Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
topics and issues. They are trained to find reliable, research-based information for questions they can't
answer themselves. Master Gardeners need a certain amount of hands-on teaching time annually to
maintain their status and certification. Your garden might be the perfect place for them to receive the
hours they need, while your gardeners receive expert help. Reach out to your local extension service to
find out not only who the Master Gardeners in your area are, but also what extension classes might be
offered. You don't have to provide all the education for your gardeners! Have a volunteer research what
other trusted groups are doing in your area and provide this information to gardeners, so they can seek
out education on their own.
Maybe the coolest thing about your garden's educational program is that today's grewbies (growing
newbies!) will be tomorrow's teachers (and this is a wonderful thing to witness). During the second year
of the Peterson Garden Project, one of our original grewbie gardeners, Arlene, was helping a friend get
settled into her garden plot during the spring. I asked her how it was going and she told me what she was
showing her friend. And, she proudly announced, “I just told her—relax! Stuff wants to grow!” I was
impressed and said so—then she said, “LaManda, don't you remember? You told me that last year!” It
was true. And that was the very advice I had gotten from my father when he was teaching me as a child.
My conversation with Arlene always makes me smile.
Education throughout the Growing Season
The Peterson Garden Project was set up as an education program to teach people how to grow their
own food. And our gardens are big—often with 500 to 800 people participating in each. So, clearly,
one-on-one instruction is almost impossible (note the “almost”). To get the biggest impact out of limited
volunteer resources, we've had to be smart about how we provide education. Regardless of the size of
your garden, you'll need to prepare for educational instruction throughout the growing season—not just
in the spring. And you'll need to adapt to the needs of the community, while using the resources you've
got available. It is sometimes a fine balance, being able to provide the right education at the right time,
but with a little practice, you'll figure out what your gardeners need to know and how to share the best
information in a way that is most helpful.
KNOW YOUR ZONE FOR SUCCESSFUL GARDENING
No matter where we are gardening in the world, we are all impacted by the weather. Each garden is
subject to the seasons and the unique elements of climate.
Gardening is a very local endeavor, and this aspect is essential for you and your gardeners to under-
stand when thinking about the plants and techniques that will make your garden succeed. Because
growing conditions can be so different, it is somewhat futile for a gardener in North Dakota to read a
topic about gardening in California. This awareness of regional differences is a basic fact that your
gardeners need to comprehend.
While it may take years to fully understand the unique factors of your local climate, it's useful to
start with identifying the bookends of the garden season: the frost dates.
Average frost dates can help you calculate when to plant cool-season crops, when to start seeds in-
side, when you can plant hot crops (peppers, eggplant, tomatoes) without fear of killing or stunting
young plants, when you should plant succession crops (a second planting of crops that will do better in
cool, fall weather), when you should plan on taking your garden down (ending the growing season), or
when to begin planning a winter garden (perhaps with some root crops or sturdy greens like kale).
