Lafayette Parish Master Gardeners Spread Horticulture Knowledge Throughout the Community

Some people may think they just don’t have a “green thumb” when it comes plants, but the origins of the phrase tells us something different. One theory says “green thumb” came out of the reign of King Edward I in England, who was so fond of green peas that he had workers shelling them around the clock during the season. The worker with the greenest thumb won a prize.

When it comes to being successful at gardening, it’s more about hard work, practice and knowledge rather than luck. That’s something Lafayette Parish’s network of master gardeners will attest to. Their intensive 15-week class each fall in partnership with the LSU Ag Center is taught by experts in the field and includes instruction on everything from basic botany and entomology to propagation, weed and soil science, lawn care, growing vegetables and herbs and the impact of pesticides on the environment.

You can’t help but be a better gardener — whether your area is flowers, vegetables or lawn care — after a class like this. I learned about the importance of soil sampling and what action to take after you receive your results. A class session on medicinal plants taught by Mary Ann Armbruster was fascinating. I now know how to make teas and tinctures to cure different ailments with herbs from my garden. The public can see this concept in action at the Healers Garden at Vermilionville, which a small team of master gardeners care for and maintain weekly.

I’ve always enjoyed planting seeds and seeing what I could get to sprout but now I know that what the seed is planted in is most important. A mixture of peat, perlite and vermiculite is best, and compost should not be included because it could introduce harmful bacteria to young seedlings.

Master gardeners volunteer at what is known as “propagation” at the Ira Nelson Horticulture Center demonstration beds on Wednesdays. This is where you learn how to propagate or grow new plants from cuttings. I was able to try different methods hands-on, such as taking stem cuttings and dipping them in rooting powder and chipping bulbs.

One of the final days of class was on home fruit and nut production. All of my orange trees had died in previous hard freezes, so I was down to two blueberry bushes in my garden, but longed for more citrus. Once I learned that citrus trees in South Louisiana can be adapted for containers and moved indoors during freezing weather, I felt confident enough to try again.

My patio surrounding the pool now has the addition of a variegated lemon tree, with striking green and white leaves and tiny fruit that promises to be pink in color when full size. I filled a large pot with a good soil mix plus a citrus fertilizer before dropping my new tree in. I have been watering well to get it established and watching out my living room window to make sure it gets enough sun.

Most citrus need full sun to fruit, but those in pots can receive partial shade to prepare them for trips indoors. They can also be heavily pruned after producing to keep them a manageable size for a patio and make it easier to move them as cooler weather approaches.

As local gardeners prepare for the fall season, vegetables like onions, carrots, beets and English peas can be set out in September. Greens like lettuce and kale follow in October. If you don’t have a space large enough for a vegetable bed, consider a large container filled with a mix of peas climbing up a trellis, herbs, greens and flowers like geraniums or petunias. You’ll get a chance to test your green thumb with a mix that’s as colorful and fragrant as it is functional.

If you’re interested in the master gardener program, the course starts in August and runs through November. More information at lpmga.org.

All Things Plant | Keeping yourself in the know

Event
The Lafayette Parish Master Gardeners PlantFest takes place in late September on the grounds of the Ira Nelson Horticulture Center in Lafayette.

Book
Biologist Bill Fontenot’s newest edition of “Native Gardening in the South” is available from Amazon and the Acadiana Native Plant Project.

Film
“Louisiana Grass Roots,” a documentary about the restoration of the Cajun prairie, has been screening locally so keep an eye out for one near you.