Planting Fall Veggies at Thorsby Elementary

Posted on September 27, 2019October 11, 2019 by audrey

On September 25th CCMGA volunteers helped the 3rd graders at Thorsby Elementary School plant fall vegetables. Included were Broccoli, Lettuce, Onions, Radishes, Swiss Chard, and Kale just to name a few. Later they will help plant the “Cabbage Patch”!!

Pictured left to right- Front- Kaylee Doucet, Betsy Smith, Debbie Housner, Jackie Hickman, Sondra Henley, Susan Cleckler, and Charla Doucet. Back- Ron and Cheryl Herbster.

“Teach them to garden and they will never be hungry”

Photos by Susan Cleckler and Sondra Henley

Help Get The Word Out!

Posted on September 14, 2019September 14, 2019 by audrey

We are preparing for our 2020 Master Gardener Class that begins January 22, 2020. You can help us by telling all your friends that might be interested to call 205-280-6268 for more information.

Showcase in Ag/Chick Chain Auction

Posted on August 1, 2019August 1, 2019 by audrey

The Chilton County Master Gardeners will be having a PLANT SALE, ASK-A-MASTER GARDENER BOOTH, and an informal NATIVE ALABAMA PLANTS PRESENTATION at this CREC 2019 Showcase in AG/Chick Chain Show-Auction on August 17th. There will also be Fruit Tasting, BlackBerry Lemonade Sampling, and Tours. And this is just a part of the activities that day. So come on out, bring your lunch and a chair and spend the day!

Alpha Delta Kappa tours Demo Garden

Posted on May 21, 2019May 21, 2019 by audrey

Alpha Delta Kappa, an honorary group of retired and active women educators, toured the Chilton County Master Gardeners’ Demonstration Garden on May 16. Julie Harrison is chairman of the group. They were given the history of the garden by Master Gardener and Demo Garden Chairman Sondra Henley. Master Gardeners Harriett Jackson, Audrey Giles and Intern Betsy Smith were there to tell a little about the beds that they take care of. Refreshments were provided by Master Gardeners Alice Broome and Wally Walters.

The garden is open to the public and is located at the Chilton Research and Extension Center at 120 Co. Rd. 756, Clanton, AL 35045

For tours of the garden, call 205-646-3610.

Thorsby Raised Beds Project

Posted on May 19, 2019May 22, 2019 by audrey

On Wednesday, May 15, several Master Gardeners helped 2 classes of 3rd graders at Thorsby Elementary School plant a raised bed with annuals for a butterfly garden. The area is surrounded by the elementary and high school. There is already a butterfly bush and birdbath there and they have plans for a cement patio and tables. The children were really excited and they all wanted to help. The boys especially enjoyed watering the plants. This is an ongoing project and we will be back in the Fall to help the new 3rd graders plant fall and winter vegetables. Thank you, Christina Creighton for contacting us to help with this fun project!

Permaculture Tour Video

Posted on May 15, 2019May 29, 2019 by audrey

We’d like to share a YouTube video from Tracy Britnell, who was one of our speakers at Petals from the Past during our 2019 AMGA Conference held here May 8-10, 2019. She spoke on Permaculture. She and her husband own a permaculture inspired farm in Autauga County called “Just Dig It”.

Congratulations Interns!

Posted on April 19, 2019April 19, 2019 by trisha

Our 2019 Master Gardener Intern class completed their class requirements on April 17 with the final classes presented by Sally Lee, Urban Regional Extension Agent. Woody Ornamentals , Invasive Plants, and Beneficial Insects were the topics of the day. A salad bar lunch was provided by the class and facilitators. Trisha Williams made the class a beautiful, delicious cake decorated with scenes of gardening. She is a multitalented Master Gardener! Congratulations to a great group of Interns on completing 12 weeks of Master Gardener training classes!

Trees and Bees!

Posted on April 15, 2019April 15, 2019 by audrey

Our Master Gardener Class on April 10 was all about Trees and Bees. The morning session was conducted by Mallory Kelley, Autauga County Regional Extension Agent, on Tree Identification. The afternoon class was by Bill Evans, President of the Alabama Beekeepers Association. You didn’t hear any buzzing in that class, everyone was awake and alert! Thank you, Mallory and Bill for 2 very interesting classes!

Small Fruits Intern Class

Posted on April 6, 2019April 6, 2019 by trisha

The Master Gardener Class was held at the Chilton Research and Extension Center on April 3. The instructor was Dr. Edgar Vinson, an Extension Fruit Specialist, who taught the class about small fruits for the garden. He taught the class how to grow small fruits, discussed diseases and gave them some recommended varieties of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, grapes and figs. What a lot to learn in one day! Following the class Matthew Price took the group on the traditional wagon tour of the CREC grounds.

Dr. Edgar Vinson teaches small fruits — Dr. Edgar Vinson teaching Small Fruits

Small Fruits Class at Little House at CREC

Wagon tour of Chilton Research and Extension Center — 2019 Intern Class tours Chilton Research and Extension Center

Insects!

Posted on April 5, 2019April 6, 2019 by trisha

Dr. Charles Ray taught our Master Gardener Intern class on March 27th all about insects. The class includes characteristics of insects, identification, life cycles and management options. Dr. Ray includes his top ten insects of the year–insects that he gets the most questions about.