Master Gardeners of PEC

Group looks to attract new members

The Master Gardeners of Prince Edward County are a group of trained and knowledgeable people who provide gardening advice to the public and who lead or take part in community gardening projects. They are certified through an online study program with Dalhousie University or the University of Guelph, or by a certification examination, and have to volunteer for a certain number of hours over a two-year period before they can take the title of Master Gardener. There are 30 Master Gardener groups across Ontario, with about 1,000 members in total, of which 17 are in PEC. The group had an information session last Thursday evening at Miss Lily’s Café in Picton in an attempt to attract new members. “Our mandate is to help people with gardening questions and inform the community about gardening events, to do talks and to get involved in community gardens,” says Alexandra Weins, coordinator of the PEC Chapter. “There are a lot of community initiatives we’d like to get involved in and we just don’t have the boots on the ground to do that.”

The Master Gardeners collaborate with the PEC Horticultural Society to organize community events, such as the County Blooms garden show, which will occur in Wellington on June 16. They are also partnering with Tree the County to help the municipality to create a tree policy for the replacement of trees that have been cut down. Another new initiative this year is the Children’s Garden Award.

(L-R): Marianne Malachowski and Joyce Young are Master Gardeners who enjoy sharing their knowledge and expertise about gardening.

They were also instrumental in getting the Picton Community Garden started and continue to offer advice there. “Every year when they do their planting, we send one or two Master Gardeners to give planting advice, to tell people what to grow and what kind of situations they need to grow them in,” says Weins.

The PEC group will cover half the cost of the Master Gardener training program, upon successful completion, and they are considering offering a scholarship in the future to cover the full cost. The group raises funds primarily through its annual plant sale, which is held at the Metro grocery store parking lot in Picton on the last Saturday in May. The plants are mostly grown by the Master Gardeners themselves, although there are donations from commercial growers. The demand is quite brisk, and eager buyers know that they must get there at 7 a.m. when the sale starts.

The group also offers one-on-one advice to any member of the public. “We go out to your garden and give you free advice there,” says Weins. “What sort of things do best in different environments, which is especially important in Prince Edward County because we have a lot of microclimates here. What grows well in one area of PEC will not do well in another, so it is important to get good advice.”

Marlene Baverstock and Maria Korpela came to Miss Lily’s last Thursday to learn more about the Master Gardener program. They both have years of practical gardening experience. “I have no formal training, I came to learn to see how I could fit in to the Master Gardeners group,” says Korpela. “I love gardening and I like being outside and keeping busy.” Baverstock also came to see what she could learn. “I have been a gardener for years and years, and it’s a place to go and put your hands in the soil, you get rid of your frustrations, you can mediate, commune with whatever,” she says. “It’s trial and error. You learn what works for you and what doesn’t, and as you get older you choose plants that are less work—perennials that will come up every year without much work involved. It’s wonderful. It’s for the soul. Not only for the body, but for the soul.”

For more information about the Master Gardener program, visit pecmastergardeners.com.