Linda Williford
If you have a green thumb or an interest in growing plants, you might count it beneficial to join the Baldwin County Master Gardeners. The group is a nonprofit organization of trained and certified volunteers who love gardening and want to share their knowledge of gardening with their communities.
The Baldwin County Master Gardeners are associated with the Alabama Master Gardeners. The mission of the Alabama Masters Gardeners Association is to assist and support the Alabama Cooperative Extension System in its educational programs to support the local Master Gardeners. They train volunteers to educate communities with research-based information about gardening.
The Baldwin County Master Gardeners (BCMG) recently had their Annual Spring Plant Sale. Dolores Hammack, plant sale coordinator, said, "We had a huge variety of plants that sold out quickly.” They do this 3-day event every year at Week’s Bay off Hwy. 98 across from the Visitor’s Center. This plant sale serves as a fundraiser to help replenish the group's expenses and provides scholarships for students who are interested in horticulture for a career. Hammack said, "Last year, we raised $10,000 and provided four college scholarships.”
Hammack said, “Presently, the BCMG consists of 183 members.” These members have earned a Certificate of Master Gardeners after completing a training course and 50 hours of volunteer service in the community. If interested in becoming a Master Gardener, you do not have to be a gardening expert but do need a passion for gardening and want to learn and grow. The course includes research-based gardening information on topics such as home lawns, trees, shrubs, annual and perennial flowers, and vegetable gardening. The spring session for 2024 is full, but you have time to register for the fall session, which will be August 8 – November 7. Registration is June 1-30. Go to www.aces.eduto sign up.
Hammack said, “We have some members who like public speaking, and they hold seminars and speak to gardening clubs throughout the year. Sometimes the seminars are online.” She said that these events are advertised through the website and their Facebook.” This year, every Tuesday in the month of March, workshops were open to the public prior to the Annual Spring Plant Sale.
Eileen Huisman the BCMG’s Outreach Coordinator was certified in 2019. She said, “The BCMG group is like one big family. We work hard but we love what we do.” At the plant sale, they had a huge selection of vines, fruit and nut trees, shrubs, herbs, annual, and perennials. Huisman said, “This year’s sale was monumental. We had cars backed up to get in all the way from Hwy. 98.”
Huisman coordinates Arber Day events, as well as other outreach events. She also coordinates meetings with high schools that have horticulture classes. Each county has its own Master Gardeners group. The Baldwin County group stays very busy.
Go to www.baldwinmastergardeners.com for more information, including pesticides and when to plant, fertilize, and prune. The monthly newsletters also have a wealth of information about gardening and related topics. If you have any questions or need help with general gardening or how to treat a plant with a disease, call the helpline at 877-252-4769.
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