On October 12th, five members of the Jefferson
County CMG program took part in a Health and Wellness Fair at Lockheed
Martin. Over the course of the day we
talked with an estimated 500 to 600 employees about gardening and the CMG
program. What made our booth special was
the way we actively engaged people.
While many of the people staffing booths sat behind their table and
waited to be approached, we waded right into the crowd and asked people if they
had any gardening questions.
What surprised me was, when asked if they garden, how many
people replied “no.” However, after
further questioning, I discovered that almost every participant was involved in
some sort of gardening. Some people
discovered that taking care of their lawns or watering flowers planted in pots
were all a part of gardening, albeit a small part in some cases.
As my year as an apprentice master gardener comes to a
close, like many of the folks at the Wellness Fair, I have discovered that the
world of gardening is much more inclusive and extensive than I would have ever
guessed when I started the classes last January. For example, after spending 33 years with the
U.S. Forest Service, I never considered the fact that we manage millions of
acres of trees for a variety of purposes (i.e. wildlife, timber production,
aesthetics) to be a part of the greater body of knowledge called
gardening. Working with fellow
apprentices and seasoned master gardeners, I feel like they have opened a whole
new world of opportunities that I can pursue for the rest of my life. That’s inspiring!
I want to say thanks to all of those folks who
have offered their time and knowledge to help me become a better gardener and a
person who can now share my growing knowledge with others.
