Wednesday, December 16, 2015

2016 Plans & Updates

As we prepare for 2016, I wanted to express my best holiday wishes and to give you updates on a few CCMGA matters.
Revised By-Laws
During the December business meeting, the proposed revisions to the CCMGA by-laws were approved by unanimous vote of the members present.  These revisions are a result of WVMG’s increased service and education requirements for new and recertifying members.  The revised by-laws are posted to our website in the “About CCMGA” section.
MGIT Class
Debbie Martin and Jane Wilson have done a great job of putting a Master Gardener class together.  The classes will meet in the Fellowship Hall of Enslow Park Presbyterian Church on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 – 9:30 pm beginning on January 5.  Jane and Debbie want to welcome any member who is available for one or more classes to come to assist or to earn education hours.  This is a great opportunity to earn service or education hours,.  A copy of the class schedule is posted to our website.  Please email me (beckelhimer@gmail.com) if you would like to sign up to volunteer for one or more classes.
2016 Meeting Schedule
The meeting schedule for 2016 has been finalized with a great lineup of educational speakers. A copy of our meeting schedule is posted in the “About CCMGA” section of our website.
2016 Dues
Please remember that your 2016 dues can now be paid to our treasurer, Debbie Martin.  If you have not already done so, please send your $16 membership dues to CCMGA, PO Box 7661, Huntington, WV 25578-7661.
Website Updates
The “Recipes” section of our website has been replaced with a “Gardening Education” page for the MGITs as well as current members.  Presenters at the Master Gardener class as well as monthly Master Gardener meetings can have materials such as handouts or links posted to the site.  Please take a look at the new section of our site and let me know what you think.
The 2015 minutes, treasurer’s reports and meeting schedules will soon be moved to an “Archives” page where the documents will still be available to members but will make way for 2016’s information.

I will look forward to seeing everyone at our February 20th meeting or better yet, at one of the upcoming MGIT classes.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Taking better photos of our gardens – November 10 meeting

We had an outstanding education session at our November 10 meeting in which local photography buffs, Tim Hardesty and Joe Browning gave us great advice on shooting our gardens.  Regardless of our photographic ability, gardening interest or the type of camera we have, we all came away inspired to take more pictures of our gardens.  Joe & Tim have given us their handouts that are available by clicking the links below:
In the business portion of our meeting we discussed the WVMG service and education requirements and the accompanying changes in bylaws that we will be making.  We approved the 2016 budget and learned more about the upcoming MGIT classes.  We had an update on the 2016 CCMGA meeting schedule and announced that a caravan to the Boyd County Extension Office will leave Enslow Park Presbyterian Church at 10:15 for our December 5 meeting/wreath making/Christmas party.  Meat will be provided for the Christmas party but members are asked to bring a side dish or dessert to share.  Our evening closed with an optional educational session on using the CCMGA website.
Connie will have our meeting minutes posted to the website soon.


Friday, October 30, 2015

Items for consideration at November 10 CCMGA meeting

Hello CCMGA members and friends,
As you may be aware, in compliance with the International Master Gardener Association changes, the West Virginia Master Gardener Association has increased the number of education and service hours required for renewal to 10 and 20 respectively.  Therefore, we must adjust our bylaws to reflect those changes as well.  This is a simple change of a few numbers in Articles IV and V of the bylaws to keep us in compliance.  An opportunity will be available for discussion of these changes as well as a potential motion to accept the proposed revisions to the bylaws.  A copy of the updated bylaws with changes in red is available at the link below and will be printed for the November 10 meeting of CCMGA.
We will also hold a discussion of how CCMGA can provide more and better education and service opportunities.  Pauline Tiller at the Cabell County Extension Office has asked that we send our education and service hours to her from the period September 1, 2014 to August 31, 2015.  She does not need a detailed listing of dates, times and activities only the two numbers for how many education and service hours that you have accrued for the year.  Her contact information is Pauline.Tiller@mail.wvu.edu or 304-743-7131.  To assist you in recalling education and service activities, the Executive Committee has prepared a partial listing of some of the activities for the year.  This list was compiled from the calendar on our website (http://www.cabellcountymastergardeners.com) and may assist you in recalling your education and service.  The list is available on the link below and will be printed for the November 10 meeting.  Please notify Pauline of your 2014-15 hours by November 30, 2015.
A number of service opportunities will be presented for your consideration on November 10 including assisting with the MGIT class and advising gardens at Marcum Terrace, Meadows Elementary and Explorer Elementary. 
Debbie Martin will begin collecting 2016 dues ($16 per member) at the November meeting and will make plans for the December 5 Christmas Party and wreath making at Boyd County’s Extension Office.


I will send a reminder out as the date for our November 10 meeting draws near but I wanted to send the above information for your consideration well in advance of the meeting.

Steve


Thursday, October 29, 2015

Ritter Park Rose Clipping Give-Away

Ritter Park Rose Garden in Huntington will be doing their annual rose clipping give away from 8 am to noon on Monday November 2, 2015 .  You may call 304-696-5954 for more information.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Volunteer Service and Education Hours Changing




A recent note from Mira Blutatovic-Danalovich, State Extension Master Gardener Program Coordinator reports:

The International MG has been working on standardizing the Program and part of that effort is establishing new guidelines for the Initial certification and re-certification…

FYI ... the International MG (IMG) also establishes guidelines for Volunteer & Educational Hours for MG to remain active. As of December 2014, the IMG raised the National Standard for state extension MG to strive to meet to:

  • "requires volunteer service hour; 40-hour volunteer service minimum in the initial training year and 20-hour volunteer service minimum in subsequent years
  •  requires annual continuing education and professional development hours; 10 hours minimum annually in years following initial training"


For more information on the change click the image below to read the full report:





Sunday, August 30, 2015

2015 CCMGA Picnic





Thanks to the outstanding CCMGA cooks, the 2015 picnic at Barboursville Park on August 29 was a huge success.  While R. L. Mallory and Tom Bell manned the grill, we held our August business meeting.  Members who earned Master Gardener certification since our last meeting were recognized with the presentation of certificates and name badges by Debbie Martin and Jane Wilson representing the education committee.  We learned that our advisor and former WVU Extension Agent for Cabell County, Rich Sherman, has accepted a position as agriculture science teacher in Minford, Ohio.  The group expressed concern that WVU place an agent in Cabell County to replace Rich as soon as possible.
A number of our members and guest took home garden related door prizes.  Steve Beckelhimer donated 25 mason bee nests that he built this summer.  The membership can decide whether to sell these houses as a fund raiser or to give them away as door prizes at future meetings. 
After our meal, geocachers, Brian Cordle and Austin Mullins, introduced our group to geocaching in Barboursville Park.  Our group worked in teams to use GPS receivers to find hints in hidden containers to solve a gardening puzzle.  Everyone had a great time.  Many thanks to Brian and Austin for giving our group a great learning experience.

Plans continue for the 2016 MGIT classes.  All classes will be held at Enslow Park Presbyterian Church on Tuesdays from 6:30 – 9:00 pm beginning January 5, 2016.  At the October meeting a list will be available for members to sign up to assist with one or more classes.  Members can earn either education or volunteer service hours by assisting with a class.  

Sunday, August 16, 2015

WVU Extension Office

Our adviser, Cabell County’s WVU Extension Agent, Rich Sherman, has asked that our members contact the members of the Cabell County Commission regarding the location of the Extension Office.  The letter below has been prepared for us by our recording secretary, Connie Berk.  A copy of the letter will be at the CCMGA picnic on August 29 for any member who would like to sign.  In addition, any member is invited to prepare an individual letter to the Commission.  All letters will be given to Extension Agent, Nila Cobb, who will present the letters to the Commissioners as a packet. Connie's letter is included below for your review and comment.  Please use the comment link at the bottom of the post to indicate any revisions that you would like to suggest.

=====================================================

August 29, 2015
Dear Cabell County Commission Members,
The membership of the Cabell County Master Gardener Association, Inc. would like to express our support for the acquisition of the FOP property on 4-H Camp Road near Barboursville, WV to become the new location for the Cabell County WVU Extension Office. 
The current location on Howell’s Mill Road is at the site of the old county farm and is not only inadequate but is also becoming a dangerous building.  The ceilings are falling in and the floors are sagging to the point of near collapse.  In addition, with the increased utilization of courthouse services at the adjacent building, parking for the Extension Office is limited at best.
We believe that the building near the 4-H Camp will provide plenty of space, allowing the Extension Office to hold courses and to serve the agriculture needs of the citizens of Cabell County, WV.  The building has a great deal of usable space, adequate parking and is a much safer site for both Extension Office employees and visitors alike.  This will be a much more inviting space to work in and to visit.
It is our understanding that the WVU Extension Service would provide the funding to remodel and finish the building, to make the space meet the specific needs of the Service.  The membership of the Cabell County Master Gardener Association, Inc. is very supportive of the WVU Extension Service and are willing to assist with the transition in any way.  Many Association members with trucks have even volunteered to transport items from the existing office to the new location, if approved.
In summary, the following members of the Cabell County Master Gardener Association, Inc. urge the Cabell County Commission to please consider approval of the purchase of the FOP building near the 4-H Camp in Barboursville, WV for use by the WVU Extension Service.
Thank you for considering our request.


Wednesday, July 29, 2015

CCMGA July Update

Hello Cabell County Master Gardeners and friends,
I hope that everyone has been able to get out and enjoy their gardens now that the monsoons of the past few weeks have (hopefully) passed.
I just want to pass a few reminders along to you as we move from July into August.

Picnic
Our annual picnic is scheduled for 3 pm on August 29 in Shelter #1 at Barboursville Park.  We will recognize the newly certified master gardeners with a presentation of certificates and their WVMG name badge.  We will have a brief business meeting while our meal is being prepared.  The evening’s activity will be geocaching with Brian Cordle.  Brian will take us on a GPS scavenger hunt around the park and introduce us to geocaching as a great way to get outdoors and enjoy nature.  If you would like to engage in this activity please wear shoes that are appropriate for walking around the park.
If you are planning to come to the meeting, please contact Jane Wilson (jackjanewilson@gmail.com or 304- 416-1740) and let her know what side dish, condiments, lettuce, tomato, onions or dessert you would like to bring to the picnic to share.  In your message to Jane please let her know how many will be in your group.  This picnic is a family event so please bring guests just let Jane know how many so she can plan for the food.  CCMGA will provide the meat, breads, cheese, soft drinks and the paper products.

Name Badges
Outgoing treasurer, Greg Norris, will be ordering name badges for recently certified Master Gardeners.  Anyone who needs a new name badge should contact Greg (wvframer@ntelos.net) by August 8. 

State Fair
The State Fair of West Virginia will be held at Fairlea, WV from August 14-23.  If you are planning to go to the fair, you may want to stop by the WVMGA demonstration garden since our group made a contribution to expand this display.  You can also volunteer hours by working at the demonstration garden.  A posting on our website gives more information on signing up to volunteer.

International Master Gardener Conference
The International Master Gardener Conference is scheduled for September 22-25 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  More links to the conference and more information is on our website.

2016 MGIT Class
The class for new Master Gardeners is now being planned and should be starting in January 2016.  Debbie Martin and Jane Wilson are working to plan for instructors to present required and elective sessions for the MGITs.  Anyone who would like to assist them should contact Debbie (MartinPTA@aol.com) or Jane (jackjanewilson@gmail.com). 
If you know anyone who would like to consider becoming a Master Gardener and would like more information, please direct them to our website (www.cabellcountymastergardeners.com) where they will see a link near the top of the page that says “Sign up to get more information on becoming a Master Gardener”.

Upcoming 2015 Meetings
Our next regular meeting is at 6:30 on October 13 at Enslow Park Presbyterian Church where Mary Beckelhimer will tell us about the Botany of Witchcraft.  On November 10, Tim Hardesty and Joe Browning of the Ohio Valley Camera Club will give us tips on taking better photos of our gardens.  Our Christmas party will be on Saturday, December 5 with wreath making and holiday cheer.  The December meeting will be at the Boyd County Extension Office with Lori Bowling. The meeting schedule is posted to the “About CCMGA” page of our website.

2016 Meetings

The CCMGA Executive Committee is looking at potential meeting dates and topics.  If you know of a good presentation or, better yet, if you are willing to present a session yourself, please let me know (beckelhimer@gmail.com) and we would love to continue the education programs at our 2016 meetings.

Website
Please continue to watch our website (www.cabellcountymastergardeners.com), especially our Events page where announcements are posted.  Our calendar also identified many educational and service opportunities.  The most recent treasurer reports and meeting minutes are also posted to the “About CCMGA” section. I am thinking of ways to make our website more useful, informative and user friendly.  Please give me any feedback or suggestions that you have.

Enjoy the rest of your summer. I will look forward to seeing everyone at the picnic.  Please feel free to contact me at any time.

Steve Beckelhimer, President 2015-2016
Cabell County Master Gardener Association, Inc.



Monday, July 13, 2015

Huntington in Bloom in the News

A story in the Huntington Herald Dispatch covers the care for the Huntington in Bloom plantings by the Cabell-Huntington Coalition for the Homeless.
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/x45919512/The-Green-Team-keeps-downtown-flowers-blooming

Photo by Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch


Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Master Gardener Demonstration Garden at WV State Fair

As you are aware, the CCMGA recently made a contribution to the WVMGA to make improvements to the demonstration gardens at the State Fair of West Virginia.  This handicap accessible garden is a great place to showcase the work and talent of West Virginia Master Gardeners.
If any of our members or friends will be attending the state fair this year please take some snapshots and let us all know how it looks.





If any of our group will be attending the WV State Fair and would like to volunteer at the demonstration garden, information is below:


Monday, June 29, 2015

One Million Pollinator Gardens



The National Pollinator Network, a collaboration of nearly two dozen conservation groups with the support of First Lady Michelle Obama.has a goal of one million new pollinator friendly gardens by 2016,  

Any garden, regardless of size and location, can be registered on their website: www.millionpollinatorgardens.org to count toward the total. And everything counts, “from window boxes and garden plots to farm borders, golf courses, school gardens, corporate and university campuses,” they said in a press release. The Network’s job is to provide the resources and information for people to plant and maintain pollinator gardens, including plant recommendations, where to buy seeds and plants, and how to plant a sustainable garden using minimal pesticides.

“The Million Pollinator Garden Challenge gives nearly every American the chance to be one in a million, by planting seeds and plants for bees and pollinators,” said Craig Regelbrugge of AmericanHort. “They are going to look to trusted sources for plants and expertise. This is a huge opportunity for horticulture.”

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

May 12 Field Trip - R. L. and Linda Mallory's Home

The May 12 CCMGA field trip to the home of R. L. and Linda Mallory was a great one.  We had about 20 members present to walk through the gardens and learn more about the varied and unusual plants.  We learned about water gardens, vegetable gardens, native plants and even winter hardy banana trees. 
We went into the tropical greenhouse and were amazed by the cacti, succulents and tropical flowers.  Linda gave us tips on how to grow and propagate these beautiful and interesting plants.  We then had a chance to put her advice into practice by making arrangements of cacti and succulents. 
We had two hours of great gardening education as well as great conversation and inspiration.

  

Monday, May 11, 2015

Perennial Exchange and Plant Sale

As in previous years, the Cabell County Master Gardener Association is holding a Perennial Exchange and Plant Sale.  However, this year it is being held in conjunction with the Sustainability Fair on Pullman Square.
Anyone who would like to volunteer should contact the coordinator of the Perennial Exchange, Sean Kelly (s_lkelly@yahoo.com) to sign up.  Sean is also looking for donated plants to sell on Saturday.
Please come and swap perennials (no woody plants permitted) and shop for some great plants for your garden.
The booths at the Sustainability Fair are in the images below:






Thursday, April 16, 2015

Huntington in Bloom - 2015


Once again, the Cabell County Master Gardener Association is pleased to partner with Huntington in Bloom to beautify the city.  At our April meeting, Tom Bell informed us that the planting dates are:
Thursday – April 30 – 6 pm
Tuesday – May 5 – 6 pm
Thursday – May 7 – 6 pm
Volunteers will meet in front of the Big Sandy Superstore Arena to plant pots or one of the large circular gardens.  Tom informs us that soil is being replaced in the planting areas making our work much easier.
If you are available, please come to one (or all) of the Huntington in Bloom work parties and help to make the city a more attractive place to live and work.
For more information on Huntington in Bloom visit their website - http://www.huntingtoninbloom.org/




Photos taken by Victor Simpson & Steve Beckelhimer

Friday, March 27, 2015

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Volunteer Hours Award Program Pins

The WV Master Gardener Association is promoting awards pins for volunteer hours and years of membership.  Preliminary information on this program is available in a brochure.


Tuesday, March 24, 2015

WV State Conservation Camp scholarship opportunity

The Beverly Hills Garden Club Conservation Committee is interesting in identifying a youth who is interested in learning more about our natural resources and their economic and social importance. Each year BHGC provides a scholarship to the WV State Conservation Camp so that may this young person have the opportunity to attend.
The student must be between 14-18 years old as of Jan. 1, 2015.  The Beverly Hills Garden Club will assume financial responsibility of $185.00 for one student to attend camp. This cost covers food, lodging, and insurance. The camp is Camp Caesar in Webster County, Rt. 20, between Cowen and Webster Springs, WV. The date for the camp is June 15-20, 2015. All applications for the camp must be completed (physical required) and money received by May 15th, 2015.
If you are aware of a potential candidate, you may contact either Marcia Lightner (lightners@zoominternet.net).



Tuesday, March 17, 2015

2015 WSAZ Home & Garden Show

Thanks to the hard work of many of our members, the 2015 WSAZ Home and Garden Show was a huge success. Jane & Debbie arranged for a slate of interesting and informative speakers and Connie's organizational skills made everything run smoothly. Along with the Boyd and Putnam County Master Gardeners, the booth was well staffed and many visitors were assisted. We also had many visitors to the booth make inquiries into becoming a Master Gardener and are interested in joining the 2016 class. Our resident "shutterbug in chief", Victor Simpson, took a lot of photographs of our booth, the speakers and other gardening related displays at the Home and Garden Show.   

Monday, March 16, 2015

Orders for Mills Magic Mix

Orders for Mills Magic Mix, Mills Easy Feed, and other Beaty Fertilizer Company products will be taken by calling Gary Rankin or Monica Valentovic (304-697-0321). You can also send your order by email to Valentov@marshall.edu or Rankin@marshall.edu. Mills Magic Mix is an excellent organic fertilizer. The components of Mills Magic Mix include: alfalfa meal, bone meal, fish meal, sewer sludge and cottonseed meal. One 20-pound bag will feed either 30 large roses or 60 miniatures one time. It is best to feed your roses Mills Magic Mix in the spring and give another feeding in mid-July. Feeding two times adds organic matter to the soil and provides a slow, non-burning feeding of your roses. Mills Magic Mix when applied in the spring helps increase microbial activity in the soil. Each bag will cost $18.00, if he can get an order of 50 bags. This is a big savings from the normal retail price of $29 for one 20# bag. That is a savings of $11/bag and our cost includes shipping provided you order through the rose society!!
He also will take orders for Mills Easy Feed liquid. This is a complete formula that can be used to fertilize your roses and contains magnesium and fish emulsion components. The cost of Mills Easy Feed half gallon is $14.20 for 1/2 gallon (feeds 128 roses at a level of 1 TBSP/gallon water) and $25.40 for a gallon. Rosemania.com is selling a gallon for $39.99. He will try to get the Mills Magic Mix and Easy Feed delivered by April.
Other products that are also available include:
  • Alfalfa meal (50#, $25.60)
  • Blood Meal (50# $65.00)
  • Bone Meal (50#, $35.00)
  • Fish Meal (50#, $65.00)
  • Green Sand (50# $35.00)
  • Worm Castings (40#, $19.00)
  • Fish emulsion (1 gal, $13.40)
  • Humic Acid (1 gal, $13.40)
  • Liquid Seaweed (1 gal, $22.40)
  • Super Thrive (1 pint, $30.00)

A time release product being offered by Beaty Fertilizer Company is BloomKote. BloomKote is a 16-18-14 time release fertilizer plus minors formulated to specifically feed roses for four (4) months. A 20# tub is $39.00 (1 cup/rose, feeds 35 roses). A 40# tub is $70.00. Another product is Rose Starter Fertilizer (11-40-6 with minors). A 40# bag is $30.60.

Gary and Monica will need your order by the end of March but may have some remaining products that they can bring to our June meeting to sell.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

March Update

WSAZ Home and Garden Show
First on everyone’s mind is the WSAZ Home and Garden Show on March 13-15.  A great lineup of speakers will be on hand throughout the weekend who will be sharing gardening information and useful tips.  This is a great opportunity to gain hours of education or service for renewal of your MG certification. If you would like to volunteer and have not already signed up, please contact Connie Berk (berkc@marshall.edu, (304) 696-7341 (W) or (304) 429-7318 (H)).  She is especially looking for volunteers to help with the speakers, handing out and collecting evaluations, calendars and other tasks.  She is also looking for volunteers to assist visitors at our booth, especially on Saturday the 14th.  Of course, there will be a hospitality room for our group so feel free to bring a snack to share if you would like.  Victor Simpson has made arrangements for the purchase of a beautiful quilt that will be auctioned off at our booth.  This is always a great fundraiser for us.

WV Master Gardener Conference
The 2015 WV Master Gardener Conference is coming up on March 27-29 at Pipestem Resort.  If you cannot attend the conference but have items to donate to the fundraising auction, please bring them to the Home and Garden Show and we will see that they are entered into the items for auction.

Dues
Our treasurer, Greg Norris, asks me to remind you that 2015 CCMGA dues ($16) can be mailed to PO Box 7661, Huntington, WV 25578-7661. 

Perennial Exchange and Plant Sale
This year the Perennial Exchange and Plant Sale will be held in conjunction with the Tri-State Sustainability Fair on May 16 at Heritage Station.  The Perennial Exchange and Plant Sale will run from 10 am until noon.  This is a great opportunity for Master Gardeners or MGITs to earn volunteer hours.  All of your time spent planting, tending and preparing plants for the exchange and sale counts toward volunteer hours for renewal or certification.  You will also have an opportunity to swap perennials with others from the group so you can delight another gardener with your excess perennials while adding variety to your own garden. All proceeds from the plant sale go to CCMGA so the value of your plant donations can be fully tax deductable since we are a 501c3 organization.  Following the Perennial Exchange and Plant Sale, volunteers from our club can staff our booth until 5 pm to give out information on our group, when we meet and how to become a Master Gardener.  Please contact Connie Berk (berkc@marshall.edu, (304) 696-7341 (W) or (304) 429-7318 (H)) to sign up for a time to work the Perennial Exchange and Plant Sale (10 am – noon) or the informational booth (noon – 5 pm) on May 16 at Heritage Station.

Lapsed Membership Reactivation
When I met with our advisor, Rich Sherman, earlier this week he communicated that he is very interested in assisting members who have gone inactive in regaining active membership.  He is willing to be as flexible as he can possibly be in getting members back with us.  More information on his “amnesty plan” will be available at our Tuesday, April 14 meeting.

Refreshment Committee
Joan Firth, Anne Ray, Mary Beckelhimer and others in the group have expressed an interest in forming a refreshment committee to bring snacks for sharing at monthly meetings.  If you are interested in being involved in the refreshment committee, please contact Joan (jmfirth@live.com) who is chairing the committee.

CCMGA Website
In meetings with the CCMGA officers we are really attempting to cut down on the number of email messages that we send out.  No one wants to fill your inbox with a ton of mail.  To that end we are trying to be post notices and events to our group’s website (http://cabellcountymastergardeners.com or http://cabellcountymg.blogspot.com/) and to keep the calendar on the right side of the page current.  If you click on an event on the calendar you can learn more details and even a map to the event location is provided for many entries. Just recently we have updated the webpage with information on speakers for the WSAZ Home and Garden Show.  If you look on the “About CCMGA” tab of the website, you will find links to our updated bylaws, maps to meeting locations, the slate of upcoming speakers for our monthly education sessions as well as notes from previous sessions, meeting minutes, treasurer’s reports and other pertinent information.  In addition, all prior posts are archived on the website to you can look up previous events easily. If you scroll to the bottom of the page and click the link that says “Older Posts” you will see information from previous posts.  At this time, our website has had nearly 1200 visitors.  We hope to make that the primary method of communication for our group.  Even this email will be posted to the website!

I hope to see everyone at the WSAZ Home and Garden Show in a couple of weeks.  Please feel free to contact me at beckelhimer@gmail.com at any time.

Steve Beckelhimer, President
Cabell County Master Gardener Association



Sunday, March 1, 2015

2015 WSAZ Home & Garden Show Speakers


Friday March 13
5 pm
Dr. Chuck Talbot
School Gardens & Food Safety
6 pm
Jeff Moore
Backyard Chickens

Saturday March 14
12 pm
Jeff Bishop
Home & Garden Pesticide Safety
1 pm
Gary Selby
Container Gardening & Raised Beds
2 pm
Brenda Porter
Food Preservation
3 pm
Lyndall Harned
Organic Gardening
4 pm
John Porter
Wild, Wonderful & Wacky Fruits & Vegetables
5 pm
Lori Bowling
Straw Bale Gardening
6 pm
Rich Sherman
Cover Crops


Friday, February 27, 2015

End of February Updates

The February meeting of the Cabell County Master Gardener Association was quite productive.  There were 25 of us in attendance braving the cold and the coming winter storm that would have us hunkered down in our homes for the next week.
Our long winded speaker (Steve) did a session that is near and dear to his heart and stomach on the use of botanicals in making many of the distilled spirits that many of us are familiar with.  After the 90 minute presentation, we approved the 2015 budget and the prior meeting's minutes.  We approved the purchase of a quilt for raffle at the WSAZ Home and Garden Show especially since Victor Simpson suggested that he could assist us in purchasing one from a local quilting group.
Volunteers were solicited for working at the Home and Garden Show as well as to assist Rich in the event that the Extension Office moves to a better location.  Tom Bell shared his plan for a continuation of the partnership between CCMGA and Huntington in Bloom to include having Master Gardeners assist with home gardeners using Urban Renewal properties in Huntington.  The group voted to update the CCMGA bylaws.  The Guyandotte Library has asked for assistance in establishing a small planting.  A refreshment committee will be forming to bring snacks to many of the monthly meetings.
Since the February 14 meeting, the slate of speakers for 2015 has been finalized and is available on the "About" link of our CCMGA website.  A copy of the meeting schedule with dates, times, locations and speaker topics is available to print and share with friends or sticking up on your refrigerator.
Please check the calendar on the right side of this page for upcoming events.  If you click on an event you will get more information including a link to a map of how to get to the event.
Our next event is the WSAZ Home and Garden Show on March 13-15.  Please contact Connie Berk (berkc@marshall.edu) if you would like to sign up to volunteer.  She especially needs volunteers on Saturday and to assist with speakers throughout the weekend.
The April meeting will feature two educational speakers.  Betty Given will discuss the Springhill Community Gardens and Eve Marcum-Atkinson will give us information on the Tri-State Sustainability Fair.

Saturday, February 14, 2015

A Spirited Way of Using Plants

The handout from our presentation at the February 14 education session is available for download by clicking the image below.




Thursday, February 5, 2015

Proposed Changes to the Bylaws of CCMGA

The CCMGA Executive Committee would like the membership to consider two modifications to the group's bylaws.  These changes are intended to allow more flexibility in scheduling meetings.
Discussion of the proposed changes at the February 14 meeting will be followed by a vote by members to accept or reject the changes.

Page 5

Article VII – Meetings

Section 1:  Regular Meetings.  The Association shall hold a minimum of 6 regular meetings each year.  Each meeting will have an educational speaker and one meeting shall also include a picnic. The membership shall elect officers and transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting.  Notice of each regular meeting shall be given to all active members at least 10 days before the meeting.

Page 8


Section 3:  Special Committees.

Nominating Committee: The immediate Past President of the Executive Committee shall be the chair of the Nominating Committee.  During the election year the Executive Committee shall select three individuals from the active membership to serve on the Nominating Committee.  The present officers shall not serve on the Nominating Committee.  The Nominating Committee shall present the Executive Committee with the name of one active member of the Association as a candidate for each office.  Upon approval by the Executive Committee, the slate of candidates shall be included in the minutes of a regular meeting prior to the December meeting and in the notice of the regular December meeting.


Tuesday, February 3, 2015

February 2015 CCMGA Newsletter

Cabell County Master Gardener Newsletter
Please keep this newsletter as it will contain information that will be useful throughout the entire year.
The meetings are scheduled for:
  • Saturday 14 Feb at 11 AM at the Enslow Park Presbyterian Church (Snow date will be Sat 21 Feb at 11 AM.)
  • Tuesday 14 April at 6:30 PM at the Enslow Park Presbyterian Church
  • Tuesday 12 May at 6: 30 PM at the Enslow Park Presbyterian Church
  • Tuesday 9 June at 6:30 PM at the Enslow Park Presbyterian Church
  • Saturday 29 Aug at 3 PM at shelter #1 at the Barboursville City Park – speaker Brian Cordle on “Geocaching” – this is our annual picnic – bring friends or family PLUS a potluck dish to feed 6 -8 people
  • Tuesday 13 Oct at 6:30 PM at the Enslow Park Presbyterian Church – speaker will be Mary Beckelhimer on “Botanical Witchcraft”
  • Tuesday 10 Nov at 6:30 PM at the Enslow Park Presbyterian Church – speaker Ohio Valley Camera Club on “Photographing our Gardens”
  • Saturday 5 Dec at the Boyd County, KY Extension Office in Catlettsburg, KY – Lori Bowling will teach us to make Christmas wreaths and we will be making our own wreaths – there will be a fee for this, the amount to be announced – this is our holiday luncheon – bring a potluck dish to feed 6-8 people

There will be door prizes at each meeting.
The WSAZ Home and Garden Show will be Fri 13 March 4-9 PM, Sat 14 March 10 AM – 9 PM and Sun 15 March 12 – 5 PM.
Set-up for the booth will be Thurs 12 March at 10 AM.
Contact Connie Berk to sign up to work at the MG booth. Work phone # 304) 696-7341, berkc@marshall.edu or home phone # 304) 429-7318. I need people to volunteer at the MG booth in a minimum of 2 hour increments. You may work for longer periods of time. The number of hours you work will count towards your annual volunteer time.  If you wish to listen to a speaker, then that time will count as continuing education, not as volunteer time. No double dipping!
The booth will be located in the same spot that we’ve been in for the last several years, across the aisle and slightly to the left of the WSAZ booth.
We enter the Big Sandy Superstore Arena through the loading dock door on 7th Street, between Third Ave. and Veteran’s Blvd. Your name will be on a list that the security guard will have. Wear your name badges and/or shirts with logos if you have them. Also, wear comfortable clothes and shoes. We will have rubber mats on the floor in the booth, but the flooring underneath that is concrete and it’s hard! Try not to bring purses or any other valuable items as the only safe place we’ll have to keep them is in the booth with us. Space can get tight! We will have a Hospitality Room behind the stage, where we may eat and rest. We can only bring in outside food into the Hospitality Room, nothing may be taken out onto the floor of the Arena.
You may take some time to look around at the other vendors and shop, but that time does not count towards your volunteer time either.
If you want to work when the Show first opens to the public on any given day, you must arrive at the Arena one hour before the Show opens to the public, as we must be in the booth and ready when the doors open, i.e. on Fri the Show opens to the public at 4 PM but we need to be at the booth at 3 PM.
There is some free parking in a small parking lot on 7th Street, across from the Arena. There is more parking available in the Pullman Square parking garages, entrances at 8th Street, 9th Street and 10th Street. The cost is $1 for the first 4 hours.

Rich Sherman is the Cabell County Extension agent. He may be reached at Rich.Sherman@mail.wvu.edu or at 304) 743-7151. To leave a message, call Pauline at 304) 743-7131.
On 14 January 2015 Rich said that he would grant amnesty to any and all who wish to return to the Cabell County Master Gardener Association in 2015. Those who return must send him a message that they are returning. If they have not been a part of the organization since he became our Agent, then they may need to reapply and possibly retake the 5 core courses of the training. Simply put, he needs to be certain that everyone is up to date on our procedures.
In Dec 2014, new officers were elected for 2015 and 2016:
President = Steve Beckelhimer beckelhimer@gmail.com or 304 690-1423
V-Pres. = Ted Salem lkstms@suddenlink.net or 304 743-0360
Recording Secretary = Connie Berk berkc@marshall.edu until mid-Sept when I retire! Then it will anolisanolis@yahoo.com. 304) 696-7341 (W) or 304 429-7318 (H)
Corresponding Secretary = Jane Wilson jackjanewilson@gmail.com or 304 416-1840
Treasurer = Greg Norris wvframer@intelos.net or 304 522-2870 until June 2015 then Debbie Martin will take over MartinPTA@aol.com or 304 733-5588

Dues should have been paid by 1 Jan 2015. Make out checks for $16 per person, payable to CCMGA, Inc. and mail them to Cabell County Master Gardener Association, Inc., PO Box 7661, Huntington, WV  25578-7661. Or, bring them to the next meeting and save on postage!
There is a Small Farm Conference on Feb 26-28, 2015, to be held at the Charleston Civic Center. Bring in samples of heirloom seeds for the seed swap on Fri afternoon, 27 Feb. Contact Rich for further info.
The next Master Gardener Conference is scheduled for March 27-29 2015 at Pipestem Resort, WV. For more info, contact Rich or check our webpage.


020315 Connie Berk

Monday, January 5, 2015

2015 WV Master Gardener Conference


The 2015 West Virginia Master Gardener Conference will be held at Pipestem Resort from March 27-29 at Pipestem Resort Park.

For more information visit the conference page at: http://mastergardeners.ext.wvu.edu/annual-conference/2015-conference