Upcoming Events and Classes

Suburban Home Vegetable Garden

Tuesday, February 9, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Master Gardener Vicki Baroni will tell how families can grow vegetables and some fruits with ease. 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. In 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. Learn how poor soil can be turned into plant-friendly soil with Master Gardener Eddie Rhoades. Part of the Lunch and Learn series of Cobb Master Gardeners.  In 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. Learn how to start vegetable garden transplants from seeds, with Master Gardener and Cobb Extension staff member Amy Whitney.  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 $35 includes lunch and breaks. Register by February 22 at 770-528-4550, or online.

Orchids 101

Thursday, March 3, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. Presented by Master Gardener Sondra Nierenberg, this is the first of three presentations in an Orchid Care series. In the second floor classroom at UGA Extension/Cobb County, 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060. Second class is "Orchid Diseases" on March 10, same time; third class is "Re-potting Orchids", March 24, same time. Registration and $15 class fee (for 1 or all in series) are due to the Cobb Extension office by Feb. 20.

A Few of My Favorite Things: Native and Non-Native Plants

Tuesday, March 8, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Learn about favorite native and non-native plants for home landscapes with Master Gardener Carmen Cudd. Part of the Gardeners Night Out series of Cobb Master Gardeners.  At Mountain View Regional Library, 3320 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta, GA, 30066.

Orchid Diseases

Thursday, March 10, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. Second of three presentations in the Orchid Care series. In the second floor classroom at UGA Extension/Cobb County, 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060.
Registration and $15 class fee (for 1 or all in series) are due to the Cobb Extension office by Feb. 20.

Thyme to Read Book Club

Friday, March 11, 10:15 – 11:45 a.m. This month’s book is Grandma Gatewood’s Walk, by Ben Montgomery.  In  the Training Room of the Cobb County Water Lab, 662 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060 (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.).

Small is the New Big: Small Gardens with Impact

Friday, March 11, noon – 1:00 p.m. Learn how to have a home garden that lives large regardless of size with Master Gardener Pam Bohlander. Part of the Lunch and Learn series of Cobb Master Gardeners.  In  the Training Room of the Cobb County Water Lab, 662 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060 (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.).

Vegetable Garden Seminar

Saturday, March 12, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Presented by Cobb and Douglas County Extension offices and Douglas County Master Gardeners, this seminar covers plant selection and seed starting for the vegetable garden. Lithia Springs United Methodist Church, in the Fellowship Hall, 3711 Temple St, Lithia Springs, GA 30122. Advance registration and $6 fee are requested. For information, call 770-948-5429.

Bluebird Trail Walk

Saturday, March 19, 10:00 a.m. – noon. Presented by Master Gardener Jim Bearden in association with the Atlanta Science Festival. On the 2.3-mile Bluebird Trail at Green Meadow Preserve Park, at 3780 Dallas Hwy., Powder Springs, GA, 30127.

Cherokee Medicinal Plants

Saturday, March 19, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Presented by Master Gardener Tony Harris in association with the Atlanta Science Festival. At the Cherokee Garden at Green Meadow Preserve Park, at 3780 Dallas Hwy., Powder Springs, GA, 30127.

Re-potting Orchids

Thursday, March 24, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. Third of three presentations in the Orchid Care series. In the second floor classroom at UGA Extension/Cobb County, 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060.
Registration and $15 class fee (for 1 or all in series) are due to the Cobb Extension office by Feb. 20. 

Grow Your Own Food: From the Ground Up

Tuesday, March 29, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Taught by UGA Horticulture Specialist Bob Westerfield. This is the first class of a four-part series. Class Fee for series is $35. Preregistration and payment by March 15 are required. All classes to be held in the second floor classroom at UGA Extension/Cobb County, 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060. Call 770-528-4070 for information about the series.

Food History of African Americans in the South

In celebration of Black History Month, join Terri Carter, Cobb Extension Master Gardener and Family and Consumer Sciences staff member, in an exploration of the food contributions of early African Americans to cuisine of today. The exploration will include a closer look at the foods brought to America on slave ships and how the slaves survived on these foods after they arrived.  

The presentation, which includes a cooking demonstration, will take place at two locations in Cobb County, on different dates:

February 10
7:00-8:00 p.m.
Switzer Central Library
266 Roswell Street
Marietta, GA 30060

and

February 17 
7:00-8:00 p.m.   
South Cobb Regional Library
805 Clay Road
Mableton, GA 30126

Master Goat Farmer Training

 UGA's next Master Goat Farmer Certification Training for North Georgia is offered through Whitfield County's Extension Office.

Location: North Georgia Fairgrounds,  500 Legion Dr., Dalton, GA 30721
Dates: Thursdays,  January 28, February 4, 11 & 18
Times: 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. on each date, with a meal served at 7:00 p.m.
Cost: $100. Includes study materials, manuals, meals, refreshments, door prizes and graduation certificate

Preregistration required by January 21, 2016
To register, contact the Whitfield County Extension Office at 706-278-8207.

For topics, presenters, and additional details, see information online linked here.

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.