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Photo: Mike Layman (L), secretary, and Sheri Bethard (R), president of Orange County Master Gardeners are pictured with plants that will be for sale 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Saturday at Jewel Cormier Park on FM 1442 in Orangefield. RECORD PHOTO: Penny LeLeux

Penny LeLeux

For The Record

The annual plant sale of the Orange County Master Gardeners is 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Saturday at Jewel Cormier Park on FM 1442 in Orangefield.

Many of the plants have been grown by the Master Gardeners, while some have been purchased from local growers.

Flowering and vegetable plants in both perennial and annual varieties will be available along with a selection of fruit and pecan trees.

Sheri Bethard, president of the OC Master Gardeners said they will have the variety of pecan tree the Lions Club planted in various areas in Orange County.

“The Jackson and Kansa pecan trees,” said Bethard.

With pecan trees you have to plant two different varieties to produce pecans.

“These two varieties will cross-pollinate each other,” she said.

“We’ll have Satsuma, mandarin, for the first time we will have Dorsett apples,” said Bethard. “They only require 200 chilling hour.” A chilling hour is an hour when the temperature is below 45 degrees.

They will also have the Florida King peach tree, lemon trees, orange trees and figs.

The citrus trees are in three and five gallon containers and 4-5 feet tall. They run $25-35 each, according to Bethard.

In vegetables, they have 12 types of tomatoes, 11 varieties of peppers.

They will also have five vendors including those selling organic fertilizer, things made from honey, a book on growing asparagus and possibly some essential oils and goat milk products.

“People do start lining up 7:15-7:30,” said Bethard.

Proceeds from the event funds local horticultural projects. They work with schools, educating students on gardening and where food comes from. They will be working with a kindergarten class at Oak Forest Elementary in Vidor this April. Students get to plant green beans to take home.

“Green beans are a fairly easy thing to grow,” said Bethard.

They also fund a scholarship to Lamar-Orange State College each year.

Bethard said they also provide speakers to local organizations about any type of horticultural or plant-based topic.

To become a master gardener, you have to go through a 50 classroom training hour that is divided into two semesters and has a cost of $150 that covers supplies and a training book. Once the course is complete, they are required to volunteer 50 hours at approved Master Gardener or Texas AgriLife projects. After completion of the class and volunteer hours they become a certified master gardener. Bethard said the volunteer hours are easy to get during the summer when they have kid’s events.

The next class starts April 2. The classes will meet on Thursdays from 6 p.m. - 8 or 8:30 p.m. They do have a few Saturday field trips. Applications will available at the plant sale or can also be picked up at the Texas AgriLife extension office located at the Orange County Convention and Expo Center. You can also register online on their website: https://txmg.org/orange.