Rural Living
Related Photos
A Place to Learn
Nacogdoches County Master Gardeners putting together a demonstration garden
A demonstration garden, put together by the Nacogdoches County Master Gardeners, is quickly becoming a gathering place for the people of Nacogdoches.
The 7-acre garden, located at the corner of Main Street and University Avenue is and will be a constant work in progress.
“It's a teaching garden,” Nacogdoches County Master Gardeners President JoAnn Carter said. “It's a conservation project and also a way of showing people what they can do.”
The garden is at the site of an old chicken processing plant. Mrs. Carter described the ground as not the best, and in fact much of the property has proven to be a debris field, but through the help of a lot of people at both the county and city level and a lot of work, the property is taking shape.
“The soil isn't the greatest so we are doing a lot of raised beds,” Mrs. Carter explained. “We are having to build the soil through compost and amendments. It's a good spot to come and learn.”
A creek lines the back of the property. For now, Mrs. Carter said the master gardeners are working from the front of the property toward the back.
Ornamentals will dominate the front while they have vegetables and other plants.
“It will be a good way to see what you can grow in East Texas,” Mrs. Carter said.
The property is owned by the city, but as long as the Master Gardeners maintain and take care of it they will be able to use the property.
“We're a small group, but we work hard,” Mrs. Carter said.
Eventually they will put in hiking and biking trails in the back of the garden. Mrs. Carter said a Girl Scout group has volunteered to help making and cleaning the trails through the tree line at the back of the property.
The demonstration garden also will serve as a testing ground. Mrs. Carter said they are working with Dr. Creech and Greg Grant with Stephen F. Austin State University to plant 42 different types of fig trees in the garden.
They also have planted blueberry and they also have named an Earth Kind Rose trial site.
“For the next three years we will be testing seven out of the next 30 variety of roses currently being tested to see if they earn the Earth Kind designation,” Mrs. Carter said.
The garden also can serve as a place for others to work. Mrs. Carter said groups like sororities and fraternities that need service hours to come and work and help improve the community.
For others who want to participate and just get out and work outside, Mrs. Carter said there always is something to do.
“There's always weeds to be pulled and beds to be built,” Mrs. Carter said.
Work also is under way to get a pavilion built. Mrs. Carter said they have been working with the Nacogdoches County Judge to get grants for the construction of it.
“With the pavilion we'll be able to hold a wide variety of programs from canning and cooking to other activities,” Mrs. Carter said.
Through the entire process, Mrs. Carter said she has seen God's hand helping them get the garden going.
“This garden coming about wasn't just about us humans,” Mrs. Carter said. “When we have asked for something, we've gotten. Maybe not as fast as we would have liked, but we received it in God's time.”
- Rural Living
-
-
Migrating birds find warm welcome in Texas
ANAHUAC — Driving through Chambers County, , mere miles from the Gulf of Mexico, rice fields are green and birds are swooping through the air while rain showers build and dissipate on the horizon. This tranquil coastal scene is a sharp contrast to what some coastal counties in the United States are facing now that oil from the Deepwater Horizon well has reached their shorelines, their wildlife and habitat.
-
Birth of America's Breadbasket
Most of the 33 million schoolchildren in this country today have never set foot on a farm. In fact, only two of every 100 Americans now live on a farm, and less than 1 percent of the 300 million people in our country claim farming as their occupation.
-
Keep a family dairy cow and enjoy milk, cream, cheese and more
A dairy cow provides lots of practical benefits. Perhaps the most notable is that cows eating a grass-based diet can provide great-tasting dairy products that are more nutritious and flavorful than those you can buy in most grocery stores. Raising a family dairy cow is a fun experience, plus it’s a great step toward self-sufficiency and food security. Surplus dairy products from the cow and meat from calves could even bring in extra income for your family. Keeping a homestead dairy cow is a big commitment though, so you’ll want to prepare carefully.
-
Texas-Style Tiny
As the owner of Discovery Architectural Antiques in Gonzales, Brad Kittel hated seeing piles of excess building materials go to waste. When he started putting them to use creating one-of-a-kind tiny dwellings, Tiny Texas Houses was born.
-
A pickling frenzy
Ask a hundred people what their favorite pickle recipe is and they will probably give a hundred different answers.
-
Cherokee County AgriLife Extension hosting block party
The Cherokee County AgriLife Extension Agency wants to build a stronger community by helping build stronger families – starting with yours.
-
Bee List: Tips for June
It appears that the Tallow flow has already begun. You need to make sure that your bees have enough room too store the nectar. Back in the 70's and 80's we used to pile on the supers and come back a couple of weeks later to make sure they still had enough room.
-
Pest-Free Naturally
In many climates, warm weather brings bugs. While a few ants, fleas or silverfish can be a nuisance, an invasion may tempt you to reach for the bug spray. Don’t do it! This heavyhanded approach can unleash toxic compounds that put your family’s health at risk.
-
Beekeeping the chemical free way
It’s been more than 40 years since Dennis Brown first started working with bees after he saw a demonstration hive at a store in Gatlinburg, Tenn.
-
Bee adventures
Armed with my book, “First Lessons in Beekeeping,” a veil, a hive tool and a hive of bees, Christina and I began our quest to raise some backyard bees.
- More Rural Living Headlines
-
