Johnson County Master Gardeners - Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

02/05/2026

We have had a lot of questions about this year's plant sale, so here is the information. Please note the new location!
We will not have an online sale this year. I know many of you are disappointed, and we are too, but a supplier issue made it impossible to procure the plants early enough to offer them online.
We are excited to partner with Chisholm Trail Museum to provide a new and exciting plant sale experience!

02/05/2026

Garden deep freeze clean up at Lillian Elementary and then planting onions and strawberries. They also made a delicious vegetable dish to share.

02/03/2026

Make reservations for this event!

02/02/2026

Speciality License Plate
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is pleased to offer the Texas Master Gardener license plate. Click link to order.

The license plate is available for $30.00 annually in addition to your vehicle registration fee. Personalization is an additional $40.00. Of the $30.00 plate fee, $22.00 will be returned to the Texas Master Gardener Program for program development.

You do not have to wait for your renewal to order; you may do so at any time! The registration renewal date may change, depending on how the plate order and the registration expiration months line up. If the registration date is moved forward, you could be charged some prorated fees. You will never lose registration and specialty plate months you have paid for when a new expiration month and year is assigned. TxDMV typically tries to synchronize the plate and registration expiration dates forward, to be able to combine these fees into one renewal bill next year.

It will take two to three weeks to get your license plate after you order. If you order online, the plate will be mailed to your local county tax office, where you can pick it up. If you order at your local county tax office, the plates will be mailed to your local address. You may also call the TxDMV “specialty plate” customer help desk at (512) 374-5010 or 1 (888) 368-4689, or send an email to: vtr_special_plates@TxDMV.gov

01/22/2026

Frost Cracks on trees may be a problem for us in the coming days. This happens when there is a fluctuation in temperatures around the freezing point. It doesn’t show up immediately but in the coming growing season you will see evidence of it. The vertical splits in the bark especially affects trees with thin bark like maples and birches. It’s the young trees we really have to worry about. They don’t have established roots yet and they contain a high moisture content. I plan to wrap my newly planted trees today. There are commercial tree wraps you can purchase but you can also use burlap strips. It just needs to be breathable for the tree. The insulation helps. You can also cover the tree completely with breathable fabrics. If you use this method, make sure to secure it to the ground for best affect. Deep watering before the cold weather is a good idea. Moist soil can retain heat better. And thick mulching is a must for tree care during cold weather. Hope this helps. Stay warm!

01/20/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1GJyVe6a6y/?mibextid=wwXIfr

01/20/2026

Today’s educational program was Winter Sowing of seeds and cuttings. Members selected seeds or cuttings they wanted to grow and we planted them in 4-inches of moist potting soil in
milk jugs which will be placed outdoors. This is a great method for growing perennial seeds and tree seeds.

01/18/2026

It is once again time for Winter Sowing! Come to Monday’s 4:00 meeting at the AgriLife Community Room (109 W Chambers, Cleburne, TX) to get started. As a group we will be starting plants for the upcoming plant sale as well as doing a few plants for ourselves. We will have a light meal, a Master Gardeners meeting, then the class. See you soon!

01/09/2026

Look what some of our Junior Master Gardeners are eating for lunch. Some of the cauliflower they have grown in their garden!

01/07/2026

Use the gifts your trees give you to improve your soil. Fallen leaves add organic matter, nutrients, and carbon to soil, improving its structure. They also help with drainage, and water retention while reducing compaction. Add to that preventing erosion, and feeding beneficial microbes. You see they essentially act as nature's free fertilizer and mulch to create rich, loamy soil over time. We are crazy if we ignore the treasures in front of us. I chop mine up and compost them to make rich compost for my beds. Chop them with your mower a few times, put them through a wood chipper, or use a special leaf shredder. Use whatever method apeals to you. Then use those valuable leaves as mulch in your flower beds or pile them up to make compost.

01/06/2026

Be aware.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) today urged Texans to remain vigilant as unsolicited packages containing unidentified seeds continue to arrive at their doorsteps. Since February 2025, TDA has collected seed deliveries at 109 locations across the Lone Star State, totaling 1,101 packs of unsolicited seeds. While small in appearance, these packages represent a serious and ongoing threat to the nation’s agricultural biosecurity.

“At a glance, this might seem like a small problem, but this is serious business,” said Commissioner Miller. “The possible introduction of an invasive species to the state via these seeds poses real risks to Texas families and the agriculture industry. We need everyone to report these packages when they arrive so the contents may be gathered and disposed of properly.”

Read the full press release here: https://texasagriculture.gov/News-Events/Article/10730/Commissioner-Miller-Warns-Texas-as-China-Mystery-Seed-Package-Deliveries-Contin

12/26/2025

What happens to live Christmas trees after Christmas? Many are recycled into mulch. If you live in Cleburne, TX you can take your post Christmas tree to the Cleburne Transfer Station at their shredding site. They will dispose of it for you, turning it into useful mulch for the community. You can use your old tree as fire wood for cozy winter campfires. Just cut your tree up first. It is very flammable and lighting up the whole tree at once isn’t a good idea. You can slice tree cookies from the stem to use in art projects. Some like to make nesting habitats for wildlife on their property with the discarded trees. You may think about sinking the tree in a body of water to create habitats for fish. If you have an area on your land that has problems with erosion, Christmas trees can be used to stabilize the area. There are so many ways to put your old tree to use instead of sending it to a landfill. When we purchase trees from Texas tree farms we are supporting local businesses and bringing the smell of the outdoors into our homes for the Christmas season. It is a win-win. So, let’s make its disposal a win-win too.