLife Staff on April 16, 2019 from 8am to Noon for the 2019 South Texas Agriculture Symposium at 3355 Cherry Ridge, Suite 208. Please find details and RSVP information on this flyer.
Applications are now being accepted for the TWO BCMG 2019-2020 Scholarships in Horticultural Studies. These scholarships provide financial support to undergraduates or graduate students at Texas colleges or universities who are pursuing degrees in Horticultural Sciences, Landscape Design, Turfgrass Management, or any affiliated “Green Industry” area. All the details and the scholarship application are available on the BCMG website. Applications must be submitted by April 30, 2019.