Clermont County September Food Preservation Workshop

Do you enjoy food preservation?

Your last opportunity to attend a Food Preservation workshop with Clermont County Family Consumer Science Educator, Margaret Jenkins, is September 15, 2021 at 10AM. The last Food Preservation workshop will be held on the Clermont County Fairgrounds in the 4-H hall kitchen and will cover several different Food Preservation techniques. A photo from last weeks Food Preservation Workshop is posted above. Don’t miss out on the opportunity for this last workshop of the 2021 Food Preservation Season! See the flyer below for registration details.

FLYER

Clermont County Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden Update

It’s time for Clermont County Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden weekly update. Last week brought high humidity with temperatures in the 80’s and 90’s all week. The pollinators in the gardens were busy. There were many varieties of butterflies spotted in the gardens as well. Lots of produce was harvested from the gardens last week. Last weeks produce was used for OSU canning classes and the rest is being donated to the Owensville Senior Center. The following is as list of produce and their weights harvested from the gardens last week and updated pictures of the gardens:

8/23/2021

Yellow tomatoes – 3 lbs. 7oz.

Red Tomatoes – 4 lbs.

Cherry Tomatoes – 1 lb. 8.9 oz.

Cucumbers – 8.6 oz.

String beans – 4.7 oz.

8/25/2021

1 little zucchini – 4.2 oz.

3 small cucumbers –  7.6 oz.

9 small Mangos – 1 lb. 14.4 oz.

15 Dark green peppers – 11.6 oz.

16 Banana peppers – 5.6 oz.

16 jalapeños – 9.4 oz.

Pepperoncini – 7.3 oz.

37 Tomatoes – 10.lbs 11.8 oz.

Cherry Tomatoes – 3lbs. 6.3 oz.

3 Pumpkins – 9.lbs 8.5 oz. (Pumpkin 1) 8.11 oz. (Pumpkin 2) 20 lbs. (Pumpkin 3)

8/27/2021

Tomatoes – 3lbs 6.4 oz.

Clermont County Master Gardener Demonstration Gardens Update

It’s time for a Clermont County Master Gardener Volunteer Demonstration Garden update! The Master Gardeners had this to say about the gardens, “All the gardens look very healthy.  There are pollinators everywhere! They love all the flowers and the blooms on the garlic chives. Vegetables continue to flourish.  There are still many green tomatoes and the peppers are accumulating.  Cucumbers and squash are scarce.  There are still green beans and several pumpkins.  Potatoes aren’t ready yet. The team has done an incredible job with watering, weeding, and harvesting and scouting for bugs.” Enjoy pictures from the Clermont County MGV Demonstration Gardens.

Clermont County Master Gardener Volunteers Weekly Garden Update

This week the Clermont County Master Gardener Straw Bale Demonstration Garden has again provided a wonderful harvest. More zucchini, cucumber, and peppers were harvested. This week onions, tomatoes, and banana peppers were also harvested. The green beans are close to being harvested, tomato vines are full of tomatoes, and the pumpkin vines have produced pumpkins of a decent size that will soon be ready for harvest. Harvests from this week will be used for an upcoming Food Preservation Class hosted by the Clermont County OSU Extension Office. The garden is continuing to be monitored for Japanese Beetles and other types of pests. With the recent rain we have received it has also flourished the growth of several weeds. The MGV’s have been hard at weeding out all their gardens this week. Pictured below is how the MGV’s store their daily garden notes and any other materials they need to have while at the garden. The MGV’s are continuing to keep a weekly schedule on maintaining the gardens and keeping track of their findings, tasks, and accomplishments within the gardens.

                       

Master Gardener Weekly Demonstration Gardens Update

It’s time for the weekly update on the Clermont County Master Gardener Straw Bale Demonstration Garden and other MGV gardens, located on the Clermont County Fairgrounds. Master Gardener Volunteer Deb Garner had this to say about our gardens:

“Last week the straw bale temperatures held in the 80’s which permitted great growth.

The tomatoes are beginning to look very good with the beginnings of fruit sets.  The Jet Star tomatoes seem to be doing the best.  It is evident that the bales are composting well as some of the bales are now leaning with the weight of the tomatoes.  A few additional stakes were added and some pruning helped.

The pumpkins are growing rapidly and the plants look very robust.

Peppers are doing exceptionally well.  A few holes in the leaves were spotted but, no pests were seen.     Many of the pepper varieties have the beginnings of fruit and the some of the Early Jalapenos are ready to harvest.

More radish seeds will be planted in the garden; as the present radishes are ready to pull.

The demonstration garden bed edges containing marigolds and nasturtiums are stunning. The Moonflower and Scarlet Runner Bean on the entrance trellis are climbing away! The amazing growth of these flowers have attracted many pollinators; as you can see in the photo depicted below of a bee on the Borage plant.

Other gardens located on the fairgrounds are coming along too.  The container garden is very lush with tomatoes setting fruit and the cucumbers are climbing the trellis. Monarch butterflies have been spotted at the container garden.

The sensory garden has required a bit more work. Plants are in the ground in rather compacted soil; they are having some trouble becoming established.  The sensory garden is truly a work in progress and many replants have taken place.  Gardening is always a learning experience.

The weekend did bring rain and is sure to burst growth in the gardens.  See you next week for another update.”

 

       

MGV Straw Bale Demonstration Garden Update

The Clermont County Master Gardener Volunteers have been continually hard at work maintaining this year’s Straw Bale Demonstration Garden; located on the fairgrounds. Last week the MGVs were able to harvest some vegetables from their plants; they collected two nicely sized radishes, and more are almost ready to be harvested. Several other plants were beginning to bloom or beginning to sprout, such as; the Mexican Sunflower, lettuce, and pumpkins.  They were also able to transplant Zinnias into the garden. There were several days of rain last week, so the straw bales and soil stayed continually high in moisture. The MGVs are continuing to monitor for insects and pests as well; some plants were showing signs of damage and have been treated.

   

   

April is the perfect time to get the spring garden started!

April is a busy month in the garden with planning, planting, bed prep and fertilization. learn the tips and tricks to do right now in your April garden to get the 2021 growing season started off right with a quick video update and April Gardening webinar from our colleagues at OSU Extension – Growing Franklin.

Fast social media version with a quick 3 minute review of the highlights.

 

The full class webinar recording with more detail plus chat Q & A.

Do not forget to register for the upcoming May Update in the Community Garden on Tuesday, May 4, at 6:30pm held in partnership with the Charles Madison Nabrit Memorial Garden.  The class is free but registration is required:

Hi there,

You are invited to a CarmenZoom webinar.
When: May 4, 2021 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: May 2021 Update in the Community Garden

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://osu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZwhmzTlvSGK4Y4ZD2w5QIA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Clermont County Master Gardener Volunteer Training – Fall 2017

Image result for ohio master gardenerYou could be a Master Gardener if:

  • You want to learn more about plants and gardening.
  • You are eager to participate in a practical and intensive training program.
  • You enjoy sharing your knowledge with others.
  • You have the time to attend training and serve your community as a volunteer.

The Master Gardener Program
The Master Gardener Program provides intensive training in horticulture to interested gardeners who then volunteer their time assisting with educational programs and activities for Ohio residents through their local Ohio State University Extension county office.

For more information and to register click this link: Master Gardener Registration 2017-1n9m0hz