Is It Spring?

By Jackie Sledge Big Country Master Gardener Association I always get excited about the changing seasons.  I look forward to summer with warm to hot temperatures, warm nights, warm water in lakes, ponds, and pools.  I love the fall with cooler temperatures, especially if we have had extremely hot summer days with temperatures well over […]

Barefooting through the Clover

By Grace Broyles Big Country Master Gardener Now’s the time to go barefooting through the clover in West Texas! That’s if you can find some. If you’re thinking it’s that white-flowering three-leaflet plant (that sometimes has sets of four leaves, if you are “lucky” enough to find one), you could be correct. There are a […]

Tools Part 2

How to Care for Your Tools By Jackie Sledge Big Country Master Gardener Association Several weeks ago, I shared information about the tools that every gardener needs and why we need them.  We can’t just purchase tools and use them without giving them some care because properly maintained tools will ensure that garden tasks are […]

Bug of the Month: Imported Red Fire Ants

Bug of the Month: Imported Red Fire Ants By: Sarah Adams Member of the Big Country Master Gardeners This month’s bug is the Red Fire Ants.  I was saddened to find three very large fire ant mounds in 3 of the 4 corners of just one of my raised vegetable beds.  These fire ants make […]

Cross Vine – the Evergreen Vine for West Texas

By Grace Broyles Big Country Master Gardener A new favorite of mine, the Cross Vine, delights me more and more as I work with it. At first, I was skeptical of this vine that didn’t seem to me to meet the ooooohs and aaaaahs of those who had it planted on their fence lines and […]

It’s Pepper Palooza Time!

It’s Pepper Palooza Time! By Jackie Sledge Big Country Master Gardener Association Last year the Big Country Master Gardener Association kicked off the Saturday Seminars with the very popular Tomato-Thon, and comments on the evaluations showed there was an interest in doing a similar program on peppers.  Well, we listened, and this year the February […]

Bug of the Month: Aphids

By: Sarah Adams Member of the Big Country Master Gardeners This month’s bug is the Aphid.  Aphids are in the Animal Kingdom, Phylum Arthropoda, Class Insecta, and the Order Hemiptera.  As a review, all insects within the Class Insecta have three body segments: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen.  Aphids are soft-bodied insects that […]

Tools, Tools, and more Tools

By Jackie Sledge Big Country Master Gardener Association Every gardener needs tools.  Lots of tools.  There are so many types of garden tools that it is a little difficult to determine what we need and why we need certain tools. I am in the process of straightening up the garage and the storage shed so […]