Who are you and how are you involved in Leap for Green?
I am a retired (almost) English Engineer who should have been a gardener, although I love Engineering too.
My involvement in Leap for Green is as a Master Gardener.
During the growing season I help to staff the regular Master Gardeners clinics at Rite Aid and at the Farmers Market, where we offer advice on topical subjects related to all the different & many phases of gardening.
Tell us about the Master Gardeners Program:
The Master Gardeners program was conceived in Washington State in the early 1970s by Dr David Gibby (an Extension Agent in the Seattle-Tacoma area) out of desperation, because he often arrived at work to find 100 messages from home gardeners adding to his already heavy workload.
A program began to be discussed by Dr Gibby and other WSU Extension faculty to recruit volunteers who would receive extensive training from Extension specialists. In return these volunteers would help Extension services provide gardening information to the public.
The concept was tested using Extension agents to answer various questions. The name "Master Gardener" was selected for the new program and recruiting began when a two page article in the September 1972 issue of Sunset Magazine introduced the concept to the Puget Sound area.
Skeptics wondered if enough volunteers could be found to donate their time, but the response was tremendous, with 300 people applying for the first class. From this group 120 were selected to receive 55 hours of training.
In January 1973 the first Master Gardener training classes began in the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area. Later the same year another 50 volunteers were trained in Spokane.
Originally this program was only intended to serve the larger urban counties, but it also proved attractive to smaller counties as well and almost all of Washington counties were served. Other States showed interest and by 1976 Master Gardener programs had appeared in Colorado, Oregon, Montana, New York, Illinois and Rhode Island.
So successful has the program become, that more than 7000 citizens were helped that first year. and in the years since it's inception the Master Gardener model has spread to all 50 States, four Canadian Provinces and many countries elsewhere in the world.
Why did you decide to become a master gardener?
It seemed like a logical progression for some body interested in gardening, as I had been since the age of eight.
My father had an allotment, which is what Pea Patches are named in England, where they have been provided for some couple of hundred years.
He would stick me on the cross bar of his bike at weekends and we would ride the three or four miles to the allotment, trying to avoid making eye contact with bobbies along the way. Here I where I was allowed a bonfire and was given my own piece of the land to do with as I wanted. Then when my Dad was sent to India in 1941 I took over the growing of fruit and vegetables for my Mum and sister and me. I have been gardening ever since.
What is it about the Seattle area that makes it so great for gardeners?
Ah that is easy. The climate and growing conditions here are almost identical to Surrey where I am from - only better. In addition it means that I didn't have to throw away my existing gardening books and go out to buy all new. Of course that hasn't stopped me from buying more though!
If I could put two plants in my garden that are easy and beautiful what would you suggest?
Oh good Lord - only two? But lets compromise a bit here - Clematis without a doubt would be one and they are available in many different colors and types, with some sweetly scented too, so there should be plenty of choice. I absolutely love them and would never be without.
Picking just one more is painful, but I think a Japanese Maple would have to hold a premiere place. They also have different colors, habits and forms, but all are beautiful and quite easy of culture. They will also fit effortlessly into most landscapes and enhance the whole.
Any simple suggestions for Mercer Island Gardeners to improve the habitat of their backyard??
Due to the type of soil we have here, courtesy of the last ice age, there is a tendency for it to be sometimes deficient in one or two elements. Also the occasional showers that we sometimes experience tend to further wash out soluble elements and beat down the soil surface and compact everything.
If gardeners would have their soil analyzed, the resulting report would tell them what sort of condition their ground was in and recommend treatment to bring it into good heart. This analysis can be done quite locally at no cost and if anybody cares to contact me I can provide the details. This can also be obtained from any of our clinics! Another simple thing that can be done which will improve any soil regardless of it's present condition, is to spread compost on the surface. Left alone, worms will drag it down to where they and billions of soil organisms will break it down into forms usable by plants.
Leap for Green fair will be Saturday April 16th at the Mercer Island Community Center so mark your calendars!
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