ANNOUNCEMENTS
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
You may have seen the article in the Rivard Report on Green Acres: Commissioner Calvert Cultivates Plans for Urban Farm and a possible new location for Bexar County’s Texas A&M AgriLIfe Extension Service program. This is consistent with what we have been told and were expecting.
We would like to thank Commissioner Calvert for his support of the AgriLife Extension Service and the Bexar County Master Gardeners. We look forward to working with him.
Currently, the Rivard Report article contains all the information that we have at this time. More details will be provided when the information becomes available.
Respectfully,
David Rodriguez and your Board of Directors
Congratulations to Intern Class 63 on Your Final Day of Classroom Work Today!
DON’T MISS OUT!
All MGs Who:
- Complete (and record in VMS) their certification hours by December 15, and
- Pay their dues by December 31
Will receive a new name badge FREE. A second badge may be purchased.
New badges will be available for pick up at the January 16 Rodeo Kick-off meeting. Badges with the old logo are not to be worn after the January meeting. Find more information, and to pay online, visit our website.
MGs & Interns Interested in SABOT Culinary Docent Training:
Grace Emery will be conducting training for up to 10 docents on Thursday, November 14 from 10am-12:30pm. Sign up will be available on VMS
Once trained, you will be able to volunteer at the Culinary Garden all year long!
HERE IS YOUR INVITATION TO THE 2019 BCMG HOLIDAY & MEMBER RECOGNITION PARTY!
Please RSVP to Barbara Lutz by Tuesday, December 3rd.
Don’t be left empty-handed at Christmas. Get your Floral Grade Poinsettias NOW before they are all sold out! Deadline is December 2nd and the inventory is running low.
PLEASE pass along the 2019 Flyer to all your friends and organizations in which you are a member!
2019 Poinsettia Sale: Floral Quality Poinsettias make great gifts!
Locally grown by one of the largest growers in the area!
Pick up your order on Dec 6, 2019 from 11:30 am to 5:00 pm.
- 6 1/2- inch pots in a variety of colors: Red, White, Variegated, Red Glitter
- 4-inch pots in Red.
- Green foil pot wrapper and tax included for all orders!
Order plants online at : https://www.bexarmg.org/ or print the mail-in form.
BCMG Reporting Guidelines for Volunteer Hours (VHs) and Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
Reporting our hours is important for two reasons:
- Annual Certification – BCMGs must volunteer 30 hours (VH), receive 6 hours of continuing education (CEUs), and attend two BCMG monthly meetings.
- Funding – Our hours of service (VHs) are reported by AgriLife Extension Service to the state and all funding organizations with accuracy very important, esp. for funding organizations.
See the details of these clarification points on reporting hours at the Members page of our BCMG Website:
- Report hours as soon as you can
- Travel “time” is not volunteer time
- No double dipping
- Use accurate hours
- Record hours to the nearest 1/2 hour
NOTE: Any MG who is not going to meet their required volunteer and/or CEU hours for certification, but wants to continue their active MG status for 2020, should contact David Rodriguez early. Please provide him an explanation of your situation, and a summary of the hours you have recorded in VMS for 2019.
Calling All Rodeo Construction Workers!
It’s time to get organized! Please email Grace Emery your name, email address and cell phone number. We plan to use emails or text messages to communicate the work agenda for each construction day. Appreciate you volunteering now to be a member of the 2020 Rodeo Construction Team.
PLEASE NOTE: Forklift Certification for Rodeo grounds will be held on December 5th at 6:00 pm. This is not a “teaching class.” This is only for certification. Please email Grace Emery to register or for more information.
Bags, Bags, Bags! Collect for Rodeo Plant Sale! Drop off at the office, or bring to our monthly meetings!
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 Have Completed SABOT Culinary Docent Training!
Come and complete your annual volunteer certification hours! Schedule your shifts today! November shifts are 10am to 1pm on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. VMS has all dates/times for sign-ups! VMS Code 0100.
Volunteers for Youth Gardening Program
Feedback on the New Youth Gardens Task Force has been great! If you have some insights and good ideas on how we can educate and support our Bexar County youth gardens, please be sure to join us! We want to hear your ideas! Email Ruby Zavala if you have any questions.
Kids, Kows and More Agriculture Expo: Help with youth activity booths focused on gardening, agriculture, natural resources and livestock Wed & Thu, Nov 20 & 21, 8:30am to Noon. Breakfast/Lunch provided. Location for this Agriculture Literacy program : 3201 E Houston St, 78219 (in the new cattle barns). Email your questions to Natalie Cervantes. Sign up on VMS (Code 1200).
The Hardberger Park Children’s Vegetable Garden serves homeschooled children ages 7-14. Volunteers are needed to educate children and parents on good garden practices and to assist with program set-up and garden maintenance. Fall Session runs Tuesdays, Now thru Dec 10, 8:30-11:30 a.m. Please email Kathy Breniman if you are interested in volunteering on Tuesdays, or if you would like to join the watering team.
Or, volunteer on Saturdays at the Children’s Vegetable Garden Program (CVGP) at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. or helping the Fall watering team on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Sunday. If either works for you, email David Rodriguez.
Mark Your Calendars Master Gardeners Interns: Saturday Nov 16, 2019 from 7:30 a.m. till 2 p.m.
We are having our PICNIC and Vegetable Competition at the Children’s Vegetable Garden Program (CVGP). You can park in the back by Old Austin Road. Sausages and Hot Dogs will be provided and all the families are sharing a dish. Help and enjoy this family tradition!
Be the Master Gardener with all the Answers! Volunteer for a shift on our “Ask a Master Gardener” service: Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 8am. to Noon. Check our website page for more information on this service. And, email Denise Perez or Nicolas Vazquez to volunteer!
Help is needed for Set Up at the BCMG Holiday and Member Recognition Luncheon at San Antonio Garden Center on Thu, Dec 5, from 9:30-11am. To volunteer, contact Barbara Lutz.
BCMG November Meeting –– NEXT WEEK
Thursday, November 21st from 6-8pm
Come and Hear Jay White, owner and publisher of Texas Gardener Magazine, present Pest Free Organically. Jay will discuss the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) triangle and practical, science-based organic control measures that will allow you to grow incredible edibles and ornamentals without relying on “the sides” (pesticides, herbicides and fungicides). An avid hobby gardener, he has earned a B.S. and M.S. in Agriculture. Details on our website.
Election for the Board of Directors for the coming year will also take place at our November Meeting. The Nominating Committee has submitted the following slate for the election of the 2020 BCMG Board of Directors:
President: Lynn Cox
Vice President: Muriel Lanford
Secretary: Angie Kirby
Treasurer: Kathann ElAmin
Membership: Chris McKnight
Members-at-Large: Michelle Hobbs and Art Vasquez
PLANT SALE –– Begins at 5:30 pm!
- Super Pansies – 6 packs @ $5 each, or Flat of Eight 6-packs for $35 (save $5)
- Snapdragons – 6 packs $5 each, or Flat of Eight 6 packs for $35.00 (save $5)
While they last!!!
Bexar County Master Gardener (BCMG) Educational Seminars/General Meetings are held in the afternoons (seminars) and evenings (General Meetings) 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.
BCMG BOARD MEETING will take place 3 -5 pm on Thu, Nov 21 at 3355 Cherry Ridge 78230.. If you are interested in placing items on the agenda, email President Grace Emery by Fri, Nov 15. All members are welcome to observe the meetings; however, in order to accommodate seating, please email President Grace Emery that you will be attending.
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:
NOVEMBER BCMG Monthly Meeting & Educational Seminar: Meet Jay White and learn all about being Pest Free Organically on Thu, Nov 21, 6-8pm at 3355 Cherry Ridge, Suite 208, 78230. 1 CEU per hr presentation; Code 002
15 Bugs Every Gardener Should Know will be presented by Molly Keck on Thu, Nov 21 from 7-8pm at Guadalupe County MG Meeting, 210 East Live Oak, Seguin 78155. CEU Code 001; 1 CEU
The Peterson Brothers Nursery Tour is scheduled for Fri, Nov 22 at 10 am. This field trip is for BCMG Interns and Palo Alto Horticulture students, BUT, an additional 10 MGs may attend. Please email your request to David Rodriguez. First come, first served! 1 CEU per hr; Code 001
Just Announced!! Fruit Tree Seminar, hosted by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. You won’t want to miss one! Everyone wants their own orchard! Learn from the best experts in the area on January 24, 2020 at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Flyer & Agenda HERE. Space is limited and this class will fill up, so be sure to register early! No registrations at the door. 7 CEUs; Code 001
JMG National Leader Training & 20th Anniversary Celebration, February 24-26, 2020 in College Station. Details Online. 1 CEU per hr; Code 001
Earn one CEU of the minimum six CEUs required for Master Gardener re-certification by listening to at least one archived WOAI 1200 AM Lawn & Garden Show podcast. Or, earn one CEU (of minimum six required CEUs) by listening to a LIVE broadcast of the WOAI 1200 AM Lawn and Garden from 7-10am on a Saturday morning. You can only record one CEU per year using the radio broadcast option! VMS CEU Code 001
Watch for 2020 TEXAS MASTER GARDENER ADVANCED 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.
Get Out Your 2020 Calendar: The Texas Master Gardener Assn Conference will be hosted by the McLennan County Master Gardener Association May 12-14, 2020 at the Waco Convention Center. Conference hotels are already filling up! Check out the planned Speakers, Tours, Workshops & Breakout Sessions by viewing the slide presentation from the August TMGA Director’s Meeting.
Great Gardening Events on the BCMG Calendar. Bookmark the Calendar and visit it frequently! Here is a sampling of what is coming up:
- Nov 14: Constructing Wreaths with Mary Dunford — SA Herb Society Mtg.
- Nov 15: Native Plant Walking Workshop – Third Fridays of the Month
- Nov 16: Explore the Canyon
- Nov 16: Texas Bird Walking Workshop
- Nov 16: Cultivating Orchids in Your Home
- Nov 16: Wine Down at the Garden
- Nov 19: Let’s All Eat Native Texas Plants — NPSOT Lindheimer Chapter Mtg.
GVST Essentials of Gardening Class, Mon, Nov 18, Noon to 3pm: Noted arborist David M. Vaughan will present “Induced Resistance (IR) to Improve Tree Health, Manage Pests, Diseases and Improve Water Retention and Drought Tolerance.” Karen Guz, SAWS Director of Water Conservation. will present a “Gardener’s Guide to Botany.
From Sam Womble, Bexar County Extension Agent- Ag and Natural Resources: Check out the Seminar Flyer for “First Things” Considerations for Industrial Hemp in Texas with Dr. Calvin Trostle, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agronomist.
SABot Scarecrow Trail Exhibit: Now thru Nov 10 from 9am to 5pm. Scattered throughout the Botanical Garden, visitors will be treated to Scarecrows created by community organizations and partners.
David Rogers’ Big Bugs, larger-than-life sculptures, at the San Antonio Botanical Garden NOW thru December 8th.
Tickets on Sale Wine Down at the Garden, Sat, Nov. 16, 2019 | 6 – 10 p.m. (Details Here). Both events at SABot, 555 Funston, 78209.
