Tiny sprouts peek through the soil surface. | Mary Sirgo By Mary Sirgo In Umeå, Sweden, a team of researchers examined how organic matter breaks down during cold seasons, particularly when snow cover is reduced. The researchers removed snow from plots of land to simulate the predictions of their region’s trending weather forecasts. While the results of their study were not surprising, the scale was. The removal of the snow cover made the soil much colder and drastically reduc

Photo by Mary Sirgo By Mary Sirgo, Permian Basin Master Gardeners As nightfall creeps in earlier and the air begins to cool, we may notice that just as nature slows down, so do our own energy levels. The pace of the year begins to shift as holiday gatherings approach, followed by winter festivities and soon enough, the pressure of New Year’s resolutions. Perhaps this year, we might take a cue from our gardens. Instead of pushing forward into another round of goals and growth,

The Food and Oxygen factory Illustration and Photo by Emmy Ulmschneider By Emmy Ulmschneider, Master Gardener   Before I retired, I taught science to fourth graders in Midland’s GT program.  As a scientist myself, I wanted my students to love science as I knew it:  asking and answering questions about big ideas.     And one of those big ideas was looking at how our world functions:  Where does the energy come from that keeps most living things on earth alive?  How is that ene

Picture by Bradley Ward By Debbie Roland, Master Gardener   Do you miss having fresh produce, herbs, and flowers in the winter?  There is a solution. One of my kids lives in a condo in central Texas.  Because he travels and isn’t home much to water plants, he decided to try an indoor tower garden.  I have to admit that I was skeptical.  He invested in a vertical, hydroponic growing system that lets you grow herbs, leafy greens, and even some fruits indoors and year-round with

Fall Prerequisites Photo by Emmy Ulmschneider By Emmy Ulmschneider, Master Gardener If you garden, especially if you have a native yard, you can see and feel the changes that tell you fall is just around the corner.    Although we are accustomed to the terms spring, summer, fall, and winter, technically there are two ways used to describe these same seasons.  Meteorologists use temperature to define seasons; at the other end of spectrum, astronomers use the Earth’s position

Photo by Debbie Roland By Debbie Roland, Master Gardener   We recently took a trip to visit one of the kids in the Hill Country.  After...

Seeds Photo by Debbie Roland By Sara Moran, AgriLife Extension Agent for Midland and Ector Counties Fall is the perfect season to...

Blackberry bushes with Frog Fruit as ground cover Photo:  Debbie Roland By Debbie Roland, Master Gardener   July is a quiet gardening...

Photo: www.recordonline.com By Debbie Roland and Emmy Ulmschneider, Master Gardeners    April is an important month for West Texas...

Vitex – example of invasive species Photo:  LSU Ag Center By Emmy Ulmschneider and Debbie Roland, Master Gardeners   We have written...

Photo:  Emmy Ulmschneider – Sunflower Tubers By Emmy Ulmschneider and Debbie Roland, Master Gardeners   Previously, we have written about...

Photo:  Pinterest Sara Moran, Ector & Midland Counties Horticulture Agent, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension   Planning is essential in...

By Debbie Roland and Emmy Ulmschneider, Master Gardeners   As gardeners we know we need to water, prune plants and pull weeds but we may...

Nutsedge Photo:  www.clemson.edu By Debbie Roland and Emmy Ulmschneider, Master Gardeners   As Master Gardeners one thing we hear...

Mealy Blue Sage Photo:  www.centraltexasgardener.org By Debbie Roland and Emmy Ulmschneider, Master Gardeners   Did you know that fall is...

By Debbie Roland and Emmy Ulmschneider, Master Gardeners   2020 started many people down a new path that led to gardening, whether it was...

Photo by Emmy Ulmschneider By Emmy Ulmschneider and Debbie Roland, Master Gardeners   A gardener’s work is never done!  No matter the...

By Debbie Roland, Master Gardener   As a gardener I haven’t experienced squirrels in my yard.  My dogs seem to keep them at bay.  But I...

By Emmy Ulmschneider, Master Gardener   In our previous article, we wrote about the need and strategies for growing a more resilient garden in our hotter summer weather.   One of the options we mentioned was to explore growing tropical and subtropical crops which are adapted to our hotter summer conditions.  So, let’s delve more deeply into these blazing hot summer plants and start by reviewing the common plants you might already know and then venture into the unknown.  Remem

By Debbie Roland and Emmy Ulmschneider, Master Gardeners   Back in 2020, the Permian Basin Master Gardeners put out a gardening calendar which featured pictures of Master Gardener gardens and a list of garden chores for the month.  I still have mine and look at it each month to refresh my gardening memory.  As I look back over the calendar for July chores, it made me wonder:  Would I change any of the monthly chores?  Is that calendar “out of date?”  And the answer is perhaps