Welcome

6th Annual

Young Sprouts in the Garden

Saturday, May 18, 2013
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Presented by Master Gardeners of Greene County

Springfield Botanical Center & Gardens
2400 S Scenic Ave, Springfield MO 65807

 

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Where else could you find a zip line, archery, geocaching, worm hunting and seed planting in the same place for FREE? Make a smoothie with a bike blender, grind corn, visit a Plant Zoo and make your own hummingbird feeder at one of Springfield’s most popular children’s events, Young Sprouts in the Garden!

Excellence Young Sprouts 5

For the sixth year, Master Gardeners of Greene County will again sponsor their signature children’s event, “Young Sprouts in the Garden,” from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, 2013, at Nathanael-Greene Close Memorial Park, 2400 S. Scenic Ave. The free event, in collaboration with National Kids to Parks Day, will take place rain or shine.

Several area organizations team up to host dozens of free hands-on activities including the National Weather Service, Springfield Area Herb Society, Beekeepers Association of the Ozarks, Missouri Department of Conservation, and Greater Ozarks Audubon Society.

 

Download the poster to share with your friends:

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“It’s an exciting time for adults to watch their children and friends’ children have one of the special times of their lives,” said Master Gardener Susie Joplin. “They bond with nature and learn how nature is very important to everyone’s lives. Young Sprouts impacts and makes a difference in a child’s life.”

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Last year ArborCare of the Ozarks hosted the zipline: “Each child came to the traverse line with a different attitude,” said Sandy Harrel. “Some were thrill seekers and they couldn’t wait to get on the helmet and harness and go. Some were a little nervous and weren’t quite sure whether to do it or not. But all who went had huge smiles on their faces at the end and a story to tell their friends.”

YS 2013 Sponsors

2013 Activity Hosts

All About Trees
Beekeepers Association of the Ozarks
Brightening Artworks
Community Olympic Development Program-Archery
Friends of the Garden
Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland
Gray-Campbell Farmstead
Greater Ozarks Audubon Society
Master Gardeners of Greene County
Missouri Alliance for Children and Families
Missouri Community Forestry Council
Missouri Department of Conservation
Missouri Institute of Natural Science-River Bluff Cave
Missouri Master Naturalists, Springfield Plateau Chapter
Missouri Prairie Foundation
National Weather Service
Ozark Mountain Geocachers
Ronzo the Clown
Smiling Sun Native Plant Nursery
Springfield Area Herb Society
Springfield Department of Environmental Services
Springfield-Greene County Park Board
The Discovery Center of Springfield
University of Missouri Extension-Nutrition
USDA-NRCS Missouri Area 4 Office
Watershed Committee of the Ozarks
Wild Birds Unlimited
YMCA Camp Wakonda

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Activity Stations Include

Archery
Balloon Flowers
Bird Beak Engineering
Bird Seed & Feeder Giveaway
Compost Creation
Corn Grinding, Rope Making
Face Painting
Fossil Hunt
Geocaching
Good Bug Bad Bug Bean Bag Game
Journey with Stormwater
Know Your Native Roots
Learning Leaves! Leaf Rubbing
Live Ladybug Observation House
Make and Take Hummingbird Feeder
Make and Take Nature Crafts
Make and Take Sundial
Metamorphosis Crawl
Monarch Lifecycle
Native Roots Run Deep
Nature Printing
Observation Bee Hive
Pervious Concrete
Photo Cutout Board
Pin the Pollinator on the Flower
Plant Zoo
Plants Finding Pollinator Friends
Rotten Log Habitat
Seed Planting
Seeds of Life
Tattoo Garden
Vegetable Plant Parts
Worm Hunt: Anatomy & Habitat
Zip Line!

Support this event?
All proceeds go directly towards Young Sprouts in the Garden!

Make a Donation Button

 

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Children have the opportunity to observe live ladybugs and bees, create botany rubbings, and create nature creatures while learning about plants, weather, and conservation. “Anyone who hasn’t made it out to this event… you’re missing one heck of a great time.” said Emma Raborn, Mountain Home, Arkansas, who attended last year. Admission is free. Donations to help cover costs are encouraged.

Dellene Nelson, life long gardener and co-chair of the event, says “there are so many incredible activities. The children are completely engaged the whole time learning about plants and nature, wildlife and our environment. It’s fun not only for the kids and parents but for everyone involved in hosting the event. The creativity that goes into the activities is phenomenal.”

This event is free to the public and will take place, rain or shine.

Master Gardeners of Greene County is a volunteer group which aids the University of Missouri Extension by offering the public educational opportunities and answering home garden questions.

For more information, call 417-414-0363 or email mg.greenecounty@gmail.com.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Beekeepers Association of the Ozarks
Bill Hardmon
City of Springfield-Environmental Services
The Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Company
Federated Garden Clubs
Geocache Hides
Janet Hayworth
Lowes Home Improvement Warehouse
Millsap Farm
Panera Bread
Schaffitzel’s Flowers & Greenhouses
Southwest Missouri Camera Club
Springfield Conservation Nature Center
Springfield-Greene County Library District
Springfield Urban Agriculture Coalition
Victory Mission

 

Your Spring Vegetable Garden: When to Plant What

Written by Maureen Farmer

gardening  Arenamontanus/flickr

The Vegetable Garden Season Begins

You don’t have to wait until the last average frost date in your area to start a vegetable garden outdoors (frost dates in Greene county are April 11-20). As soon as the ground can be worked, onions, peas and spinach can be added to your garden. If you are going to grow your own onion seedlings, start them indoors approximately eight weeks before transplanting time. Onions sets, which are small onion bulbs, can also be purchased for planting. Peas should be directly seeded in your garden and do best with support from a trellis or other structure.

Early Spring Gardening

In early spring, approximately two weeks prior to the last average frost date in your area, it’s safe to plant lettuce, beets, carrots, radishes, dill, cilantro, cabbage, broccoli, celery, kale and potatoes outdoors. Both lettuce and celery seeds need light to germinate. Be careful to only cover these varieties of seeds lightly with soil during the planting process. Directly sow carrot, radish, dill and cilantro seeds. Transplanting is not recommended for these types of vegetables and herbs.

After the Last Frost
(April 11-20 in Greene County)

After the last average frost date), it is safe to plant beans, corn, melons, cucumbers, squash (summer and winter), tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, eggplant and basil. Remember to check the predicted low temperatures in your local extended forecast before planting your frost susceptible plants outside. The local last average frost date is based on the average last predicted frost and is not an absolute date.

Directly sow beans and corn seeds. Pole beans need a trellis or other support since the plant is a climbing vine. Do not plant corn in one long row. Plant it in four short rows instead to ensure good pollination.

Do not directly sow peppers, tomatoes or eggplant. Start peppers indoor approximately eight weeks before transplanting them outdoors. Remove any buds that appear on your pepper seedlings before transplanting them to ensure that the root system has grown large enough to support a pepper crop. Start tomatoes indoors about six to seven weeks prior to moving them into your garden. Start eggplant in four-inch pots four to six weeks before the last average frost. Do not start eggplant in flats, since these plants are sensitive to transplant shock.

Squash can be started indoors to produce an earlier harvest. Winter squashes need three months of growing time to produce harvestable results. Start winter squash indoors no more than three weeks before it is time to transplant your seedlings outdoors. Older seedlings do not transplant well.

Start cucumbers and melons indoors in cooler regions for a better yield, but transplant them gently because their roots do not like to be disturbed. Melons are heat loving plants. If you garden in a northern region, you may need to use plastic mulch or row covers to provide enough warmth to produce melons.

Follow these guidelines and you should have a successful vegetable garden season. Keep track of your results so that you can learn from you experiences and become a better gardener every year.

Maureen Farmer is a master gardener and has loved plants all her life. She enjoys growing most of her own produce in raised beds. She is the owner and founder of The Farmer’s Garden, a free surplus backyard produce trading, selling and giving away service available across the United States.

References

Mother Earth News, The Almighty Onion, April-May 1998, p. 28.

Mother Earth News, All About Growing Peas, February-March 2009, p. 26.

The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible by Edward C. Smith, Storey Publishing 2000.

 

 

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