Augusta Area Master Gardeners

A great time Monday with the Augusta Area Master Gardeners at the annual Brown Bag Meeting. I was asked to speak about the "Orange Bulldog" pumpkins as their lunch program.








Best laid plans?

• I put this great PowerPoint program together last week with so many colorful pics.
  

• Loaded up some pumps for "show & tell".


• Practiced so I'd be perfect!
  

Well, worked out for an hour Monday morning(meeting at noon!), took a long, hot bath & attempted to download program to "jump drive" and didn't work..

Plan B ? Go to Daniel Village UPS/Copy store for 30 print outs of program! They gave me a "special" on color "flyers" ...flower budget busted.

The MG's had many questions about the process of growing a field of pumps:

1. What type of spray do you use for mildew?

None this year, that is what this variety was bred for.

2. How did you get involved in the field trial at UGA?

A connection of a local garden buddy(JIM). Jim put me in touch with the professor conducting the trials in 2006, and the seeds came my way!

3. What makes these pumpkins unique?

No two pumpkins are alike. They have deep ridges which makes them interesting to look at. Disease resistance. Beautiful for Thanksgiving. You can grow them in GA!

Tomorrow, 120 3rd Graders!
Blessings from the Garden.
ML

Pumpkins on 10th Street!

Thanks One 10th...


Wow. Brought a large load home in a 20ft trailer behind my Yukon XL, what a sight...Driving around Walton Way is tricky...

Thank you to those of you on 10th Street today who braved the rain! Fulcher, Hagler Law firm(ah hem!), Smith Barney, The Morris Museum and several others stopped by to select from the most unique bunch of pumps! One special shopper bought pumps for the ladies in the office!


I have a few stops left with the trailer, and one more load to harvest this weekend...

Maybe some of this weekend's FlowerCampers will join in the harvest?!




It can be like shopping for Christmas trees!!

Follow the Pumps at www.mlchgarden.com

Blessings from the Garden.
ML

Glamorous?.

Pumpkin harvest is exciting but definitely not glamorous! Today, I picked about 50 or so pumps to get the home garden looking good. Brought them home, washed with a bit of diluted bleach and placed strategically around the back yard. Reminded me of the Dallas Arboretum last week where the garden beds were lined with pumps and a few even tucked in to hanging baskets. Test out that link for cool ideas with pumpkins... If you're in Dallas, go to the Arboretum & ask for my new friend, Terry Ann, she was an unforgettable hostess!

Spunky Orange Bulldog Pumpkins

(click above link for video)

LOCAL PUMPKINS

8 bucks most

4 bucks tiny of which there are few

10 bucks tubes

Grown by a Prissy FarmGirl & her handsome helper.

Drive Thru sales

Monday - Friday 12 noon to 1pm

3206 Candace Drive

Email mlchgarden@comcast.net for alternative times.

Save your pumps for Thanksgiving! Perfect for special occasions & weddings...

Blessings from the Pumpkin Patch.

ML

Sunday Farm Update on Monday!

Saturday night found us celebrating a friend's 50th at Doe Doe's which is located in the middle

of nowhere. We were a bit goofy after waiting an eternity for our food...

Woke up early enough on Sunday to weed, harvest and water. HOT!





There are pumpkins all over the field! Flower Campers will have first pick of this year's"Orange Bulldog" pumps! The zinnias, sunflowers, celosia and broom corn are crazy right now...Perfect timing for FlowerCamp!


Here are more pics for today's report.








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Blessings from the Garden.


ML

Farm Update

Shaunita is guarding the Pumpkin Patch for us in Burke County!

So far, so good, but as I tell my kids, don't get your hopes up until the check is in your hand!

I've battled crows, deer and turkeys the past 2 years, and they could be waiting to destroy my crop on October 1- harvest day! I am not usually a pessimist, but that's farm life....

I'll share the most recent pics, though, of a gorgeous crop so far!

Beautiful blossoms...

This Orange Bulldog pumpkin is about 5lbs. now, there are tube shapes, cinderellas, and a variety of pumps in the field right now.

Fingers crossed.

Blessings from the Garden.

ML

Farm Update

8.2.10

Amazing what rain does to the garden! First, I was worried the “gulley washers” had washed the pumpkins away, but that is not the case. The combination of rain and heat has been key to on target performance, so far.

There are blossoms galore on the “Orange Bulldog” pumpkin plants, and the zinnias, sunflowers, celosia and broom corn are in full force! All this growth requires cutting, fertilizing and careful inspection. The heat & humidity combo could bring mildew, fungus and other nasties, so it’s critical to observe at least twice a week.

The bees are CRAZY in their hive, drawing comb and making honey!

My Canon EOS 50D and lens were returned from repair last week, so I was able to capture this week’s update…

Blessings from the Garden

ML

Pumpkins continued...

Well, I am delighted to report our Orange Bulldog pumpkin plants
were just a bit parched, not crispy as we anticipated.

Robert took the 2.5hr trek to the farm from the beach place
to check on and water our much anticipated crop. I am beginning
to feel like we are waiting for the birth of our 3rd...that is ridiculous!

Even more preposterous is how much I miss both gardens and Gizmo.
Still operating from an ancient laptop and a not so great connection.
Will post pics on Sunday.

Blessings from the Beach.
ML

Fall Minus SpunkyPunkins

Most of you know I grow and sell the most Bee-utiful pumpkins!

This year we scrapped the fight with birds and deer. Not one

Spunky Punkin to grace even my front porch!

Thanks for all the calls/requests. Next year I'll be camped out

for 2 weeks in the field...Locked & Loaded.

Pics of years past...

Blessings from the Garden.

ML

Farm Catch Up...

I feel the need to catch up on Hagler Farm News since many who read this are interested in our pumpkins!

I(that's me, by myself, no helper people!) created 125 twelve inch high hills for our delightful pumpkins this past weekend. It took about 3 hours of hoeing to get the hills done in the field, then (with the help of my children!) planted 5 or 6 pumpkin seeds in each hill...

Now is the time to plant pumps if you are going to give it a shot. I am trying some true French Cinderella pumpkins and white pumps, too.

No camera this time, but the soil was perfect , like cake flour! Robert spent two weekends getting the fields ready for pumps, flowers, fruit and veggies....

The plan is to host a "U-Pick" in early October. That depends on God and the deer!

We have a couple of groups(ladies) coming in September for "FlowerCamp", a half-day of learning what works, harvesting, and creating fun floral designs to take home!

Will get pics asap...

see you.
ML