Master Gardeners to present Cool Season Gardening Class

Master Gardeners to present Cool Season Gardening Class

(Rockwall) August 21, 2013 – Most Texans think that spring is the best season for gardening.  While that may be true for a small number of vegetable plants, veteran Texas gardeners will certainly tell you that the best season to plant vegetables is during the fall.

Here are just a few advantages to cool season gardening in Texas.  Produce ripens in cooler weather, so it suffers less from sun burning and sun scald.  Visually, a cool season garden is beautiful.  The vegetables have better flavor.  They mature during a less stressful season for the tastiest produce.  There are fewer insects and diseases in the fall, so your vegetables are more likely to be free of annoying blemishes.  Rainfall is generally more frequent in the fall; so watering chores are reduced.  The weather is more pleasant for you, the gardener.          

So you want to grow garden fresh vegetables during the North Central Texas cool season.   Where do you start? Simply looking at seed packets in catalogs or transplants at local nurseries will not get the job done. The key is good bed preparation, knowing what to plant, and knowing when to plant.

A Cool Season Gardening Class is being presented by certified Rockwall County Master Gardeners on Saturday, September 7, 2013 at the Rockwall County Extension Office located at 915 E. Whitmore Street, Suite B.  The class will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. and the registration fee is $15.  Pre-registration is required and is limited to 15 participants.  A minimum number of participants must be paid and pre-registered by 5 p.m. Wednesday, September 4.   The class will be cancelled and money refunded if not enough participants have paid and pre-registered.

The $15 registration fee will cover speakers’ expenses, class materials and handouts.  You can pay and preregister by mail or by delivering your completed registration form and class fee to the Rockwall County Extension Office, 915 Whitmore, Suite B, Rockwall, Texas  75087.  For more information call the Extension Office at 972-204-7660.  A registration form and complete details are available on the Master Gardener website at rockmga.org.

Participants in the class will learn about bed and soil preparation, planting dates and recommended varieties for Rockwall County.  Easy gardening tips and from garden to kitchen nutrition information will also be shared.  The cool season vegetables are often the best choices for edible landscaping and examples of this technique will be viewed.   Examples of the cool season vegetables to be discussed include:  Carrots, Swiss Chard, Spinach, Cabbage, Broccoli, Radishes, Greens, Leaf lettuce, and Brussels Sprouts.

Submitted by Shelly Spearman, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Rockwall County Road & Bridge.

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