Gardening

Pears and other fruit trees have produced a bumper crop of fruit this summer. The Galveston County Extension Office will provide a fruit tasting program on Wednesday, August 18, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. A wide variety of locally grown pears and jujubes will be available for tasting and the general public is invited to participate. Photo by William M. Johnson

Gardening: Trio Of Extension Programs Includes Pear Tasting, Master Naturalist Class & Rose Seminar

by Dr. William M. Johnson, Galveston County Extension Agent - Horticulture

We are fortunate to be able to grow an exceptionally diverse variety of fruits and we hope that the fruit produced will be appealing to our taste. Yes, one can use written descriptions as a guide to quality of the fruit in selecting a variety. However, we are also fortunate to have Master Gardener volunteers who are willing to share the fruits of their labors.

Each type of fruit has its season and the harvest season for pears and jujubes is at hand. Gardeners are invited to visit the Galveston County Extension Office on Wednesday, August 18, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon to view a diverse collection of locally-grown of pears and jujubes. You will be able to sample any or all of the fruits available. We also invite you to provide us with your feedback through a brief taste evaluation form.

It is anticipated that the following varieties will be available for viewing and taste testing:

ORIENTAL HYBRID PEAR: Atlas Super Orient, Biscamp, Fanstill, Floridahome, Hood, Ishi Washi, Kieffer, Kiko Sui, Pineapple, Rising Star, Southern Bartlett, Spalding, Tennessee, and Turnbull

ASIAN PEAR: 20th Century, Dasui Li, Hosui, Shinko, Shinseiki, Tsu Li, Wilson, and Ya Li

JUJUBE (also called Chinese Date): Approximately 8-10 varieties

Availability of varieties will be dependent on day-of-harvest conditions and additional varieties will likely be available. The fruits are grown by Terry Cuclis and Sam Powers who are Texas Master Gardeners and volunteers with the Galveston County Extension Office. They will be available during the program to answer gardeners’ questions on growing pears, jujubes and other types of fruits.

The Galveston County Extension Office is located at 5115 Highway 3 in Dickinson (281-534-3413, ext. 6). Be sure to make a notation on your "things to do" list to attend this program.

Master Naturalist Program To Be Offered By Extension Office

Come learn about Galveston Bay’s natural resources - birds, fish, oysters, marshes, plants and more! Trawl with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department! Bird with the Audubon Society! Volunteer to restore marsh habitats or teach kids about Galveston Bay!

These learning opportunities and more are part of the upcoming fall class of the Galveston Bay Area Master Naturalist Program. The first class will be held Thursday, August 26, 2004, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Armand Bayou Nature Center.

Additional classes and field trips will be held on Thursdays through mid-November 2004. Classes will be held at a variety of locations across the Galveston Bay area.

The Galveston Bay Area Master Naturalist Program is a fun, exciting volunteer program that will provide classroom and hands-on trainings and field trips on local natural resources (especially those related to Galveston Bay). In return for more than 55 hours of training, participants will be asked to return a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer service on approved projects.

To become a Certified Master Naturalist, participants must attend the training classes and field trips, complete the above-mentioned volunteer service and complete eight hours of advanced training within a year.

The registration fee for the training session is $110.00. Class size is limited to the first 20 applicants. To receive an application packet, contact Julie Massey, Galveston County Extension Agent - Marine, at 281-534-3413, ext. 3 or by E-mail at jmassey@ag.tamu.edu. You can also visit the Galveston County Extension Office at 5115 Highway 3 in Dickinson.

The Galveston Bay Area Master Naturalist Program is sponsored by the Galveston County Office of Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas A&M University; Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; the Texas Nature Conservancy; Armand Bayou Nature Center; and College of the Mainland.

"Roses, Roses & More Roses . . . A Gardener’s Guide" Seminar on August 28

Few flowering shrubs can match the rose in beauty and performance and most rose bushes grown in Texas are of the hybrid tea type. Whether you already grow roses or want to learn how to successfully grow them, make a notation on your gardening calendar to attend the "Roses, Roses & More Roses . . . A Gardener’s Guide" seminar on Saturday, August 28, from 9:00 -11:30 a.m. at the Galveston County Extension Office located at 5115 Highway 3 in Dickinson.

The workshop will be presented by John Jons, Philip Fox and Anna Wygrys who are Texas Master Gardeners and expert rose growers.

The workshop will cover a variety of topics on growing old garden (antique) roses and hybrid tea roses including variety selection, disease and insect pest management, pruning, and fertilization.

Information on managing and caring for a public rose garden will also be provided. There is no registration fee but due to limited space pre-registration is required (by phone at 281-534-3413, ext. 6 or by e-mail at GALV3@wt.net).