January Montgomery County Master Gardener Club News Submission

The Montgomery County Master Gardeners had their first meeting of the year on Jan. 4. Incoming President Sheri Bethard welcomed all members to the new year. In addition to Sheri, new officers for 2023 are: Nancy Bowes-Vice President, Karen Thada-Treasurer, Andria Grady-Outreach and Marie Stocks-Secretary.

Vice President Nancy Bowes introduced our guest speakers for the evening, Paula and Marc Robinson, owners of Roosters Revenge. Marc and Paula have been residents of Montgomery County just over a decade. Both have been active in the community through business, arts, special needs and public service. They homestead on about 4 acres with a 5,000 square foot garden, greenhouse and an enclosed porch that they use as an additional greenhouse.

Sharing an extensive list of all the vegetables they grow, some of the tomato varieties they enjoy are San Marzano, Better Boy, Beefsteak and a few other heirlooms. Yellow pear tomatoes and the “cocktail-sized” Campari are sweet and juicy with a low level of acidity. Peppers do best when on hotter days. Varieties they grow are the Green Bell, banana, hot peppers, poblano and ancho chilies. Herbs, mints, stevia and echinacea are easy to grow. Hardneck garlic does best here. Asparagus, such as Mary Washington and Purple Passion are good producers in our climate, taking about three years to produce good harvest. Buttercrunch is a popular lettuce right now. Malabar spinach (not a true spinach) tolerates heat well and makes a lovely indoor plant with beautiful flowers and lovely berries.

The Robinsons use several methods to compost, including yard waste. Paula uses Clyde’s Garden Planner that helps gardeners plan their planting calendars. Good resources are the Seed Savers Exchange and Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth. We thank the Robinson’s for sharing their gardening experiences with us.

Our business meeting included administrative updates for 2023, committee reports, a preliminary budget review, educational opportunities and a report from our Purdue EMG agent, Tricia Herr. Plans for a Butterfly Garden on the 4-H grounds and a Seed Library at the Crawfordsville District Public Library are well under way. Master Gardener volunteers will be teaching plant science to students at the upcoming 4th grade Ag Days in April. A planning meeting for the Nicholson Garden Project, “Growing Together” was held in December and we look forward to our seventh year in the garden with the students.

At our February meeting we welcome Dr. Pat Williams, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Lafayette, who will be discussing the Propagation of Plants.

A new Master Gardeners basic training class is beginning Feb. 7. Format for the class is hybrid with Tuesday evening two-hour sessions occurring virtually. Cost is $180 per person or $280 per couple. Anyone interested in joining the class should inquire at the local 4-H extension office.