Upcoming Classes and Events

Pollinators

Thursday, January 7, 11:00 a.m. – noon. Master Gardener and Cobb Extension staff member Amy Whitney will present the who, what, when, where, and why of supporting local pollinators, at the Senior Wellness Center, 1150 Powder Springs St SW, Marietta, GA 30064.

Thyme to Read Book Club

Friday, January 8, 10:15 – 11:30 a.m. This month’s book is 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus by Charles C. Mann.  At the Training Room of the Cobb County Water Lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.).

Create a Rain Garden!

Friday, January 8, noon – 1:00 p.m. Mike Kahle, Master Gardener and member of the Cobb Watershed Stewardship Program staff, will present information about how a rain garden helps clean and control run-off, along with how to design and construct a rain garden of your own. Part of the Lunch & Learn series of Cobb Master Gardeners.  At the Training Room of the Cobb County Water Lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.).

Landscape Changes and Homeowner Associations

Tuesday, January 12, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Master Gardener Pam Bohlander offers alternatives to standard landscaping plants that will keep homeowners and HOAs happy. Part of the Gardeners Night Out series of Cobb Master Gardeners.  At East Cobb Regional Library, 4880 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta, 30068.

Cobb Community Gardens

Wednesday, January 27, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Quarterly meeting of Cobb community garden managers,  members, and supporters, at the Training Room of the Cobb County Water Lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.).

Suburban Home Vegetable Garden

Tuesday, February 9, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Master Gardener Vickie Baroni will tell how to grow your own vegetables and herbs. Part of the Gardeners Night Out series of Cobb Master Gardeners.   At West Cobb Regional Library, 1750 Dennis Kemp Lane NW, Kennesaw, 30152.

Thyme to Read Book Club

Friday, February 12, 10:15 – 11:30 a.m. This month’s book is The Scent of Scandal: Greed, Betrayal, and the World’s Most Beautiful Orchid, by Craig Pittman. At the Training Room of the Cobb County Water Lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.).

Compost and Soil Amendments

Friday, February 12, noon – 1:00 p.m. Master Gardener Eddie Rhoades will explain how to turn poor soil into soil that is plant-friendly. Part of the Lunch & Learn series of Cobb Master Gardeners.  At the Training Room of the Cobb County Water Lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.).

Seed Starting Workshop

Tuesday, February 23, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Master Gardener and Cobb Extension staff member Amy Whitney will provide the information you need and hands-on practice for starting seeds of some vegetables and annual flowers indoors. In the second floor classroom at UGA Extension/Cobb County, 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060.

North Georgia Gardening Symposium

Thursday, February 25, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For homeowners, Master Gardeners, and landscape professionals. Re-certification credits available: 3 hours for category 24, 1 hour for Private pesticide applicators, 5 CEUs for ISA Arborist (A) and Municipal (M). Chattahoochee Technical College, North Metro Campus, Building D, Room 400, 5198 Ross Rd., Acworth, GA, 30102. Program cost of $35 includes lunch and breaks. Register at 770-528-4550, or online through Chatt Tech.

For additional information about any of the above programs, call our office at 770-528-4070.

Pollinator Spaces Across Georgia

Flowers for pollinators at a small community garden.

UGA Extension is encouraging the planting of pollinator spaces in community and school gardens through a new Pollinator Spaces Project.

The project gathers up on the Pollinator Spaces webpages  links to information about pollinators and gardens and information about upcoming classes and events  about pollinators.

Photos of pollinator spaces either newly created or already in existence can be posted on the UGA Community and School Gardens Facebook page or emailed to beckygri@uga.edu for posting on the website. Participating gardens will receive a certificate and be added to a map to show that support for pollinators in Georgia extends from border to border. At the end of the year, the map will be amazing to see!

For gardeners hoping to learn more about pollinators and the kinds of help we can offer these beleaguered garden helpers, check out publications at the link provided on UGA's "Building your pollinator garden" page.

For gardeners who would rather take a shortcut to learning which plants are pollinator-friendly, UGA offers this list on its "Plants for Pollinators" promotion card for the Spaces project:

Anise Hyssop
Aster
Button Bush
Catmint
Celosia spicata
Coneflower
Cosmos
Dill
Goldenrod
Mexican sunflower
Milkweed
Salvia - Hot Lips
Sunflower
Thyme
Verbena
Zinnia

How to protect ornamental plants in winter

In anticipation of the colder weather to come, homeowners are beginning to think about how to protect their favorite shrubs and perennials from the lowest temperatures. The UGA publication "Winter protection of ornamental plants", by Extension horticulturist Robert Westerfield and horticulture professor Orville Lindstrom, explains that, with proper care during the rest of the year, many plants will take care of themselves.

They describe the process like this:  "During the late summer and early fall, the plants must prepare themselves for winter through a process called cold acclimation. This process is initiated by the cooler temperatures and shorter daylengths that naturally occur at this time of the year."

Proper care includes providing nutrients (through fertilizers) during active growth in warmer seasons, withholding excess nitrogen fertilizer in fall. Westerfield and Lindstrom explain:

"Fertilizing plants in the fall (after August or September) with a fertilizer high in nitrogen can cause a flush of new growth that is more susceptible to cold temperatures."

Upcoming Events and Classes

Layered, Indoor, Holiday Container Planting

Thursday, November 5, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Cobb Extension’s Renae Lemon will demonstrate how to fill a holiday planter that will bloom throughout the holiday season, at Kemp Memorial Library, 4029 Due West Rd, Kennesaw, 30152.

Bluebird Trail Walk

Saturday, November 7, 10:00 a.m. to noon. Free and open to the public. Cobb Master Gardener and Bluebird expert Jim Bearden will conduct a guided walk of the 2.3-mile Bluebird Trail at Green Meadow Preserve Park, at 3780 Dallas Hwy., Powder Springs, GA, 30127. Follow the Bluebird Trail blog at bluebirdtrail.blogspot.com.

Holiday Inspirations

Saturday, November 7, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Cobb Extension staff members, led by Leah Wilson, will demonstrate simple and easy holiday crafts for decorating and gifts, in the second floor classroom at UGA Extension/Cobb County, 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060. For information, call 770-528-4070.

Pollinators: Unsung Garden Heroes

Tuesday, November 10, 7:00-8:00 p.m. Learn about the important role pollinating insects play in providing beauty in the garden and food for our table, with Master Gardener Marge Igyarto. Part of the ongoing Gardeners Night Out presentation series of the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County, at South Cobb Regional Library, 805 Clay Road, Mableton, 30126.

Thyme to Read Book Club

Friday, November 13, 10:15 – 11:30 a.m. Meeting of the book club sponsored by the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County is free and open to the public. This month’s book is Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv.  At the Training Room of the Cobb County Water lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.). Free and open to the public.

Beekeeping with Metro Atlanta Beekeepers

Friday, November 13, noon - 1:00 p.m. Discover the difference that honeybee pollination can make to your formal garden, wildflowers, vegetables, and fruits. Part of the ongoing Lunch & Learn series of the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County, at the Training Room of the Cobb County Water lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.). Free and open to the public.

Trim-a-Tree

November 18, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Cobb Extension staff member Emily Harper will demonstrate how professionals use decorative mesh, ribbons, and unique items to create one-of-a-kind presentations. Other holiday ideas will also be on display. Class will be held in the second floor classroom at UGA Extension/Cobb County, 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060. Free, but preregistration is requested. Call 770-528-4070 to register.

Pesticide Applicator Recertification Training

UGA's Green Team will be in Bartow County in November to offer an educational session that qualifies for recertification credits for Category 24 pesticide applicator licenses.

WHEN: Thursday, November 19, 2015
              9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: Cherokee Recreation and Parks Agency
               7545 Main Street
               Building 200
               Woodstock, GA  30188
WHAT: Classes to qualify for 4 hours of category 24 recertification credit
SPEAKERS: Josh Fuder, Cherokee County ANR Agent; Patrick McCullough, UGA Crop and Soil Sciences; Jean Williams-Woodward, UGA Plant Pathology; Mickey Taylor, UGA Entomology
COST: $45 per person

Please preregister before November 12. Space is limited!

TO REGISTER: online through UGA Marketplace, or call 770-228-7214 or email bhorne@uga.edu for additional information.

Printed materials, break refreshments, and lunch are provided.

Upcoming Events and Classes

Thyme to Read Book Club

Friday, October 9, 10:15 – 11:30 a.m. Meeting of the book club sponsored by the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County is free and open to the public. This month’s book is The Hot Zone, by Richard Preston.  At the Training Room of the Cobb County Water lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.). Free and open to the public.

Adaptive Gardening

Friday, October 9, noon - 1:00 p.m. Master Gardener Joe Washington will share his research on tools, tips, and techniques to keep gardening for a lifetime. Part of the ongoing Lunch & Learn series of the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County, at the Training Room of the Cobb County Water lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.). Free and open to the public.

Art of Pruning

Tuesday, October 13, 7:00-8:00 p.m. Master Gardener Pam Bohlander  will teah the basics of good pruning for aesthetic value and for promoting the health of ornamental trees and shrubs in the landscape, as part of the ongoing Gardeners Night Out presentation series of the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County, at Mountain View Regional Library, 3320 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta,  30066. Free and open to the public.

Cobb Community Gardens to Hear from Captain Planet Foundation

Kyla Van Deusen of the Captain Planet Foundation will be the featured speaker at the next meeting of Cobb Community Gardens. Van Deusen will be presenting information about Project Learning Garden and how to get involved and support school gardens.

As part of its mission, the Captain Planet Foundation has helped thousands of schools develop pollinator and food gardens, among other projects, and Project Learning Garden extends that support to the development of garden-based learning programs in schools.


WHEN: Wednesday, October 28, 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Cobb Water Quality Lab meeting room
               662 South Cobb Drive
               Marietta, GA, 30060


The meeting and presentation are free and open to all interested in managing and supporting community and school gardens.

The mission of Cobb Community Gardens is to share ideas, information, and resources to help support and promote community gardens throughout Cobb County.

For information, email debbie@esmithair.com .

Sweet Potato Harvest Time

Mr. Hugh Byrd of Kennesaw with sweet potatoes from his garden.
PHOTO/Ellen Shelnutt, Master Gardener Volunteer

Many sweet potato varieties reach maturity in about 110-120 days, which means that, for most of our gardens, it is just about harvest time.

Here at the Cobb Extension office, we had a wonderful reminder from a local gardener, Mr. Hugh Byrd, that harvest time is here.  The reminder was in the form of four giant sweet potatoes that he harvested from just one plant in his garden!

The variety that he grew this year is Beauregard, which is a great variety for home gardeners in our area. The tubers are sweet, getting even sweeter after curing for a couple of weeks in a warm location, and they cook up soft.

Mr. Byrd has been gardening in his Kennesaw yard for about 20 years, having taken over the task when his wife, the original  family gardener, developed health problems. She now focuses her food-growing efforts on growing tomatoes in large containers near the house. The couple has been married for 60 years.

We have been assured that, if the next plant Mr. Byrd digs up has even larger sweet potatoes, he will let us know.