Making her garden grow

Barbara Carlson has plenty growing in her garden a few miles from the center of Silverhill. There’s roses, all kinds of trees and shrubs, Johnny Jump Ups, wild raspberries, strawberries, squash, turnips, peas, tomatoes and lots of other good things. While she has a traditional fenced vegetable garden, her strawberries are in a large garden in her front yard. The plan is for other flowers to take center stage after the strawberries stop producing in the warmer weather.
 
"Johnny Jump Ups" in Carlson's garden.


There’s an ornamental pond in her backyard that grows a selection of water plants and is home to a school of mosquito fish and “Mr. Jaws,” an enormous white and orange koi.

Carlson even grows some parsley and dill for the local rabbits to nibble on.

“That’s why I grow them, chuckled Carlson. “The butterflies have got to have parsley and dill to feed on, too.”

Keeping local species coming to her yard is important to her. Bird feeders abound and there are a couple of hummingbird feeders to attract the graceful insect eaters. Her backyard has seen a variety of wildlife, from deer to bobcat, opossums and foxes.

She’s noticed that she hasn’t seen birds like nightingales, bobwhites, and wild turkeys recently, and that makes her sad.

Carlson has been growing things, “ever since I can remember.”

She grew up on a farm in Tennessee, and says her grandmother could, “root a pencil. We reused everything, and we never went hungry.” 

Carlson is a “Master Gardener,” a person who has taken special training in area plants and gardening. The basic courses a Master Gardener must take include, Soils/plant nutrition, Plant physiology, Entomology, Pathology, Weeds, Landscape care and maintenance, Plant selection, Turfgrass, Vegetables, Fruits, Annuals and perennials, Interior plants, and Landscape Design. Master Gardeners also agree to give 40 hours a year of their time to the community. Carlson volunteers by answering the Alabama Cooperative Extension “Info-Line “ for home gardeners on Mondays. The info-line is a free service and can be reached at 1-877-252-GROW (4769).

“If I don’t know the answer, I can get someone at the extension service who does,” said Carlson. “We get all kinds of questions.”

Getting a caller to describe what is going on with their plants is part of the challenge.

“Some people are good at giving descriptions,” said Carlson, a retired nurse. “Others will say, ‘my tomatoes don’t look good.’ That’s when you have to say, ‘Tell me more.’”

One piece of advice Carlson has for all gardeners is to, “Get your soil tested.” People can call the extension service hotline to learn where they can get a soil test kit. The samples are then sent off to Auburn University to be tested.

“That can save you a world of trouble,” said Carlson. “If your soil is lacking in something, you can amend it.”

And if she does not know something, she can call on her fellow Master Gardeners for help.

“We try to be helpful ,” said Carlson. “We have a huge plant sale in the spring, and they are mostly native plants.”

Native plants, Carlson explained, have adapted well to the area’s climate and will provide fruit, flowers and greenery with a minimum of trouble.

While she’s always been a practical gardener, Carson says she got a special boost when she and her husband, Frank, spent a year in Japan.

“I was 23, and they are truly the master gardeners. They use every inch of soil,” said Carlson.

That experience is standing the Carlsons in good stead as she increases the “food” side of her garden.

“My husband wants more vegetables. That’s fine, we can grow them,” said Carlson.