The Texas Two-Step Method To Control Fire Ants
By Charlotte Wilson, Hopkins County Master Gardener We have been battling fire ants in our orchard and gardens for 15 years with pretty poor results. We treated mounds and a month later a new mound would appear five feet away. Every spring and fall we would have to completely retreat a bunch of new mounds. Texas Two-Step Method of Fire ant control I would like to explain the Texas Two-Step Method, created by Michael Merchant and...
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Impacts on Child Health/Wellness
Johanna Hicks, B.S., M.Ed., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Family & Community Health Agent, Hopkins County, P.O. Box 518, 1200-B West Houston St., Sulphur Springs, TX 75483; 903-885-3443; [email protected] By Johanna Hicks According to 2018 statistics, the total Hopkins County population is approximately 36,810 with 24.6 percent under the age of 18; 21.1 percent of children under the age of 17 live in poverty. The Community...
Making The Cut As A Texas Superstar
By Dr. Mario Villarino Texas Superstar Sale: April 26, 3-6 p.m., Hopkins County Extension Office It isn’t easy to become a Texas Superstar® plant. Only the toughest, most reliable and best-looking plants make the cut. Every plant earning the Texas Superstar® designation undergoes several years of extensive field trials by Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, both part of the Texas A&M...
Vegetable Grafiting- Tomato By Mario Villarino
Since people first learned to graft plants, a myriad of grafting techniques have been developed. In The Grafter’s Handbook, Garner enumerates and describes some forty different grafts. Success in grafting depends not only on a technically correct graft but in preparation of the scion and rootstock for graftage. Equally critical are the optimum time for grafting, and proper aftercare. With high labor costs, only a few of the more...
Winter Chores for a Summer Bounty
by Gere Camper, from Hopkins County Master Gardeners The weather outside may be frightful, but there is still a lot that can be done now to ensure a successful garden this year. A cold rainy day is a great time go through seed catalogs whether online or catalogs and decide what to grow. It’s always nice to add a new vegetable or flower or maybe a new variety such an heirloom tomato. It is important to select plants that are acclimated...
Pigweed By Pam Jorgenson
by Pam Jorgenson a Hopkins County Master Gardener When you step outside your driveway, sidewalk or even your flower bed, you will probably see pigweed, also known as portulaca or purslane. What is that? Well, it’s usually considered a weed in NE Texas, to be pulled up and tossed. But it isn’t. It is a highly nutritious vegetable. It is scientifically...
Incorporating Herbs Into Your Landscape
By Sharon Burnette – Hopkins County Master Gardener When my husband and I moved to East Texas fifteen years ago, I looked forward to having a garden and especially an herb garden. At first my focus was growing herbs for cooking. Over time I learned herbs are found almost everywhere and have generally been defined as “the useful plant”. In addition to cooking, herbs are used for making scents and perfumes, aromatherapy, herbal...
Plants Have Companions Too
by Joann Brennan is a Hopkins County Master Gardener I have learned a lot about gardening and herbs since I have been a Master Gardener. One concept that has come to my attention this year is companion planting. Companion planting is the planting of two or more plants together for mutual benefit. Companion planting is an effective alternative to pesticides, used to deter insects, prevent disease, provide nutrients to the plants, and...
The Very Humble, Very Hardworking Earthworm By Susan Brewer
By Susan Brewer, A Hopkins County Master Gardener Do you remember the old rhyme? “Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I’ll go into the garden to eat worms. Long thin slimy ones, short fat juicy ones, itsy bitsy, fuzzy wuzzy worms”. What a bad rap earthworms get, yet they are a vital resource in enriching our soil whether it be in your yard, vegetable garden, house plants or the cornfield. Charles Darwin 100 years ago...
Happy Mother’s Day & Summer Camps for Kids By Johanna Hicks
Happy Mother’s Day Sunday is a special day for moms all across the country. Mother’s Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the months of March or May. It complements similar celebrations honoring family members, such as Father’s Day,...
