Montgomery County Master Gardeners Association

Wacky Wednesday Lunch and Learn-July 17th, 2024Homesteading 101: Farming in the City
Bring you Own Lunch12:00 – 1:00 pm
533 Glenstone Springs Drive, Clarksville TN 37043
***If people could maybe meet at the back of Rotary Park on E. Old Ashland City Road and carpool, that would help with limited parking on site.
Come join us to hear the tale of two veterans who downsized their farm to a homestead in the city!
Free Event-Registration Required:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7AORho3HTv6iUWQE1STXOGK0TCAEmYrxV1VJD8_8adpGW0w/viewform?usp=sharing

The Montgomery County Extension Office will be accepting applications for the fall Master Gardener course from June 1 through August 11. Classes begin Tuesday, August 20 and end November 19th. Classes will be offered both virtually (online) and in-person at the Montgomery County Extension office on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. The cost will be $225.00/person or $250.00/couple. Couples only receive one handbook!
Please understand that in order to successfully complete the course, you are expected to attend in-person; however, you will be allowed to zoom five meetings only.
To show your interest in taking the fall class, please complete the Master Gardener Class Interest Form below.
https://montgomery.tennessee.edu/horticulture/ (Scroll to bottom of page for interest form link)
You will be contacted in July concerning details of the class and receive an official application form. Send no money now!
Contact Person: Karla Gargus [email protected] or 931-648-5725

Horticulture | Montgomery County Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology and business of plant health and cultivation. We work as gardeners, g ...

The Montgomery County Extension Office will be accepting applications for the fall Master Gardener course from June 1 through August 11. Classes begin Tuesday, August 20 and end November 19th. Classes will be offered both virtually (online) and in-person at the Montgomery County Extension office on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. The cost will be $225.00/person or $250.00/couple. Couples only receive one handbook!
Please understand that in order to successfully complete the course, you are expected to attend in-person; however, you will be allowed to zoom five meetings only.
To show your interest in taking the fall class, please complete the Master Gardener Class Interest Form below.
You will be contacted in July concerning details of the class and receive an official application form. Send no money now!
Contact Person: Karla Gargus [email protected] or 931-648-5725

To register interest, click on the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page, then click on the lick to the interest form:

Horticulture | Montgomery County Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology and business of plant health and cultivation. We work as gardeners, g ...

With the temperatures we will see across the state this week, it’s a great time to revisit the question:

What causes blossom drop in tomatoes?

By Monica Ozores-Hampton and Gene McAvoy, UFL

Blossom drop is the loss of flowers. This is usually preceded by the yellowing of the pedicel. A tomato flower has both male (stamens) and female (pistil) parts within the same flower. The yellow stamens wrap around the greenish pistil in the center of the flower. Under proper conditions, pollen from the stamens transfers to the sticky stigma or tip of the pistil. This transfer requires a jarring wind or a flick of the finger or insects such as bumble bees and other native bees.

Tomato blossoms are self fertile, and a certain amount of self pollination of tomato flowers does occur. But pollen does not move well by itself from anther to stigma, as evidenced by the really poor pollination seen in greenhouses when no pollination aid is given. But shaking by wind or mechanical means can cause the release of the pollen, which drops down (the blossoms normally hanging downward) through the stamen tube to the stigma.

The best possible motion to release this pollen is from a bee that "sonicates" Sonication is the vibration of the wing muscles without flight, causing the whole flower to vibrate, and a cloud of pollen to be released onto the bee's body and at the same time, onto the stigma.

Without pollination, which stimulates fruit set, the flower withers and dies.

Blossom¬ drop is a condition suffered by tomatoes, peppers, snap beans, and some other fruiting vegetables where the plant blooms but fails to set fruit, the blooms die and fall off. Tomato plants lose their blossoms for several different reasons usually related to some kind of stress. The stress may be either nutritional, environmental or some combination of the two. Anything which interferes with the pollination ¬fertilization process may result in abortion of flowers.

Potential Causes
Blossom drop can be attributed to several causes, most often related to either temperature and/or stress.
Environmental causes:
1. Temperature: In extreme temperatures, such as high daytime temperatures (above 85 °F/29 °C), high nighttime temperatures (above 70 °F/21 °C), or low nighttime temperatures (Below 55 °F/13 °C) tomato plants will drop their flowers. Tomatoes grow best if daytime temperatures range between 70 °F /21 °C and 85 °F /29°C. While tomato plants can tolerate more extreme temperatures for short periods, several days or nights with temps outside the ideal range will cause the plant to abort fruit set and focus on survival (Mills, 1988). Temperatures over 104̊ °F /40 °C for only four hours can cause the flowers to abort. If the night temps fall below 55 °F or rise above 75 °F or if the day temps are above 85 °F, the pollen becomes tacky and non¬viable. Pollination cannot occur. If the bloom isn't pollinated, the bloom dies and falls off. Chemical growth regulators can sometimes help overcome low temperature effects, but the resulting fruit is usually seedless and of poor quality.

2. Humidity: The ideal humidity range is between 40-70%. If humidity is either too high or too low, it interferes with the release of pollen and with pollen’s ability to stick to the stigma, so pollination will not occur. If humidity is too low, hose the foliage during the day. This will both cool the plant and raise the humidity. This is not recommended in areas with high humidity or when fungus diseases are present.

Read more here on other potential causes of blossom drop.

Do you have a fruit or vegetable question? Send it to [email protected].

https://tnpollinators.org/milkweed/

Project Milkweed | TDOT Pollinator Habitat Program Project Milkweed is part of TDOT's Pollinator Habitat Program which includes providing FREE MILKWEED SEEDS to Tennessee residents.

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today the launch of “SUN Programs: USDA’s Summer Nutrition Programs for Kids,” to help improve nutrition security during the summer months. Through the suite of SUN programs, families now have more choices and convenient ways to get summer nutrition support for their children and teens with new SUN Bucks, SUN Meals, and previously launched SUN Meals To-Go. Collectively, these programs continue the work of the Biden-Harris Administration in promoting food and nutrition security.
“Nearly 30 million children participate in USDA’s school breakfast and lunch programs on an average school day, but when school is out, kids lose access to those vital meals,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “USDA’s SUN programs offer more options for families to conveniently access the essential nutrition children need to thrive, learn and grow during summer and beyond.”
SUN Bucks, the new evidence-based Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT) program, provides a grocery benefit of $120 per eligible school-aged child this summer; the benefit value will be adjusted annually for inflation and is higher outside of the contiguous 48 states. SUN Bucks helps families and caregivers expand their summer grocery budget to buy foods that best fit their family’s needs, cultural traditions and preferences. Research shows that this type of summer grocery benefit can reduce child hunger in the summer by 33%, and also improve eating patterns with increased whole grain, dairy, and fruit and vegetable consumption by children in participating households.
This inaugural summer, many states, the District of Columbia, all U.S. territories, and some tribal nations are partnering with USDA to make SUN Bucks available in their communities. About 21 million children are expected to benefit from SUN Bucks this summer.
In participating areas, SUN Bucks can be used at a variety of grocery stores and other food retailers and are in addition to other food benefits families may already receive, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). Families with eligible children currently receiving SNAP and other benefits will automatically be enrolled in SUN Bucks; others will need to apply each year.
In addition to the new grocery benefit, SUN programs also provide nutritious meal and snack services during the summer months to kids 18 and under in communities and among populations with high rates of poverty throughout the U.S.:
• SUN Meals are served at schools, parks, community centers, and other neighborhood locations. This long-standing in-person summer meals program has been available in communities since 1968. Meals are often provided along with enrichment activities to support children’s healthy growth and development.
• SUN Meals To-Go, launched in 2023, offers pick-up and delivery options in some rural areas when and where SUN Meals are not available.
“It’s heartening to see Congress’s bipartisan action to help make sure no child goes hungry during the summer months,” said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small. “President Biden’s investment in high-quality, nutritious school meals creates healthier brighter futures for kids across America and USDA's SUN programs give families more ways than ever to support their kids’ nutritional needs."
These nutrition programs advance the goals of the Biden-Harris Administration's national strategy to end hunger and reduce diet-related disease by 2030 set forth at the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022.
To help families connect to services in their community, USDA’s SUN programs website, www.fns.usda.gov/summer , directs visitors to local resources, including how to find a nearby SUN Meals site and see if SUN Meals To-Go are available in their area. Information will be updated throughout the summer. USDA’s SUN programs website also provides information on SUN Bucks and links visitors to the states and jurisdictions offering the new grocery benefit. The site is also available in Spanish at www.fns.usda.gov/verano.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways.
# # #
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

SUN Programs: USDA's Summer Nutrition Programs for Kids | Food and Nutrition Service The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Wacky Wednesday Lunch & Learn
May 15th
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Radical Mission Jubilee Garden
150 Richview Rd, Clarksville, TN 37043
Bring your lunch and gather with us to learn more about this community garden in Clarksville TN.
This is a FREE program; however, registration is required!
Register at the link below or call the Extension office at 931-648-5725
https://forms.office.com/r/ZCwmEPWp2r (hold down CTRL and click link)

*FYI: There will be no Wacky Wednesday in June due to the Juneteenth holiday. Both city and county offices will be closed.

SLOW YOUR ROLL: PLAN BEFORE YOU PLANT LUNCH AND LEARN
ORCHARD PRODUCTION 101
DATE: JUNE 7TH, 2024
TIME: 12:00 – 2:00 PM
LOCATION: LUNCH & PRESENTATION WILL BE HELD AT THE MT. CARMEL UMC. THEN TOUR OF HEAD PEACH CO.
5050 PICKERING RD, CLARKSVILLE, TN 37043
THIS WORKSHOP WILL HELP GROWERS AND HOMEOWNERS EVALUATE IF ORCHARD PRODUCTION IS FEASIBLE! AS THE TITLE SAYS, PLAN BEFORE YOU PLANT!
FREE! LUNCH PROVIDED! REGISTRATION REQUIRED!
REGISTER ONLINE:
HTTPS://FORMS.GLE/YWLE1ZNEYZQBC8SZ5
or call 931-648-5725

This year’s Spring Plant Sale was as exciting as usual!

Wacky Wednesday Lunch and Learn
Horticultural Therapy: The Benefits of Gardening
April 17th, 2024: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Event Address: Clarksville Montgomery County Public Library: Glass Study Room
Contact us at (931) 648-5725
or [email protected]
• No cost but registration is required:
• https://forms.gle/tNcW1XDVPPcKhSPK7

The Family Forest Carbon Program helps landowners with 30+ forested acres reach their goals by providing extra income, improving wildlife habitat and timber value, and increasing carbon stored on their land

How It Works | Family Forest Carbon Program The Family Forest Carbon Program helps landowners reach their goals by providing payments, a forester and a forest management plan to increase forest health, timber value, wildlife habitat and forest carbon storage and sequestration.

With the spell of warm weather we have had this spring; it's very difficult to resist the temptation to get everything into the ground. Warm-season vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash and melons can suffer greatly, if air temperatures drop below 50 degrees, unless you've protected the transplants with cloches or some other plant-protection device.

Even when protected from cool air temperatures, the roots are still down in the wet, cold soil and this can lead to diseases, especially bacterial diseases in peppers and fungal diseases in tomatoes. Cool-season vegetables such as salad greens, peas, onions and popular cole crops such as cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli can tolerate temperatures slightly below freezing. So, plant all the cool-season crops that you want but wait until after April 25th to plant warm season vegetables!

https://forms.gle/SUGaqL3oKZiibga1A

The Montgomery County Extension Office will be accepting applications for the fall Master Gardener course from June 1 through August 11. Classes begin Tuesday, August 20 and end November 19th. Classes will be offered both virtually (online) and in-person at the Montgomery County Extension office on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. The cost will be $250.00/person or $225.00/couple. Couples only receive one handbook!
Please understand that in order to successfully complete the course, you are expected to attend in-person; however, you will be allowed to zoom five meetings only.
To show your interest in taking the fall class, please complete the Master Gardener Class Interest Form below.
You will be contacted in July concerning details of the class and receive an official application form. Send no money now!
Contact Person: Karla Gargus [email protected] or 931-648-5725

You will be contacted in July concerning details of the class and receive an official application form. Send no money now!

Not all those white flowering trees blooming all over our native forests right now are the evil bradford/callery pear!

The flowers in the picture are of our native Serviceberry, Amelanchier. Awesome alternative! https://tynnativeplants.wordpress.com/shrubs-2/scientific-name/common-serviceberry-juneberry-downy-serviceberry-shadbush/

FYI: The tree in the background is not a serviceberry :-)

When: March 20th, 2024

11:30 am –12:30 pm

Location: Clarksville Montgomery County Public Library

350 PageantLn #501, Clarksville, TN 37040

Bringyourseedsto swap!

Bring Your Own Lunch

No cost.

Registration Required:
https://forms.gle/uoqxzvEq639f35Bd8

Come on out and have join us for food and conversation and maybe a few freebies!

You are invited to our Friday Office Hours in Horticulture Zoom session!
Join our Horticulture Team for a Fun Question and Answer Session on Nov. 10th
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://tennessee.zoom.us/j/95830837652
Passcode: UThort
Or Telephone:
US: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 876 9923 or +1 301 715 8592
Webinar ID: 958 3083 7652
This one you'll join from home rather than the local office.
We get together the team of great folks you heard teach during Welcome Home for a fun and fast-paced Question and Answer session all about horticulture and gardens in Tennessee. We'll wrap up 2023 and get you going for a great 2024 garden!
When: November 10th
10 est/9 cst
Topic: Fall questions and answers to keep your lawn, garden and landscape in great shape

Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...

participate in my Home & Garden (Consumer Horticulture) End of Year Survey 2023.

All responses will remain confidential and secure. Thank you in advance for your valuable insights. Your input will be used to ensure that we continue to meet your needs. We appreciate your trust and look forward to serving you in the future.

We would appreciate your feedback on our online survey.

Consumer Horticulture End of Year Survey 2023 Because of your recent contact with the Montgomery County Extension Office, you have been randomly selected to participate in my Home & Garden End of Year Survey 2023. All responses will remain confidential and secure. Thank you in advance for your valuable insights. Your input will be used to ensur...

2023 WACKY WEDNESDAY’S LUNCH & LEARN FOR HOME GARDENERS
Time: 11:00pm – 12:00 pm
BYO Lunch
September 20th: Proper Tree Pruning-Demonstration
(Liberty Park Arboretum-pavilion near dog park)
There will be no charge, but registration is required.
Please register at:
https://forms.gle/AUtedMgWP1KLW37g6

Dear Everyone,

We have a firm date for Small Ruminants Training. The training is now scheduled for Saturday September 23rd at the Tennessee State University main campus Agricultural Research and Education Center on Ed Temple Boulevard (1523 Ed Temple Blvd. Nashville, TN 37209). The training will be facilitated by world renown Animal Scientist, Professor Richard Browning and is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Registration is required for this training. Please use the link below (and also on the attached flyer) to register for the training. Additional details will be sent to registered participants.

https://tnstateu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_031UYUBu9l3DASa

Please share with as many other people in your circles as you can if you get a chance.

This training is sponsored by the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program [(BFRDP) Enhance Food Security, Community, and Rural Development).

Thanks.

Emmanuel

Emmanuel Chiwo Omondi (PhD)
Assistant Professor of Agronomy and Industrial H**p Extension Specialist
Department of Agricultural Sciences
Tennessee State University,

This Welcome Home Fall Series- Intro to Tennessee Gardening & Landscapes will be a statewide approach held each Monday in October 2023 where county offices can host the featured speaker through ZOOM, conduct their interactive component, and provide the Welcome Home publication with further resources.

LOVE THIS!!! 😍

They are friends, and they love each other. 🥰 The black-neck dog (Husky) lives in a house down the road. Every day he escapes from his yard to go down the street to visit his little friend and play with him. But when the entrance was closed, he just came, hugged his friend tight, and left, but never tried to cross that fence. And we call them just animals.

University of Tennessee
Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center
Our Center Home Page Arboretum Home Page
Hardy Orange (Poncirus trifoliata)
Hardy Orange Shrub Hardy Orange Flower Hardy Orange Fruit

An unusual and interesting shrub is located off Arboretum Drive next to the Shade Tree Collection. Hardy Orange (or Trifoliate Orange) is a member of the Rutaceae plant family and closely related to the Citrus genus. It is a native of China and Korea that has been introduced into the US. In parts of the Southeast, it has escaped cultivation and can be an invasive species in fencerows, roadsides, and forest edges. The compound leaves have three leaflets, and the branches terminate in conspicuous thorns which are most conspicuous during the winter months. Although the green fruit, which turns dull yellow in the fall, has been used for making marmalade, it has been known to cause severe stomach pain, nausea, and skin irritation. Hardy Orange is a cold hardy, disease resistant plant that is used as a root stock for commercial citrus. Historically, it was planted for hedgerows because its vicious thorns make it virtually impenetrable. Its presence can indicate abandoned home sites.

Having fun at Horticultural Therapy class! Getting lots of good ideas!