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Monday, December 28, 2020
March 2021 President's Note
By Allison Liddell
As I write this, it is SIX degrees outside. Ugh! While the snow is very pretty, this deep freeze is quite a challenge for gardeners and I hope you have all had some success protecting your gardens. I always remember, "when nature strikes, any dead plant in my garden is just an open spot for a new plant." This cheers me up!
We had the GDOGC Board Meeting on a snowy Sunday afternoon. While lamenting the potential damage, it occurred to us that a fun theme for our planned Virtual Member Garden Tour in June would be “Survivor." So make note (and take photos) of what makes it and what does not from now and as the spring wears on, and consider whether your garden would make a fun entry into the tour. The videos are easy to make and the deadline for entry will be in late May. Perhaps in hot June, it will be fun to reminisce about this cold snap!
We have a great topic for our February meeting which should provide some an escape from these winter blues. Ben Sandifer is a photographer and nature advocate. He will talk about our local treasure, the Great Trinity Forest.
Coming up in March, we will have a Master Gardener, Barbara Gollman, to teach us about herbs (but not just the common ones). She will focus on unusual herbs that we can incorporate into our gardens.
“See you” at the Zoom meetings and I hope to see you in person sometime in summer at the Audelia Road Library. Remember, guests are welcome on the Zoom meetings, so feel free to invite friends by forwarding the email. Just don’t post on big social media sites so we don’t get overwhelmed!
Stay warm and I hope your gardens recover quickly from this crazy February weather.
FEBRUARY 2021 President's Note
by Allison Liddell
The air may be cold outside, but that isn’t stopping gardeners from preparing for the spring. In North Texas, we are lucky enough to be able to manage “cold season crops” even in January and February. Right now, I’m sprouting tomato seeds indoors in addition to planting onion slips, and I have various greens and lettuces growing out in the raised beds.
Early last spring, my favorite lettuce was Buttercrunch. This lettuce produced for a couple of months until summer hit hard. There will be more seeds to be started over the next few weeks, peas to be planted, and perennial seed heads to be pruned back as those pretty new crowns of growth appear. I always enjoy seeing what comes up and where it comes up. In my mixed annual-perennial beds, the plants seem to know way better than me where they want to grow. February is also a good time to do soil testing and amendments before growth gets too full to allow much soil manipulation. This year, I’m trying home soil testing since I never seem to accomplish sending my soil to the Extension Service people. We'll see how that works... Many herbs do well in the cooler weather such as parsley and cilantro, so getting them in early allows for a larger crop before the intense heat.
We have plenty of leftover seeds from the seed exchange this past fall if anyone is interested - just contact me and I’ll be happy to put some out on my front porch. The January speaker meeting is about the basics of organic gardening-a great refresher for all of us. See the link below under Events.
The new year has begun, a new administration is starting, the new COVID-19 vaccines are arriving, and spring is coming! Clean off those garden tools and get to work producing the 2021 that you want to see.
January 2021
Looking Forward and Looking Back by Allison Liddell, President, GDOGC
Greetings GODGC members! For those who don’t know me, I have been in the GDOGC for at least 15 years, having joined when my now-adult children were little as an outlet for a personal life-long interest of mine, gardening. I’ve enjoyed every minute of my time in the club, and have served on the Board many times, have been president two previous years, and edited the newsletter since I think 2009. My day job is as an infectious disease specialist. My kids are now in college, and I’m thrilled to be asked to be GDOGC President again this year. One of the great things about the club is we have many longstanding members, but also get new members every year who bring fresh ideas and skills! Our Board this year reflects that, and we are planning plenty of adventures, a fresh take on the newsletter with our new editor Elizabeth, and maybe more frequent virtual garden tours given the rave reviews!
Every day at the hospital where I work, there is something called the Safety Briefing. Leaders from all over the facility gather for a 15 min organized, regimented briefing where each department reports events of the previous day and problems expected during the current day. Numbers of COVID cases are noted, ICU beds available, ventilators available, supply issues, staffing issues, etc. For departments with no current problems, the statement is often “nothing looking forward, nothing looking back”. As 2020 ends, there is certainly plenty looking back, much of it difficult and painful for many people. In GDOGC however, we were fortunate to keep having meetings and events, albeit virtually, so we didn’t lose touch with each other. This was important. We all need something like a garden club so we can think about something other than our normal jobs, make friends from other neighborhoods and other careers who have a shared interest, and just connect with something bigger than ourselves. In this case, nature and community. In 2021, we have plenty “looking forward”, and I pledge to continue, along with the rest of the board, to provide interesting virtual GDOGC content and experiences, until the day we can again meet in person. I miss you all so much. Spring Holiday Party anyone?
