Gardening in South Texas class seeks new ‘crusaders’ for 2015
EDINBURG — The popular class series, “Gardening in South Texas,” is accepting applications from locals and Winter Texans alike who need help navigating through the fog of gardening in the challenging sub-tropical conditions of the area, according to organizers.
Sponsored by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Deep South Texas Master Gardeners, the class series features expert speakers who cover the basics of gardening in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, according to Ricardo Carranza, a certified Master Gardener and AgriLife Extension program assistant.
Gardening here can be so tricky, Carranza said, that he refers to both students and skillful gardeners as “crusaders.”
“Those of us who garden or who want to learn how to become better gardeners are on a crusade,” he said. “We’re crusaders in the challenge to grow healthy, organic produce which not only gives us satisfaction in their production, but consuming home-grown fruits and vegetables can also be a very positive factor in living a healthier lifestyle.”
This year’s class series will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Jan. 31 and Feb. 7 at the North San Juan Community Center, 509 E. Nolana Loop in San Juan, just east of Raul Longoria Road.
Registration is $50 per person and includes lunch on both days and the class handbook. For couples willing to share a handbook, the cost is $90 for both days, including lunch. Registration for those attending only one day is $35.
The registration deadline is Jan. 31. Sign-in each day begins at 8:30 a.m. For more information, or to register, call the AgriLife Extension office for Hidalgo County at 956-383-1026 or 800-638-8239.
Topics to be covered include vegetable gardening, soils, composting, weeds, insects and diseases, and native species. Also, covered will be landscaping with native trees, shrubs and grasses, reduced turf lawns and container gardening.
Barbara Storz, a retired AgriLife Extension horticulturist and host of a Saturday morning call-in gardening program on KURV-AM Talk Radio in McAllen, said the “Gardening in South Texas” class series might be just the answer for those wanting to gain more confidence in their gardening skills.
“We get a lot of people in these classes who have never gardened before, or not successfully,” she said. “We also get Winter Texans who struggle here with the timing of planting, especially since they are in our area for only a short time. But there are lots of vegetables and ornamentals they can plant successfully; they’re just not used to our planting and growing cycle.”
Topics and speakers at the Jan. 31 class include:
— The Great Biodiversity of the Rio Grande Valley, Jesus Franco, American Bird Conservancy, Kingsville.
— Composting and mulch, Esmeralda Guerra, Master Gardener, McAllen.
— Soils, water and fertilizers, Carranza.
— Small space gardening, Dr. Art Hadley, Master Gardener, Edinburg.
— Citrus care and maintenance, Heidi Arteaga, Citrus greening outreach educator.
— Evolution of the South Texas Educational Garden, Mirtala Rodriguez, Master Gardener, Edinburg.
— Tour of the South Texas Educational Garden.
Topics and speakers Feb. 7 include:
— Vegetable gardening in South Texas, Dr. Juan Anciso, AgriLife Extension vegetable specialist, Weslaco.
— Landscaping with native trees, shrubs and grasses, Master Gardeners Robert Vanderveer, Weslaco, and Max Ganser, Mission.
— Container gardening, Guerra.
— Insects in the garden, Sylvia Casselman, Master Gardener, Mission.
— Weed identification and removal, Dr. Greta Schuster, plant pathologist, Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
— No-turf lawns, Storz.
— Tour of the South Texas Educational Garden.
“Students in these classes often comment to us how valuable it is to hear the personal gardening experiences shared by the expert speakers,” Storz said. “Those stories help students avoid making the same mistakes so that their gardening experience in South Texas can be successful and personally fulfilling.”
