Ascension Parish Master Gardener Association

SEPTEMBER 2015 NEWSLETTER

MEMBERSHIP MEETING The 2015 Ascension Parish Master Gar-dener Association meetings are held at 9 am at the LSU AgCenter office at Lamar-Dixon. If you have an item for the agenda, please contact Julie Elzer and please wear your name tag.

September 15 November 17

EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING

The 2015 Executive Board of the Ascen-sion Parish Master Gardener Association meets at 9 am at the LSU AgCenter office at Lamar-Dixon. The board looks forward to serving the association and welcomes suggestions and comments.

September 9 November 10

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AscensionMasterGardeners 

Ascension Parish  Master Gardener Program 9039 St. Landry Road Bldg. C  

Gonzales, LA 70737 (225) 621-5799 

SEE the JOY on these FACES!!!!!

Stepping stones were created, garden caps were designed and mint was planted. We enjoyed the scent and texture of herbs and flow-ers and learned about sprout-ing seeds.

FIRST UNITED  METHODIST CHURCH  COMMUNITY GARDEN 

Ascension Parish Master Gardener June Thomas summarizes the develop‐ment and progression of   the commu‐nity garden that her helping hands have tended from it’s concep on.    

 

When Mark Goins, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Gonzales, challenged his congrega on to begin some “Cool Impossible” ministries in February of 2014, one group decided to begin a community garden. First they agreed on the objec‐ves of the garden: to supplement the on‐going food pantry of 

the church with fresh produce, to be a source for others to learn about gardening, and to be a resource for FUMC’s Li le Lambs day care as hands‐on experience about how food is grown. 

 

To fund the project, members solicited contribu ons from local mer‐chants. Home Depot contributed $50. Louisiana Nursery gave a $500 store credit. Outdoor Living donated all the soil for the project. Picou Builders donated building materials for the raised garden beds. Now the commi ee was ready to build the garden on the north side of the educa on building in the grassy area facing the First Bap st Church. 

 

 

 

 

 

Many church members helped, so the beds were built and filled with soil in one morning. Pavers were placed all around the beds for ease of maintenance, and a cross with benches was built in the center for anyone to sit and enjoy the garden. 

 

 

With an August site comple on, the group decid‐ed that a fall garden would be the best op on for the first plan ng. Broccoli, cabbage, kale, carrots, squash, and bunch onions were planted in mid‐October. As the sun dipped lower in the south each day, the shadow of the educa on building extended over more and more of the garden beds. By late December, none of the garden received direct sunlight. The winter crop output for the first plan ng was very sparse. 

 

Craig Roussel, Ascension Parish’s LSUAgCenter hor ‐cultural agent, was contacted because a soil test had been done that revealed that the soil had a pH of 7.65. The soil amendments were  lled in (5.75 lbs of sulfur immediately and 1 lb. of ammonium sulfate 2 weeks before plan ng) that Craig recommended. It wasn’t just lack of sunlight that prevented the gar‐den from flourishing. 

 

The March 21st spring plan ng included tomatoes, bell peppers, yellow squash, cucumbers and egg‐plant since these could easily be harvested twice a week in conjunc on with the Monday and Thursday openings of the food pantry. This  me the har‐vest was abundant. One main difficulty that was not en rely overcome was the birds’ enjoyment of the ripening tomatoes. Bird ne ng only par ally solved the problem. Also the plen ful rains of the spring caused the cucumber trellises to fall over with the weight of the many ripening cucumbers. 

 

Patrons of the food bank, which is open to anyone in the community, expressed special gra tude for the fresh produce that has been offered in addi on to the packaged food staples that are distributed through this service. Church members who were not gardeners, but who have par cipated in the building, mainte‐

nance, or harves ng of the garden, have learned from the Ascension Master Gardeners and other experienced gardeners who are part of this commi ee. Children from the Li le Lambs moms day out program made signs iden fying various plants in the garden. This “Cool Impossible” mission is successfully on its way to serving the community of Ascension Parish. 

 Dear Master Gardeners,  

I have thoroughly enjoyed becoming a Master Gardener and 

participating  as  an  active member  of  the Ascension Parish 

Master Gardener Association.  Iʹm looking forward to getting 

to know each of you better this year.  The APMG Association 

has so many gifted and talented members and I would like to 

continue working together to keep our Association truly one 

of the best in the State of Louisiana.  

I would  like  to encourage everyone  to participate  in our bi‐

monthly  General Membership  meetings,  and  the  numerous 

events,  functions,  and  activities  sponsored  by  the  LSU 

AGCenter and through our APMG Association.  These venues 

provide so many opportunities for Master Gardeners to earn 

volunteer and  continuing  education hours at both  the State 

and local levels.  

I  would  like  to  take  this  opportunity  to  thank  Mika 

Whittaker  (2014)  and  Patti Mouton  (2014)  for  agreeing  to 

serve  as  new Members  at  Large  for  the APMGA  Executive 

Board for 2015‐2017.  

I look forward to seeing everyone at our next regularly sched‐

uled  General  Membership  meeting  on  Tuesday,  September 

15th,  2015.   Please  continue  to  read  this  informative  news‐

letter  each month  to  keep  up with  valuable  gardening  tips, 

upcoming events, and stories about our Association members 

and how we make a difference in our community.  

Take care and happy gardening! 

Julie Ann Elzer (2013) 

APMGA President 

   2015 Ascension Parish 

Master Gardener Training Class Syllabus The City of Gonzales Public Safety Training Center 724 W. Orice Roth Road, Gonzales, Louisiana  70737 

(Next to Fire Station – Drive on side of Fire Station; Park in back of Training Center) 

Dates Sessions Instructor

Monday August 31, 2015

9:00 – 11:30 Basic Plant Pathology Dr. Raj Singh

12:00 – 2:30 Plant Diagnostics

Tuesday September 1, 2015

9:00 – 11:30 Home Fruit & Nut Production Dr. Charles Johnson

12:00 – 2:30 Basic Entomology Ms. Mariah Simoneaux

Tuesday

September 8, 2015 9:00 – 2:30

Hammond Research Station Tour Ornamentals/Landscape Design

Dr. Allen Owings

Monday

September 14, 2015 9:00 – 11:30 Herbs Ms. Janis Poche

12:00 – 2:30 Home Vegetable Gardening Mr. Craig Roussel

Monday

September 21, 2015 9:00 – 12:00 AgCenter Botanic Gardens Tour

Tuesday September 22, 2015

9:00 – 11:30 Composting/Vermiculture Ms. Janis Poche Ms. Dana Teepell

12:00 – 2:30 Lawn Care Dr. Ron Strahan  

**Classes are subject to change without prior notification**

Thanks to all who have par cipated and signed up to provide snacks and refreshments for the classes.  There are s ll openings so if you are in-terested in volunteering or if you have any ques-ons, please contact Becky Floyd at Home (225) 

644-3915, Cell (225) 715-1893, or rhfloyd55@gmail.com. 

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