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Why I Want to be a Master Gardener Volunteer

Posted at 10:06 AM on February 13, 2008 by Donna McClurkan (2 Comments)

Until last fall, I had little interest in plants and soil. My gardening accomplishments have been limited to a few herbs, some perennials and a flat or two of annual flowers. We did start a compost pile – black gold, according to my friend, Molly – because it seemed wasteful to bag the remnants of our fruit and vegetables destined for the landfill. Otherwise, if you saw our yard, you could reasonably conclude our maintenance philosophy hovers between “live and let live” and “survival of the fittest.”

About the time the Splendid Table sustainability survey was conducted in October, I started reading everything I could get my hands on relating to food: economics, culture, health, politics, organic growing practices vs. industrial agriculture and so on. In a short time, the interrelationship among all these topics became clear. One afternoon, while gazing out my kitchen window, a thought came to me in a moment of searing clarity: if, for any reason, we had to grow our own food, I wouldn’t have a clue where to start.

So this year, in addition to our local eating through Locavore Nation, I am pursuing Master Gardener Volunteer certification. The program originated in Washington State in 1972, and has grown to over 600 programs in the US and Canada. Its mission is to train volunteers to help share knowledge about horticulture and home gardening. Through certification, I hope to earn “street cred” ( “farm cred”?) with like-minded folks involved in eating locally. This is no small goal. My new friends speak a foreign language: tilth, nematodes, vermiculture, nitrogen, cover crops, crop rotation, and so much more. Conversations are sprinkled with acronyms that send me scurrying to the internet: OGM (Organic Growers of Michigan), IPM (Integrated Pest Management), MOFFA (Michigan Organic Food & Farm Alliance), etc.

In becoming a Master Gardener Volunteer, I hope to share gardening knowledge with the same kindness and good humor shown to me. And enable my family to get some of our food in the most local way possible - from our own backyard.

Comments (2)

I love your little story. I try every years for ~30 yrs now to grow veggies. Some years I do OK but mostly I get busy at work and end up growing a lot of weeds. I grow more flowers now since I can let them go!
I enjoy growing potatoes and have had success with those.
Good luck!

Posted by Tucker | February 13, 2008 2:00 PM

Tucker, your comment about weeds reminds me of a quote from the receptionist at our dentist's office. She refers to weeding as "ridding the world of evil." I agreed with her until recently, having learned a lot of them are edible!

Posted by Donna McClurkan | February 14, 2008 5:16 AM