How I Became a Master Gardener

May 13th, 2012 by Foy Spicer

I finally decided to take the plunge and become a Master Gardener this spring.  I recently moved to Indiana.  New to the area I recognized becoming a Master Gardener would be a great way to make friends with fellow gardeners, become active in the local community and learn the specifics of gardening in my newly adopted home town.   

Master Gardener Class of 2012 - I'm the pregnant gal in black on the far left.

 

My classes started the second week of January, meeting once a week until the last week of April.  Kurt Campbell, Extension Educator for Ag and Natural Resources for Purdue, organized our classes and taught a chunk of them.  He did a wonderful job encouraging socializing.  We didn’t need too much help; the class was made up of 19 verbose students.  Apparently we were one of the bigger more talkative classes in recent history.  We had a good time sharing our personal gardening stories, favorite local nurseries and plotting out all the new things we were going to try in our gardens that we learned in class. 

Each class was a different topic.  We covered:

  • Plant Science
  • Weed Identification and Control
  • Pesticide Safety and Alternatives
  • Soil and Plant Nutrition
  • Woody Ornamentals
  • Insect Pest Diagnosis and Control
  • Plant Disease Diagnosis and Control
  • Home Lawn Care
  • Home Fruit Production
  • Herbaceous Ornamentals
  • Composting
  • Indoor Gardening
  • Home Vegetable Crop Production

I loved that we had guest speakers for many of the topics. They were local horticulture business owners or State Extension Specialists.  Not only did I learn a lot from them, but now I know who to contact to learn more about bee keeping or which variety of apple is best for my zone and soil type. 

Master Gardeners Tour Local Farm

Nathan Fingerle giving a tour to our Master Gardener class of his green houses where he uses colored plastic to boost growth and repell insects.

 

For the last class we did a field trip to the Fingerle’s River Ridge Farm, a local small farmer who grows vegetables year round in a series of green houses and in the summer on a two acre plot of land.  It was a fascinating look at how productive an intensively managed vegetable garden could be, especially with a little added protection from row covers.  I think we all left with a bag of spring mix lettuce, freshly dug carrots or leeks as well as a whole lot of ideas to implement in our own gardens. 

At the end of the class we took a written test to make sure we had learned enough to graduate to Master Gardener Interns.  (We’ll get to be full Master Gardeners once we complete 35 hours of approved volunteer service.)  There was quite a bit of concern that it would be hard to get the minimum of 70% and fail.  Many questions were asked to make sure everything on the study guide was understood.  In the end all the hard work paid off and everyone passed! 

I miss my weekly class and I can’t wait to see everyone again at the monthly Master Gardeners Club meetings.

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Ways to deal with a wet spring, wet garden…thoughts from the Pacific Northwest

May 12th, 2012 by Karen Jeannette

 

{Editor’s note: Just as this post was submitted, Master Gardener Carla Albright reported the soggy weather has just lifted, yielding beautiful weather for the rest of the week!}

This spring was one of the wettest on record along the Pacific Northwest Coast. As one of the weathermen from Portland said, “April showers bring May showers.” And so we continue to have wet weather.

Dampened gardening opportunities?

As you can imagine, this poses a real problem for Master Gardeners to try to explain to our concerned clients who have become frustrated with the inability to get their vegetable gardens planted. They want to know the best way to handle constant rain in their spring gardens. Even though we may get a few sun breaks, the ground stays soggy after 5 inches of rain in three days.

We can advise them to wait until the soil is dry enough to work, but that isn’t always easy when we all have waited for months to be able to get out and work in our gardens once again. Sometimes we just have to get out there and do something before we go stir crazy!  For those of us lucky enough to have a greenhouse, rain is not the issue. But there are other ways to start gardening earlier in our rainy climate for those who do not have the space or funds to build a greenhouse.

Considering raised bed, cloches, and gardening in pots

Most of us who have gardened in the Pacific Northwest for any length of time realize raised beds are one way to help with rain. If planted with porous soil, they will drain faster and stay drier longer. Raised beds also lend themselves to being covered easily with cloches. Cloches made of PVC pipe and clear or frosted plastic – but not black – not only warm the soil faster and protect from certain insect damage, but they keep the rain off as well.

Cloches protect from wind and excess rain (Photo: Carla Albright)

Cloches give a head start in rainy weather.

Cloches give a head start in rainy weather. They also protect tender plants late into the fall. (Photo: Carla Albright)

Of course using raised beds requires some foresight. It’s pretty hard to tell a client they need to create raised beds in May when they should have been constructed and filled last fall. But it’s not too late to start them now. Lots of plans can be found on the internet or in Master Gardener libraries in our extension service offices.

Veggies grown in well-drained potting mix can be grown in containers

Don't have enough time to make a raised bed this year? Try gardening in pots?

If space or time is limited, try suggesting to clients that they garden in pots instead of raised beds.

Again, when the proper soil mix is used, rain water will drain rapidly. There are also many types of vegetables now being bred specifically for patio gardens. Lists of these can be found on the web for any area of the country. I do try to choose pots that are deep but narrow at the top. Deep allows roots to stretch out and narrow rims keep the moisture from evaporating so quickly. Darker colored pots also keep the soil warmer longer into the autumn.

But we choose to live in this beautiful part of the world, partly because the rains make our gardens and forests so lush and full of life.

How do you deal with a wet garden?

  • So, as Master Gardeners, how do you advise clients to combat the rain?
  • Are these practices you personally have used?
  • What other ideas are you aware of that might help? (Other than moving to Arizona!)

~ Carla Albright, Tillamook County (OR) Master Gardener Association

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EMG Blog Learning Notes – Recapping April 2012 (or the last 30 days)

May 9th, 2012 by Karen Jeannette

April 2012 Blog Posts Were Full of Insights and Celebration

Rudbeckia pollinator

During Nat'l Volunteer Week, we explored how Master Gardeners are like pollinators in their communities (Photo: Connie Schulz)

Review any of April 2012’s blog posts. Always available in the right column of the blog, the archive can be be a great way to catch up when the garden calls most of your spring attention.

What fun! National Volunteer Week blog posts! This year we participated in this national event by blogging about how we Celebrate National Volunteer Week with ~94,000 volunteers. All five of the blog posts were awe-inspiring and point to how significant the work of EMG volunteers is in their communities across the U.S. If you missed these posts, check out the wonderful letters and stories from Master Gardeners and program coordinators in the links above.

Insights from the Kalamazoo Giving Garden: How does a giving garden sustain itself in a community for over 15 years?  You’ll be able to get some insights on how it’s done by reading this 3-part story submitted by Kalamazoo MG, JC Schneider, about how volunteerism, partnerships, management best practices, and educational and outreach activities are all part of the equation.

National Weather and Gardening Notes for April 2012

Apple Tree

Will recently frost hit areas see tree fruit this year? A recent look at tree fruit blossom health may tell.

What kind of weather or gardening notes did you take in April 2012? Below are some our observations of happenings in the national gardening and Extension Master Gardener communities in the past 30 days.  We’d welcome your insights and observations of April 2012 in the comments section below, too.

Master Gardener Plant Sales: For the past month, a steady stream of Master Gardener plant sale news has been traveling through  Twitter, Facebook, and other online blogs and new sources. If you haven’t been to a Master Gardener Plant Sale, be on the lookout or check out this Facebook post. There might be a plant sale near you this week!

A Followup – Tree Fruit Flowers After Frost: After tree fruit crops got a head start this spring and then got hit by frost in many areas across the county (as we mentioned in last month’s notes), you might wonder, what does frost damage really look like to tree fruit flowers up close?  Well, wait no more,  as Karl Ford, UMN Extension Educator, shares photos and examples of Frost Damage to Apple Flowers.

The Southern Region Master Gardener Conference was the first week in May.  For those who couldn’t make it, but would like to experience it through a conference attendee,  you can catch up on days 1-4 through Arkansas State Extension Master Gardener Coordinator Janet Carson’s blog posts as she described how the events unfolded in Natchez, Mississippi:

  • Monday, May 1st, On the Road to Natchez, Mississippi | Tuesday, May 2nd | Wednesday, May 3rd | Thursday,  May 4th | Final Evening
     

    Interesting Educational Resources

    What other educational resources did you see in April that you found helpful or would like to share? This month, we saw…

    • Pruning Guidelines: Even if you don’t tweet, you might chirp a bit about the helpful images and information found in the following tweet from the University of Maryland Home and Garden Information Center Twitter account. Click on the bit.ly link in the tweet below to see this helpful resource:

    Help Needed and Educational Opportunities for Master Gardeners

    Master Gardeners are needed to help raise awareness about national late blight project (Photo: Margaret McGrath)

    • Help with Plant Disease Awareness and Monitoring. Cornell’s Meg McGrath is looking for help from Extension Master Gardeners in spreading awareness and monitoring for two diseases: Basil Downy Mildew and Late Blight.  Please feel welcome to share these links with gardeners who may like to help with these national plant disease awareness and monitoring efforts.
    • Coming, May 10 -Fire Ant Control Webinar. eXtension is hosting a free webinar May 10 — Fire Ant Control Made Easy. Even if you don’t live in states where imported fire ants are a problem, you might want to know about them. Some have asked if the session will be recorded and archived, also. The answer is yes, it will, but we still encourage you to attend the live event if you can so you can participate in the Webinar session.
    • Online Module for Master Gardeners. Taken by over 400 Master Gardeners in 22 states across the US, this module: Introduction to Diagnostics for Master Gardener Volunteers: Approaches to Plant Pest Diagnostics, may be a way for you to refresh your diagnostics skills from home. This $10 online module is continually available for Master Gardeners and others seeking to update their plant diagnostics skills. You can access the information for 10 weeks after you register, and when completed, you receive a certificate that can be presented to your state coordinator for continuing education credit.

Now, it’s your turn…

  • What did you learn this month that helped you understand the world of gardening or volunteering better?
  • What was particularly interesting to you?
  • What’s coming up that you’d like other Extension Master Gardeners to know about?

-Karen Jeannette
eXtension Consumer Horticulture Content Coordinator

 

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    International Compost Awareness Week, May 7th – 12th

    May 7th, 2012 by Connie Schultz

    By Connie Schultz, Master Gardener/Composter (’95 Cornell Extension)

    International Compost Week 2012

    International Compost Week 2012

    This week is International Compost Awareness Week and this year’s theme is Compost!…Replenish the Earth for Generations! Across the US and Canada, composting advocates are conducting classes, community events, and other activities to celebrate the richness of soil nurtured by organic compost that supports our food systems.

    As a Master Composter I want to do my part to draw attention to the importance of building soil fertility and soil structure and the importance of diverting organic waste from the landfill to our soil where it can enrich the earth. Hence the US Composting Council’s new Strive for Five campaign.

     

    US Composting Council’s new Strive for Five Campaign 

    The US Composting Council has launched a campaign to ‘Strive for 5%’ organic matter in the soil to promote the goal of improving and maintaining soil structure and nutrition. For example here in North Carolina, most of our state’s native soils have a low SOM (Soil Organic Matter) of only 1% compared to our nation’s most fertile soils which have 5-7% SOM. As Frank Franciosi, President of the US Composting Council, said in an article on SOM, “Organic matter is the key to a healthy soil and hence healthy plants. SOM is critical for the soil to function properly in order to support plant life naturally. It provides structure and a place for water, air, and biological life to exist in soil.” Here are a few of the things SOM does for the soil:

    Compost improves soil structure and porosity by physically loosening the soil and creating a more conducive environment for plant roots by reducing compaction and surface crusting. In addition, the organic matter in compost serves as a reservoir of nutrients and water in the soil. It also reduces water loss and nutrient leaching by improving moisture infiltration rates and soil permeability which in turn reduces erosion and runoff.

    Strive for Five Percent

    Strive for Five Percent

    Compost allows plants to more effectively utilize nutrients, while reducing nutrient loss by leaching – Compost allows consumers to use less amendment, and to make their use much more effective. Since compost provides a source of slow release nutrients, it does not pose the same environmental concerns as fast release, soluble nutrients. The organic matter in compost serves as both a fast-acting and a time-release supply of nutrients. (In effect, while plants feed off active materials, the more stable materials are gradually converting into usable nutrients. In addition, the stable decomposing forms quickly absorb available soil nutrients for plant use (University of Minnesota Extension).

    Best of all, compost supplies beneficial microorganisms to soils – Healthy soil is a living material, filled with beneficial microorganisms, such as bacteria, algae, fungi, and protozoa – the soil food web. As small as they are, these tiny soil organisms are the real giants in your garden, and a teaspoon of soil is swarming with millions of them. These living organisms help keep your soil healthy, decompose organic matter, replenish soil nutrients, form humus, promote root growth, and increase nutrient uptake. They serve a critical function not only in metabolizing nutrients but also suppressing soil borne pathogens.

    Compost life of the soil

    Compost life of the soil, photo courtesy of US Composting Council

    Last but not least are environmental benefits like the carbon sequestration of compost. In addition soil scientists report that for every 1% of organic matter content, the soil can hold 16,500 gallons of “plant available” water to one foot depth. That’s roughly 1.5 quarts of water per cubic-foot of soil for each percent of organic matter. This means that a 10,000 sq ft lawn could hold 18,800 gallons of water that otherwise would not be retained and made available to plants. A town with 5,000 residences with a 10,000 sq ft lawn each could potentially save 94 million gallons of water as a result of increasing the organic content in the soil by 5%.

    To learn more visit the International Compost Week Facebook page. For more information on the benefits of compost also visit the National Resources Conservation Service and celebrate organic matter in the soil this week!

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    2012 Spring Master Gardener Plant Sales

    May 5th, 2012 by Karen Jeannette

    Be on the look out for Extension Master Gardener Plant Sales this Spring!  We’ve noticed a number of Master Gardener programs have started having or announcing upcoming plant sales this month.

    Volunteers shopping early!

    Spring plant sales offer many Master Gardener programs a chance to interact with the public and provide gardening education to the public at just the right time – the time of purchase.  It also provides local Master Gardener groups with a chance to fund raise so they contribute back to their local communities.

    How do plant sale proceeds benefit local communities?

    Extension Master Gardeners groups use plant sale proceeds in variety of ways, below are stories highlighting blog posts which show how plant sales work to help raise funds to:

    Plant Sale Tips and Ideas

    Last spring, Lynette Spicer, Story Co. (Iowa) Extension Master Gardener provided some tips on getting interns and well as long-time Master Gardener involved in your plant sale.

    We also discussed  Useful Tools for Learning in the Garden: QR Codes and Readers , a blog posts which prompted some to think how 2d-barcodes could be used on plant labels, giving gardeners instant access to plant information via their smartphones.

    We encourage you to take a look and see if these past blog posts might be of use to you if your program hosts a plant sale. Even better, let others know your plant sale tips or bits of wisdom in the comments section below.

    Is your Extension Master Gardener program having a plant sale this year? If so, what kind of plant sale tips or insights do you have for other EMGs?

     

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    Fire Ant Control Offers Training Opportunity

    May 4th, 2012 by Maggie Lawrence

    Master Gardeners are used to fielding a wide variety of questions. I worked our Home Garden Helpline several weeks ago and almost all of the questions I answered were related to fire ants. My fellow Master Gardener was happy to let me answer all these questions. As we were finishing our shift, she confided that she just didn’t feel confident in answering questions on fire ants and other insects.

    I expect the she is not the only Master Gardener who worries that her knowledge on fire ants isn’t comprehensive enough to answer consumer questions. But there is an excellent opportunity to learn more about managing imported fire ants.

    May 10 Online Seminar: Fire Ant Control Made Easy

    An online seminar, Fire Ant Control Made Easy, will be Thursday, May 10 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. EDT (10 to 11 a.m. CDT or 8 to 9 a.m. PDT). The webinar is brought to you by the Imported Fire Ant eXtension Community of Practice.

    Killing fire ants is actually easier than you think—if you understand how they live. This seminar will help you learn how to use integrated pest management tactics that are as economical and environmentally friendly as possible. You’ll also learn about fire ant biological control agents such as the Pseudacteon phorid flies. Phorid flies are also known as decapitating flies.

    It’s very simple to participate in the webinar. Follow this link and log in as “guest.”  If you have specific questions that you want answered to during the webinar, post them to the Imported Fire Ant eXtension Facebook page .

    The Imported Fire Ant Community of Practice also has gathered some great information and resources in one place for Master Gardeners. You can find that information here. You can also find more information on fire ants at http://www.extension.org/fire_ants or on Facebook (Fire Ant Info), Twitter (FireAntInfo), and YouTube (eXfireants).

    Posted in Educational Resources, Uncategorized, Webinars | 4 Comments »

    The Giving Garden, Part 3: Kalamazoo Master Gardeners Use Garden for Outreach and Education

    April 30th, 2012 by Karen Jeannette

    In two prior blog posts, I’d mentioned how the Giving Garden came into being and how the project has become sustainable for over 15 years. The vision, passion, planting, maintenance, and partnerships developed over the years yield produce to be harvested, but the Giving Garden becomes even more ‘fruitful’ in providing new opportunities for hands on learning opportunities. These learning opportunities enable volunteers to transfer their passion and skills of gardening to ‘gardeners in training’.

    Both the Pumpkin Patch Event and hands on classes help extend our passion for gardening as Kalamazoo Master Gardeners and are in the spirit of the Giving Garden.

    The Pumpkin Pick Event

    Each October, we hold a highly anticipated event called the “Pumpkin Pick”. On a Saturday morning, employees of the companies on whose land we garden, and their families, are invited to come and pick pumpkins. Watching these children run around looking for that perfect specimen is indeed a joy. I think our garden crew gets as much enjoyment from this event as do the children

    Pumpkin Pick Activity at the Giving Garden

    Pumpkin Pick Activity at the Giving Garden (Photo: JC Schneider, Kalamazoo (MI) Master Gardener)

    Giving Garden Pumpkin Pick

    The Giving Garden Production Garden hosts the annual Pumpkin Pick event (Photo: JC Schneider, Kalamazoo (MI) Master Gardener)

    Hands-on Seminars and Courses

    In addition to being a production garden, this garden also serves as a teaching garden. A number of people volunteer just to learn gardening by working with our Master Gardener staff.

    “Vegetable Gardening 202” seminars are given at the garden on a variety of topics. This past year we built 4 raised beds that we use as demonstration gardens for those interested in constructing and growing in raised beds. We also help other local community gardens by providing consultation and seminars.

    Three of our coordinators developed and teach a 12 hour, 6 week, vegetable gardening course, “Vegetable Gardening 101 Plus”, each year prior to the growing season. This course has been so well received that we have had to expand it to two sessions each spring!

    Giving Garden Classes on Rasied Beds

    Giving Garden Classes on Raised Beds (Photo: JC Schneider, Kalamazoo (MI) Master Gardener)

    Giving Garden Class on Raised Beds

    Giving Garden Class on Raised Beds (Photo: JC Schneider, Kalamazoo (MI) Master Gardener)

    Community and Volunteers Make the Giving Garden Possible

    Now, this may seem redundant, but I’ll repeat here what I said in the first blog post about making this project and the learning opportunities I mentioned above possible:

    Without the help we get from the community and all our volunteers, the Giving Garden project would not be possible. In 2008, Humphrey Products sold much of the land we were gardening to Kendall Electric. When Kendall realized what we were doing on that property, they supported us 100% and along with Humphrey, have been wonderful partners. Humphrey supplies all the water for irrigation, Kendall donated money for a new top of the line rototiller to replace our two 35 year old models.

    Donations as well as fundraisers, held by the Kalamazoo County Master Gardeners, help fund the garden. A local radio station included us in a fundraiser; the money donated was used to build our new shed. The Food Bank also helps with expenses.

    We cannot thank the community, local businesses, Michigan State University Extension and all the Master Gardeners enough for helping to make the seed that Mike Blakely planted 15 years ago grow into a project that benefits so many people, much like Jack and his beanstalk.

    Blog post article submitted by JC Schneider
    Kalamazoo Michigan Extension Master Gardener

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    Help Needed Distributing Brochures as Part of National Late Blight Project

    April 28th, 2012 by Karen Jeannette

     

    Large leaf spots often with a light green border are typical for late blight (Photo: Margaret McGrath)

    Extension Master Gardeners are ideally able to extend gardening and pest information to other gardeners in their area, thus this is an appeal for help distributing a late blight brochure throughout the US as well as an announcement about it!

    Late blight is highly contagious and destructive, thus critical to manage

    Anyone who has had late blight affect tomatoes or potatoes in their garden knows the importance of this most destructive vegetable disease, famous for its role in the Irish Potato Famine.

    Since it is highly contagious as well as so destructive, it is considered a “community disease”, thus it is critical to report and manage all outbreaks.

    Unfortunately, late blight has recently been occurring more commonly in tomatoes and gardens have been involved at the start of epidemics.  Last year on Long Island, NY, garden plants may have been the start of a major epidemic that severely affected gardeners and farmers.

    Free printed brochures available by request

    An information brochure has been made to meet the need to educate gardeners about late blight and to inform them about a new national project (http://usablight.org/).  Goals of this project include studying occurrence of late blight in the US and developing new management tools including a predictive system. As mentioned in the brochure, reports of late blight need to be confirmed by submitting samples to a local diagnostic clinic. While submitting the sample,  you’ll be able to contribute information on where late blight is occurring, helping researchers understand the distribution of this infectious plant disease, nationwide.

    The brochure has details on managing and reporting late blight outbreaks, plus has images to assist with diagnosis. Please send requests for these already printed brochures to me,  Meg McGrath (mtm3@cornell.edu).  Cost to print and ship is covered by the national project.

    Thank you for considering participating in this national late blight project.

    Meg McGrath
    Associate Professor, Plant Pathology
    Cornell University, NY

     

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    The Giving Garden, Part 2: Planning, Managing, and Sustaining the Giving Garden of Over 15 Years

    April 25th, 2012 by Karen Jeannette

    As I mentioned in my last blog on the history of the Giving Garden, many volunteers and partners work to plan, prepare, manage and sustain the Giving Garden of over 15 years.

    Work begins each spring as early as weather allows and ends when harvest has been completed. The garden is prepared for winter, usually early November. Our committee of Master Gardener Coordinators meets three times during the winter to plan for the next season. Past season activities, planting and harvest are reviewed and adjustments are made where necessary.

    Coming up with practical planting plans

    One of the hardest things we have to do is to control our enthusiasm so we don’t plant more than we are able to manage! Here are the nuts and bolts of how we put together our planting plan:

    • We currently plant 1.8 acres of the approximately 5 acre area.
    • We also have sixteen 25′ x 30′ plots for private or personal gardens that are offered to community residents. Employees of the companies whose land we use have priority.
    • We use a computer generated planting guide, developed by one of our coordinators, that dictates where everything is to be planted and how much (see fig 1).
    • Taking plant families into consideration, the planting guide insures proper crop rotation.  Using our plan, crops cycle every three years. Some areas are allowed to go fallow and cover crops are planted to help recondition the soil and add nutrients. The planting guide also allows us to better estimate the number of seeds and bedding plants that we will have to order. All seeds and plants that we need are donated by local merchants.

    Below is Figure 1, a picture of the computer generated planting plan. A larger version can be downloaded as a PDF here> 2011 Humphrey – Kendall Master Gardener_GivingGarden_Kalamazoo.

     

    Planting Plan for the Humphrey-Kendall Vegetable Garden

    Planting Plan for the Humphrey-Kendall Vegetable Garden

    How the work gets done

    Planting the Giving Garden

    Planting the Giving Garden (Photo: JC Schneider)

    As soon as the ground can be worked, a local farmer plows and disks the garden for us and spreads the fertilizer. After work begins, we have five three-hour work sessions scheduled each week. We get an average of 10 volunteers per shift, some work as many as three shifts, others lesser amounts. Two coordinators are assigned to each shift to assign duties, instruct where necessary and oversee volunteer activities. All volunteers sign in so we can monitor the number of volunteers and how much time they give to the project. The work includes cultivating, planting, mulching, weeding, and harvesting vegetables, as well as maintaining the garden equipment and keeping the area mowed and well groomed.

    Following each shift, one of the coordinators prepares a “Garden Log” that is emailed to all coordinators. The log documents the volunteers present at that shift, what was accomplished, and what needs to be done by the next shift. A notes section is used for general information. The log allows the coordinators for the following shift to prepare ahead of time for what needs to be done and servers as “diary” that documents activity for the year which helps us plan for the next season. The logs also serve as historical documentation for the project.

    Controlling the Weeds – Mulch

    We mulch our entire garden to help control weeds. We have a win-win agreement with the city to provide our mulch. They deliver around 250 cubic yards of compressed leaves each fall. We get the leaves for mulch, and the city saves time and gasoline by not having to drive to their landfill which is much further away than our garden.

    Delivery leaves for mulch

    Delivering leaves for mulch. Mulch is used to control the weeds (Photo: JC Schneider)

    On site Storage

    We have two sheds on site to store equipment. One shed belonged to Humphrey Products. In 2010 we constructed a 10’x16’ wood-framed shed for additional storage. Garden equipment includes a small 25-year-old tractor, walk-behind rototillers, and hand tools that have been donated over the years. This equipment has allowed us to enlarge the area cultivated, increase productivity, and improve the quality of the harvest. Mechanical equipment has contributed to increased output and decreased sweat equity, always welcome enhancements.

    Giving Garden Shed

    Giving Garden Shed (Photo: JC Schneider)

    Harvest at the Giving Garden

    When harvest begins, vegetables are picked, washed and or wiped, placed in boxes and weighed. The Food Bank picks up the harvest in refrigerated trucks for delivery to their warehouse. The frequency of pickups is coordinated with the Food Bank based on the amount of vegetables ready for harvest.

    On Saturday, the harvest (up to 100 lbs) is picked up by the Ministries for Community, for local use. Our harvest has ranged from 15 to over 22 thousand pounds since 2006. Variation is caused mostly by weather conditions and pests. 2010 was our best year, producing 22,502 lbs. That included 9,879 lbs of tomatoes, 2,500 lbs of cucumbers and 1,700 lbs of winter squash. This past year our total was 17,312.

    Cleaning and Boxing Vegetables

    Cleaning and Boxing Vegetables (Photo: JC Schneider)

    Following is a list of the vegetables we grow at the Giving Garden:

    • Snap Beans (Green & Yellow)
    • Pole Beans
    • Pinto Beans
    • Egg Plant
    • Cucumber (Slicers & Pickle varieties)
    • Peppers (Sweet and Hot)
    • Tomatoes (Slicers & Roma’s)
    • Pumpkins (Pie and Jack-O-Lantern)
    • Squash (Summer & Winter varieties)
    • Cabbage
    • Collard Greens
    • Kale
    • Okra
    • Turnips
    • Potatoes (Red & White Skin)
    • Tomatillos
    • Muskmelon
    • Watermelon

    -Blog post article submitted by JC Schneider
    Kalamazoo Michigan Extension Master Gardener

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    The Giving Garden, Part 1: The History of Sustainable Volunteer-Led Garden Project

    April 22nd, 2012 by Karen Jeannette

    Editors note: This story about the Giving Garden, a Kalamazoo Master Gardener volunteer-led project, was submitted by JC Schneider a Kalamazoo County,  Michigan Extension Master Gardener. This is the first of several posts where JC shares the story of the Giving Garden and how Master Gardener volunteers and partnerships with local businesses and organizations have sustained the Giving Garden for over 15 years.  When I asked JC to share what was most interesting and unique to him about this project he replied:

    One of the most interesting things about being involved with this project, is that this is the only project I have ever been a part of, run by a committee, that works, and it works well.

    Thus this blog post will be followed by two other blogs posts with details of how the Giving Garden has sustained it’s efforts and provided rich learning opportunities over the years. Through these blog posts about the Giving Garden, I hope you’ll be able to take away some “nuggets of wisdom’ from what the Kalamazoo Master Gardener have shared through these posts, or perhaps share some of your own insights about sustainable garden projects via the comments section below.

    - Karen Jeannette, eXtension Consumer Horticulture Content Coordinator

    How The Giving Garden Began

    Mike Blakely,

    Mike Blakely, Kalamazoo County Master Gardener, planted the seed for this volunteer project. (Photo: JC Schneider)

    From the late 70s through the early 90s, Mike Blakely, a local Master Gardener and retiree, was asked to judge personal gardens grown by employees of Humphrey Products, a local maker of small machine parts, on land the company owned. They awarded a prize each year to the employee judged to have the best garden.

    In the mid nineties, the economy was good and interest in gardening waned. By the late nineties, gardening on the property ceased altogether.

    Mike requested permission from the company to garden a portion of the land.  He proposed donating the vegetables harvested to Loaves and Fishes, a local organization that provides food for those in need via 26 local pantries and kitchens in the Kalamazoo area.  Humphrey Products generously agreed to provide the land and water for irrigation. Water lines had been installed by the company for use by employee gardeners. It was then that Mike “planted the seed” of this volunteer garden project.

    Growing the Garden through people, plants, and partnerships

    Mike gathered a few Master Gardener volunteers and in 1997, the project began. The garden has matured over time; the area cultivated has grown, as well as the amount and varieties of vegetables planted. In addition, efforts to teach young people to garden were added to the plan.

    Our harvest has improved and the number of volunteers has increased significantly. Coordinated by Mike until 2008, when he thought it was time to “retire” at 84 years young, the garden is now overseen by a core group of nine volunteer Master Gardener “Coordinators” consisting primarily of retirees from a wide range of professions including scientists, a physics professor, a fireman, a schoolteacher, and others. Additionally, some 60 people, mostly Master Gardeners, volunteer various amounts of their time to the garden each year.

    In 2006, our production exceeded Loaves and Fishes capacity so we made arrangements with the Food Bank of South Central Michigan to have them distribute our vegetables. The Food Bank serves an eight county area serving over 200 organizations that provide fresh, healthy, locally grown food.

    Community and Volunteers Make the Giving Garden Possible

    Spring Plow

    Spring Plow (Photo: JC Schneider)

    Without the help we get from the community and all our volunteers, this project would not be possible. In 2008, Humphrey Products sold much of the land we were gardening to Kendall Electric. When Kendall realized what we were doing on that property, they supported us 100% and along with Humphrey, have been wonderful partners. Humphrey supplies all the water for irrigation, Kendall donated money for a new top of the line rototiller to replace our two 35 year old models.

    Donations as well as fundraisers, held by the Kalamazoo County Master Gardeners, help fund the garden. A local radio station included us in a fundraiser; the money donated was used to build our new shed. The Food Bank also helps with expenses. We cannot thank the community, local businesses, Michigan State University Extension and all the Master Gardeners enough for helping to make the seed that Mike Blakely planted 15 years ago grow into a project that benefits so many people, much like Jack and his beanstalk.

    -Blog post article submitted by JC Schneider
    Kalamazoo Michigan Extension Master Gardener

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