Our Master Gardener Lanell Baker did a presentation for the Intern class today on starting plants from seeds. The class members were eager to help. Then following that were the Master Gardener Classes “Home Lawns” by Taylor Hatchett and after lunch, “Vegetable Gardening” by our own Master Gardener, Larry Jones. These were 2 great subjects for study.
Nelson Wynn, ACES Regional Agent, presented the program for our monthly meeting February 12 on “Lawn Care”. We had a great turnout, despite the rainy weather! We had 10 interns present from our 2019 Master Gardener class!
Our January 30 class was cancelled due to a strong possibility of snow. That class will be held on April 17. February 6 class was Plant Care and Management taught by Bethany O’Rear. Soil samples were brought back to be turned in to Auburn. Class shirts were also ordered.
The Master Gardener classes got under way on January 23 with 20 registered and in attendance. The Association provides the first meal for the class as a way to get acquainted. Several kinds of soup were a big hit, as were cakes for dessert. Looks like this is going to be a great class!
Chilton County Master Gardener Audrey Giles was approached by Chilton Chamber director Francine Wasden a couple weeks ago and asked if any of the Master Gardeners would be interested in making a flower arrangement for the stage the night of the annual banquet. The board got together and decided to ask our very talented Treasia Bennett if she would do this. She graciously accepted and created this beautiful arrangement for that night. Aren’t we glad she’s our decorating Chairperson for the 2019 AMGA Spring Conference we’re hosting here in May? Great job, Treasia!
Chilton County Master Gardener 2019 President, Susan Cleckler, welcomed us to our first meeting of the year. We enjoyed a program on Permaculture presented by Tracy Britnell. Tracy and her husband are experimenting with permaculture on their farm and want the farm to be an educational site. It took about a year to get the soil ready to start planting. Since then, they have been using permculture methods. Inter-planting various plants to draw beneficial insects and repel others is one permaculture method. Another is using nitrogen fixing plants to help with fertilization. One of the goals of permaculture is to garden without using chemicals. Tracy is currently building a blog about her farm and methods and will share her research on the blog.
Chilton County Master Gardener Association, along with Autauga and Shelby County MG Associations, has the honor of hosting the 2019 Alabama Master Gardener Association Conference. The Conference is being held at Clanton Performing Arts Center in Clanton, AL on May 8,9, and 10. The public is welcome and registration is now open. There is a great lineup of speakers and activities! One of our most noted speakers is Joe Lamp’l, Executive Producer and Host of the PBS series “Growing a Greener World”, previous host of DIY’s “Fresh from the Garden”, and on-air contributor to The Today Show, Good Morning America, and the Weather Channel. And he is just one of the great speakers!
Online registration is at www.alabamamg.org. Just click on 2019 Annual State Conference(in red), then click on Registration (in green) to be taken to online registration. We hope to see you at the AMGA 2019 Conference!
The new 2019 Officers have been nominated and voted on, and the Board of Directors has been chosen. So for any concerns or suggestions, these are the members to go to. And you know what they say, a picture is worth a thousand words!
Our Christmas Luncheon was lots of fun and as always, filled with lots of food! Many stayed to play dirty Santa. We hope all of you had a great Christmas and have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Our November program was presented by Mary McCroan, a Master Gardener from Wetumpka, who is working toward her Advanced Master Gardener certification. Mary taught us about “Backyard Water Gardens.” She discussed the various types of water features from bubbling pots to ponds complete with streams and waterfalls. Location, sun, shade, style and budget should be considered when deciding to install a water feature. Mary shared examples of water features such as an inexpensive preformed pond to a large pond. She shared her experience in building her small and medium ponds and gave cost estimates for DIY (with help where needed) compared to having a professional install a similar water feature.
Photo by Audrey Giles 
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