Tue, 01 May 2007
Master Gardeners
I recently had the pleasure of speaking to the Highland Lakes Master Gardeners. The Highland Lakes are northwest of Austin near the cities of Burnet, Llano and Marble Falls. All are great places to take a weekend trip, but these lucky Master Gardeners decided to make this gorgeous area their home. As I expected, these lakeside country dwellers were very fun and lighthearted and very engaged in my talk. One gardener hosted me for dinner at her lakeside home. The soil in her area was so different from mine! It was made up largely of decomposed granite sand, because pink granite is the prevalent bedrock in that area. The beach by her house sparkeled pink in the sunset. I am so happy I got to meet these great people, and I realized that some of our GP members might not be familiar with the Master Gardener program. Master Gardeners are usually just regular people who like to garden. There is usually a fee to sign up for the program and you get to take classes about gardening. Then in order to become a certified Master Gardener, you have to volunteer for a certain number of hours at a local botanic garden. The Master Gardener program is usually conducted by county extension offices through a major resarch university in your state. You can find a Master Gardener group in your area by visiting the American Horticulutre Society web site here: http://www.ahs.org/master_gardeners/
posted at: 21:52 | path: /colleen2007 | link for this entry
Worms and Vacations
I just got back from a short vacation to New Mexico. New Mexico is an amazing place and you can expect a travel article from me about the Rio Grande Botanical Garden in Albuquerque. When I got back to Austin I went to check on my worms in the worm bin. They seem ok, but they are not eating very fast, and it seems like there are fewer of them than when I started. There were little red bumps on top of the pile of paper, old potting soil and lettuce that I gave them to eat and live in. I am not sure what they are but I got the name of a worm expert who might be able to tell me. They might be fly eggs or some kind of mold, but they don't look like anything I have ever seen. I wasn't ever really sure if I got the right kind of worms in the first place or if I am feeding them enough and giving them enough shelter. I am looking forward to talking to the worm expert to see if I am treating them well.
posted at: 21:43 | path: /colleen2007 | link for this entry