Growing Green

By Robin Trott, Extension Educator

Gardening is one of the most popular recreational activities in the United States, with over 80% of households participating in some sort of gardening—whether it be a window herb garden, pots on the patio, a raised bed vegetable garden, an ornamental cutting garden, a formal English garden or a full-scale urban farm. Although some individuals seem to be born with a “green thumb,” many more learn what works best in their garden through trial and error. In today’s world, many learn how to garden from the Internet. Although there is a wealth of useful information about gardening on the Internet, it can be difficult for novice gardeners to separate good advice from questionable recommendations. Even advice that is generally good is not universally appropriate for all gardening situations. Luckily, Extension Master Gardener programs are available to serve the needs of home and community gardeners.

Master Gardener volunteers provide a valuable public service by sharing sustainable gardening information with their communities through a variety of education and outreach programs. Master Gardeners strive to ensure that the information they provide is: Reliable: their gardening advice and education is research-based. Relevant: their gardening advice can be customized to accommodate individual gardening situations. Reachable: folks can call them on the phone, email them a question, or visit with them at Extension offices, markets, or gardens in their communities. Even though Master Gardener volunteers learn quite a bit about how to care for their own yards and gardens from their training, the Master Gardener Program, at its core, is a public service program. The best reason to become a Master Gardener is so you can help others learn about sustainable gardening methods.

You’ve seen Master Gardener Volunteers in the Community, and perhaps you have attended a class, heard them on the radio, or appreciated the gardens around the library parking lot. As a gardener, you enjoy learning and talking about plants, and you might even be thinking that you would like to become a Master Gardener Volunteer yourself! If that is the case, come join the University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardeners, Douglas County, at the Douglas County Library (720 Fillmore St., Alexandria)  at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10, or 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12, to learn about what Master Gardener Volunteers do in our community and to find out how to become a Master Gardener.  The most important thing to know as a potential Master Gardener Volunteer is that you don’t have to “know” everything. You just need to know where and how to find good information. Also, it is helpful to know at the beginning that the whole Master Gardener experience is one of continuous learning. No matter how hard everyone tries, you can’t get it all at the beginning but can absorb it as the years go by.

If learning research-based best practices, growing your horticulture skills, and sharing your knowledge with others sound appealing to you join us at the library for coffee and conversation! Hope to see you there!

Until next time, happy gardening!