Dallas County Master Gardeners

A BIG DAY AT THE RB1 URBAN FARM
By Dallas County Horticulture Agent Anne LeSenne

Today’s workday for Master Gardeners and members of the public turned into a wonderful hands-on learning session. We practiced how to harvest and cure potatoes, and we talked about the best time to pick tomatoes, choosing them when they just start to blush pink so we can stay ahead of the bugs and birds.

And because our team never does anything halfway, we also harvested an incredible amount of fresh produce for our local food banks:

85 lbs peppers

40 lbs cucumbers

162 lbs potatoes

88 lbs tomatoes

11 lbs beets

6.7 lbs beans

36 lbs onions

22 lbs figs

All of this food will be going directly to local food banks to help feed the underserved.

Next week, Tuesday at 9 AM, we will have another chance to learn in the garden at the RB! Urban Farm. We will be teaching summer pruning of muscadine grapes and showing how to remove fireblight safely without spreading it.

Please remember that ALL are welcome.

DCMGs HOST FIELD TRIP
By Cynthia Jones

Dallas County Master Gardeners met at Raincatcher’s Garden of Midway Hills to welcome 30 young learners from Golden Rule Charter School this morning for a joyful and sensory-rich exploration of the garden. The children tasted herbs, smelled flowers, felt a variety of plant textures, and listened closely to the sounds of nature as they discovered the garden with curiosity and delight.

This visit was made possible through the collaboration of Loema Jaramillo, Assistant Director of the GRS Bilingual and ESL Department, and Dallas County Horticulture Agent Anne LeSenne, who helped integrate Raincatcher’s Garden into the school’s Enrichment Summer Program. This year’s theme, Gardening: Plants and Nature!, introduces Emergent Bilingual students in PK4 through 1st grade to soil, composting, fruits and vegetables, garden types, and the essential role of pollinators.

As educator Rachel Carson wrote, “If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it.” We are grateful for the teachers, volunteers, and Master Gardeners who help nurture that sense of wonder in every young visitor.

It was a beautiful morning of learning and discovery, and we look forward to welcoming additional students from Golden Rule Charter School in the days ahead.

Learn how to use herbs as ornamentals from DCMG Barbara Gollman!

Learn how to wildscape your lawn to save water and attract pollinators with DCMG Stephanie Smith!

Don’t miss your chance to learn more about pollinator plants from MG and MN Nancy Wilson!

Saturday, June 20th, 10:00am-11:00am
Wild Birds Unlimited
5708 Abrams Road, Dallas

RSVP by calling 214-821-7400.
Tour limited to 35 attendees.

Master Gardeners earn one hour of continuing education.

Here are some helpful facts about avoiding chiggers as temperatures warm up, courtesy of the Mississippi State University Extension Service:

Despite the myths, chiggers aren’t insects, and they definitely don’t burrow into your skin. These tiny critters are actually the larval stage of a mite called Trombicula alfreddugesi. You won’t see them without magnification—they’re about 1/150th of an inch and bright red. These microscopic creatures are most active in overgrown, grassy, or wooded areas.

Chiggers don’t bite in the usual sense. Instead, they attach to your skin and inject a digestive enzyme that breaks down skin cells. The itching is your body’s reaction to the enzymes.

The good news? You can avoid them with a few simple steps:

Keep your lawn tidy. Mow regularly and clear out brushy areas where chiggers like to hide.

Dress smart. If you’re heading into tall grass or wooded areas, wear long sleeves and long pants; be sure to tuck those pants into your socks. Yes, it’s a fashion crime—but it works.

Use bug spray. DEET-based repellants can be used on the skin, while permethrin-based sprays must only be used on clothing. Always follow the label directions when using these products.

Shower after being outdoors. A good scrub with soap and water within a few hours of being outside can wash away any hangers-on.

Wash your clothes. Toss your clothes straight into the washer and dryer, using the hottest water and heat cycle possible to kill any sneaky hitchhikers.

If you’ve already got the itch, the best thing you can do is not scratch. Scratching can lead to infection and make things worse.

If you are particularly sensitive to chiggers or have a severe case of bites, consult a physician.

WHERE NATURE FINDS ITS HOME: THE MASTER GARDENER'S GARDEN AT TEXAS DISCOVERY GARDENS
By Cynthia Jones and DCMGA Website Team

Just beyond the main entrance of Texas Discovery Gardens, before visitors even notice the sweep of perennials or the curve of the pathways, a small family of six opossums shuffles quietly through the undergrowth. They nestle beneath native shrubs, slip between stands of shade‑loving plants, and move with the unhurried confidence of creatures who know they are safe. Their presence offers a gentle first clue to what this garden truly is: not only a place of beauty, but a living refuge.

Started in 2011, the Master Gardener’s (MG) Garden demonstrates the beauty and sustainability of a landscape built on native and well‑adapted plants. Located near the Texas Discovery Gardens’ (TDG) main entrance and butterfly house, the garden supports the mission of TDG to provide horticultural education.

Before the pandemic interfered, the garden welcomed an average of 80,000 visitors per year, including adults, families, and school children on field trips. Because the project is educational in nature, the garden maintains a signage program with plant names and brief sustainable gardening tips.

Planned with low maintenance in mind, the MG Garden is based on the Texas Superstar® and Earth‑Kind® programs developed by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. These science‑based guidelines promote the best horticultural practices for our area, including soil preparation, water use, and plant selection.

Consistent with TDG practices, the garden is maintained without chemical pesticides or fertilizers. It is also a certified Monarch Waystation, and many of the plants host caterpillars and provide nectar for butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. As the tree canopy continues to grow, the garden demonstrates increased use of shade‑tolerant plants.

And woven quietly into all of this is the wildlife the garden sustains. The resident opossum family has become a kind of unofficial mascot—an endearing reminder that a healthy garden is more than a collection of plants. It is a community. It is habitat. It is a place where pollinators, birds, and even the most unassuming nighttime wanderers can find shelter, food, and safety.

The Master Gardener’s Garden stands as a living example of what happens when thoughtful horticulture and ecological stewardship meet. It invites visitors to appreciate not only the blooms and textures, but the life that depends on them. In this shared space, beauty and biodiversity thrive side by side, reminding us that every garden- large or small- has the power to nurture more than we plant.

Photo of the sweet opposums and inspiration for this story courtesy of DCMG Project Leader Sara Burke

Photo of monarch on the Gregg’s mistflower courtesy of DCMG Mark Jones

Photo of the Master Gardener’s Garden found in the archives of the DCMGA website.

Planning your fall garden? Get expert tips from DCMG Glen McGee! Make sure you register!

DCMG HELP DESK QUESTION OF THE WEEK
By DCMG Margaret Ghose

Q. Whose eggs are these?

A. This photo was taken by Dallas County Master Gardener Mark Jones while gardening as a volunteer at the Salvation Army Gardens. The mother bird was not in sight.

Identifying eggs from photos can be tricky, especially as there are several birds breeding in North Texas that lay bluish, speckled eggs, and colors in photos can sometimes be distorted. The task is made harder because egg size can be key to identification, and photos may not accurately depict the egg’s true size. In the absence of a parent bird, the location and composition of a nest can often give important clues to the identity of the builders. In this case, the nest is located about four feet off the ground in a Vitex tree located in a suburban-like setting.

Of the birds that lay blue-speckled eggs in Texas, the Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, and Northern Mockingbird are the ones you are most likely to encounter in a suburban setting. At first glance, these eggs seem to fit the description of Blue Jay eggs, but Blue Jays build their nests in the crotch or thick outer branch of a deciduous or coniferous tree, usually 10 to 20 feet off the ground. If we rule out Blue Jay, that leaves Northern Mockingbird and Northern Cardinal. Consulting Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website, All About Birds https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/ , we find this information:

Description of Northern Cardinal nest: “nests tend to be wedged into a fork of small branches in a sapling, shrub or vine tangle, 1 to 15 feet high and hidden in dense foliage. They use many kinds of trees and shrubs, including dogwood, honeysuckle, hawthorn, grape, redcedar, spruce, pines, hemlock, rose bushes, blackberry brambles, elms, sugar maples, and box elders. The nest cup has 4 layers: coarse twigs (and sometimes bits of trash) covered in a leafy mat, then lined with grapevine bark and finally grasses, stems, rootlets, and pine needles…the finished product is 2 to 3 inches tall, 4 inches across, with an inner diameter of about 3 inches. Egg description: Grayish white, buffy white, or greenish white speckled with pale gray to brown.”

Description of Northern Mockingbird nest:” Northern Mockingbirds nest in shrubs and trees, typically 3 to 10 feet off the ground but sometimes as high as 60 feet…Mockingbird nests consist of dead twigs shaped into an open cup, lined with grasses rootlets, leaves and trash, sometimes including bits of plastic, aluminum foil, and shredded cigarette filters. Egg description: pale blue or greenish white splotched with red or brown”

Since we don’t have access to the nest to measure its size or analyze the materials it is made from, we must rely primarily on the egg coloration as our key identifying clue. Based on the nest’s location and the color of the eggs, the most likely species to have built the nest is the Northern Mockingbird.