Seven area residents completed Master Gardener training offered by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service. The group participated in a 40-hour training program, and each volunteer will donate 40 hours back to the Cooperative Extension Service in the areas of horticulture and ornamental horticulture within the next year. The group will meet monthly and work on community service projects throughout the coming year. New Master Gardeners are (left to right): Brenda Tamashiro, Sandra Exon, Judy Rhine, Denice Evins, Lindel Kinder, Jason Chamberlain and Julie Stewart. BCMG mentors (not pictured) are Jim Whitesell for Brenda Tamashiro; Diana Wiegand for Judy Rhine and Denice Evins; Phyllis Henley for Lindel Kinder; James Wiegand for Jason Chamberlain; and Lucinda Reynolds for Julie Stewart. As of November, the Baxter County Master Gardeners have logged 3,087 volunteer hours back to the community in 2018. For more information on the Master Gardener program, call 870-425-2335.
 
​

Here are some activities that gardeners need to be considering for December.  

• After your garden has been put to rest, take advantage of a warm spell and work manure or compost into empty flower beds or into your much enjoyed vegetable garden. Working organic matter into the soil during the winter will put you ahead when gardening begins in the spring. Turning gardens in the winter will also kill overwintering insects.
• This is the last call to plant spring flowering bulbs. You may find them at bargain prices because garden centers are trying to get rid of their inventory. Bulbs prefer a deep well drained soil with super phosphate worked into the soil before planting.
• Between now and spring you need to spray fruit trees on a warm day with a dormant oil to control scale and other insects (eggs) which are overwintering on the tree. If you have scale insect problems on ornamentals, such as on euonymus, spray these also. Be sure to read and follow label directions on the dormant oil.
• Lower limbs of young shade trees can be pruned now. Its best to prune up limbs as years pass to about 10 feet off the ground. Remember to cut close to the trunk leaving the bulge called ‘stem collar’. This bulge can be very small on young trees to a few inches in size on large trees. This stem tissue is comprised of very active plant cells which seal off open wounds in a few growing seasons. No pruning sealant is recommended.
• Mulch tender perennials since we have had our first hard frost.
• Keep your Christmas tree fresh with plenty of water.
• Gifts for the gardener abound – from plants to books to gardening tools.
• Keep your poinsettia fresh with even moisture and plenty of light.
• During the dormant season, any plants which need to be moved from one location to another should be transplanted from now through February. Be sure to get as much of the root ball as you can, and plant as quickly as possible. Don’t allow the root system to dry out, or to be exposed to cold temperatures for too long. Don’t forget to water them in, and if natural rainfall doesn’t occur, water every two to three weeks.
• You may prune hollies, cedars, magnolias, and other evergreens lightly this month to obtain foliate for holiday decorating. Be sure to prune carefully, and take some from all over the bush to keep as natural a shape as possible.
• Make sure your ornamental plantings are mulched for the winter. Mulching keeps soil temperature more constant, retains moisture and helps prevent weeds. Besides that, it is more attractive than bare soil. Keep the mulch pulled back from the stem of the plant to help keep rodents away and keep air circulating around the plants. Place mulch two to three inches high throughout the beds and around trees to keep away lawnmowers and weed trimmers.
• There is still time to plant pansies for winter color. Choose strong healthy plants which are in bloom, or have flower buds. Plant them in a sunny bed, fertilize and water and you can be assured of flowers all winter long. Pansies are unique in that they freeze solid, yet defrost when the sun hits them, and they bloom all winter. If you already have pansies planted, be sure to deadhead them periodically to keep them blooming. Fertilize them during periods of warmer weather throughout the winter. Pansies are heavy feeders and respond well to fertilizer.
• Garden tools should be cleaned this time of year. There should be no soil left on them, and they should be oiled a little and stored in a dry place for winter.
• Don’t forget about the birds. During the winter, be sure to keep fresh water and birdseed outside. There are numerous types of birdfeeders and birdseed. One of the best is sunflower seeds.
• If you are purchasing holiday plants or giving houseplants as gifts, be sure to protect the plant during transport home. Be sure that all plants are “sleeved” (wrapped in a paper sleeve, or protected inside a paper bag.) Tropical houseplants can suffer permanent damage even exposed to 10 minutes of freezing temperatures.

 
For more information on any of the above points, contact the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service at 425-2335.
 
 

November 2018 Garden and Master Gardener Events

22 & 23 - State Extension Office closed for the holiday

December 2018 Garden and Master Gardener Events

15 - Volunteer hours deadline for 2018

24 thru Jan. 1 - State Extension Office closed for the holidays. ​

​Ingredients

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter; melted and cooled
1-1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup milk
1 cup miniature chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mist an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray; line with parchment.
2. Whisk together butter; sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Stir in baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Stir in 1/2 of flour, then milk, then remaining flour, stirring until just combined (do not overmix). Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.
3. Scrape batter into pan and smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then invert onto rack. Immediately turn right side up onto another rack to cool completely. Cut into 9 squares and serve.

[NOTE: I make this recipe using mini loaf pans. You will get 10 roughly; bake for 25-30 minutes.]

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving square
Calories: 555 Fat: 29 g Protein: 9 g Carbohydrate: 67 g Fiber: 3 g Cholesterol: 105 mg Sodium: 359 mg

Source: Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Cake, my recipes. ​https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cake

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup grated carrots
1 can (16 ounces) chocolate frosting

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, once at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternatively with yogurt, beating well after each addition. Fold in zucchini and carrots.

2. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Frost cupcakes. 

Yield: 21 cupcakes

Nutritional Facts

1 cupcake = 326 calories, 17 g fat (9 g saturated fat), 50 mg cholesterol, 288 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein

Source: Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes Recipe. Taste of Home.​https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chocolate-zucchini-cupcakes/

Fertilizer can be a good thing--if fertilizer is really necessary. Too much of a good thing can make your lawn and plants suffer.

Our local University of Arkansas Extension Office offers FREE soil testing. According to Mark Keaton, local extension office agent-chair, "A soil test of all garden plots is recommended at least every 3 years. This is a great time to get a soil analysis. You can make soil improvements this winter before spring planting begins."






For instructions on taking a soil sample and having it analyzed, go here:
https://www.uaex.edu/environment-nature/soil/soil-test.aspx

Read the November Gardening List in this issue for more to-do's for next spring's garden.

Master Gardeners celebrate 30 years of service
​By JANET B. CARSON Special to the Democrat-Gazette
Posted: October 20, 2018 at 1:50 a.m.

More than 1,100 Arkansas Master Gardeners from across the state celebrated 30 years of their thriving horticultural volunteer program by gathering Oct. 13 at Moss Mountain Farm in Roland.
It is hard to believe that this big program of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's Cooperative Extension Service began Oct. 13, 1988, as a mere seed: 40 eager trainees from four counties. Today, Master Gardeners has more than 3,400 members in 67 counties.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary, registered Master Gardeners began entering the gates of Moss Mountain Farm in Roland at 8:30 a.m. They spent the day touring the gardens, visiting and questioning horticulturists, having their pictures taken with the farm's owner and multimedia star P. Allen Smith and, of course, eating -- a barbecue lunch from Whole Hog Cafe NLR and a cake from Blue Cake Co.

For this event, county agents and other extension system staff members and their friends were the volunteers who catered to the Master Gardeners. They did everything from checking folks in and passing out portfolios and calendars to shuttling their guests around the farm in golf carts.

An area 4-H club was on hand, selling pumpkins to raise money for a national 4-H trip for its members.
The weather was cool and rain threatened, but the rain held off until right after lunchtime. Then it rained.
​
Some hardy gardeners continued touring, while others had already seen the gardens and headed home.

                       (a)                                                             (b)                                                       (c)

(a) Photo by Thomas Metthe
Rita Clark of Charlotte tours the gardens of Moss Mountain Farm with other Master Gardeners who were celebrating their program’s 30th birthday.
(b) Photo by Thomas Metthe
Arkansas Master Gardener Heidi Haskins snaps a photo of the celebratory cake during the delicious portion of the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service program’s birthday gathering Oct. 13.
(c) ​Photo by Thomas Metthe
Master Gardeners saw the wisdom in this brick folly at Moss Mountain Farm set in a garden of antique roses

Read the entire article at ​http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2018/oct/20/still-growing-20181020/

The 2018 BCMG training for MGs started on October 18th and will finish on November 15th.  Class attendees on October 31st included (from left to right): Brenda Tamashiro, Julie Stewart, Lindel Kinder, Denice Evins and Jason Chamberlain.