Patrick County is where it’s at, and the Patrick County Master Gardeners make it happen.
If you are in an organization or club which holds events, how hard is it to get people to come? Do you plan and promote and advertise and market your event, only to be disappointed in the turnout?
I mention that only because I’ve seen that to be the case for many. However –
In Stuart, once a year, people are lined up and ready for action by 7 a.m., and no, it’s not a Chic-Fil-A grand opening or Walmart on the night before the Black Friday sale. It’s a nonprofit community-based organization with the most exciting event of the year (in my opinion, and clearly, that of a few hundred others):
The Patrick County Master Gardeners Plant Sale.
I myself set my alarm super early for it. I wake up during the night and the first thought is: “Is it time yet?” I’m out of the house promptly for the 50-minute drive that gets me there just before the doors open at 8 a.m.
Then, whoosh.
In we all rush – politely, because we’re gardeners after all – but make no mistake. We are in a hurry to get the plants we want.
This sale has it all – shrubs, trees, perennials, annuals, bulbs, vegetable plants, house plants. While I was grabbing at some hostas, I heard someone ask for peonies, and I heard the reply that they had all been taken. This was around 12 minutes into the sale.
A few years ago the Master Gardeners started the practice of a plant holding center. You bring your selections, and they put them in a spot under a number and give you that number on a card. There already were plenty of colorful peony plants in the plant holding center.
This plant sale is excellent, and for two big reasons: 1, it’s a sale of plants people have dug up from their own gardens, which means they grow well in this area (well enough for the people to have enough extras to pass on); and 2, the prices are significantly lower than they are in stores.
With thousands of plants and (by my estimate) hundreds of shoppers, it all operates like a finely tuned machine. One of the Master Gardeners said there are about 40 in the group, and about 25 work the plant sale. A lot of people have gotten all the plants they want by 8:30 a.m. and get in line. The line is worse than all the Walmart checkout lines the week before Christmas combined, and you think it’ll take forever, then you blink, and you’re at the register. It’s a very well run sale.
What a great group. The Patrick County Master Gardeners are young and old, male and female. They are cheerful and knowledgeable. They help keep Patrick County looking beautiful, and they provide the guidance (and the low-cost plants) to help others do the same.
Next for the Patrick County Master Gardeners come the remainder of the Community Fellowship Learning Garden sessions, free classes and workshops held at 10 a.m. Saturdays at 1021 Providence Drive, Patrick Springs:
May 23: Potatoes & Other Tubers
June 27: Berries
July 25: Heat Resistance (protect your garden from mid summer heat)
Aug. 22: Disease Resilience (review various diseases common to home gardens and their interventions)
Sept. 26: Cold Frame Installation & Fall Planting
Oct. 24: Native Plants for Beginners
Nov. 21: DIY Mushroom Log Workshop (sign-up required because materials are provided)
Register at www.patrickmastergardeners.org or find the link on Facebook.
Also, join the Master Gardeners, informally, to spend time in their garden on Wednesday evenings: In April and May and September and October from 6-7 p.m., and in June through August at 7-8 p.m.
They’ll have a native plant sale in the fall, and in late winter they host an excellent “Spring Symposium” with various sessions and topics on gardening, with snacks, lunch and vendors. The PCMG also have a Master Gardener Seed Library (free seed packets) at the library in Stuart. Their Facebook page regularly lists what should be done in the garden for the week.
The Extension Master Gardener volunteer (EMG) is an individual who, after receiving specialized training in horticulture through Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE), acts on behalf of VCE as a volunteer educator within their community. These volunteer educators serve as partners with VCE to promote, inform, and work with communities, leaders, industry, and individuals presenting programs on all aspects of horticulture to protect and enhance the environment, including turf, landscape, vegetables, trees and shrubs, and pest management practices.
It takes 50 hours of training and then 50 hours of community service to become certified as a Master Gardener. The current set or classes began in March, and registration closed in February. If you’re interested, keep an eye on www.patrickmastergardeners.org for updates.
Happy gardening!
