Tallapoosa County Master Gardeners Association

03/01/2026

Change of Venue! Change of Venue!
Same day, same time but GREAT new location with superior parking.
See you at our Spring tree Celebration and Plant Sale!

02/18/2026

Coming soon

01/18/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CMVUZc6jm/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Join the Alabama Cooperative Extension System for the Spring 2026 Community Garden Expo on the beautiful grounds of the Longleaf Botanical Gardens in Anniston, Alabama. The event takes place on Tuesday, February 17 beginning at 8am.

Event topics include running a successful community garden, maximizing harvest, composting, planting microgardens and more!

Register now to reserver your spot! https://www.aces.edu/go/5725

01/15/2026

12/17/2025

Such a wonderful time watching our newest master gardeners graduate! They have all worked very hard! Congratulations to them all!
Lovely time, good food and fabulous fellowship!

12/09/2025

Congratulations to the Tallapoosa County Master Gardeners Association for winning the float contest at the Dadeville "The Spirit of Hometown Christmas" parade Saturday, December 6.

11/02/2025

My mailbox thanks to Charlotte, Sharon, Tara & Teenie!

11/01/2025

Beautiful “student” mailboxes for fall!

11/01/2025

What a great day today! Our crowd can now decorate all mailboxes for Christmas! Thanks to all who attended. Such fun!

10/19/2025

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT RAKE
By Sherri Ribbey

Not sure how to choose the right rake? See our comparison between different types of rakes and what features you should look for when buying one.

Tools We Recommend:
Shrub rake
Thatch rake
Plastic leaf rake
Metal leaf rake
Garden rake

How to Choose the Right Rake
Deciding between different types of garden rakes.
Where would we be without the humble rake? Leaves and garden debris would go ungathered and soil would remain lumpy and difficult to sow in — all in all, garden chores would be a lot more difficult. It turns out, there are many types, and choosing the right rake for the task at hand will make things a lot easier on you. Let’s take a look at a few rakes you can use to make your lawn and borders look beautiful!

Shrub rake

Get your packed perennial border cleaned up in no time using a handy shrub rake. A plastic head makes a shrub rake like this lightweight and easy to haul around with your hand tools. Hand held shrub rake models can also be handy in the garden.

Thatch rake

Thatch, the accumulated debris that builds up at the base of your turf grass, is a problem. It can harbor pests and disease, doesn’t have much nutrition and won’t hold water or protect roots from the cold in winter. So removing this accumulated debris is the job of the thatch rake Some thatch rakes are one-sided — the sharp crescent-shaped blades remove debris, and the round side is for cultivating. Use it when you’re done to prep the area for seed. Adjustable thatch rakes let you choose the angle that works best for the amount of thatch you have.

Plastic leaf rake

Because of the repetitive nature of leaf raking, comfort is key when you’re choosing one of these tools.

You can cover a lot of ground relatively quickly in the fall when you use a wide-headed plastic leaf rake.

Garden Rake

A garden rake is used for a variety of tasks, including leveling soil, breaking up clumps, and clearing debris from garden beds. It can also be used to prepare the ground for planting or landscaping projects. The sturdy, flat tines of a garden rake are ideal for smoothing out loose soil, mulch, or gravel, and for aerating the soil.