The Greene County Master Gardeners have been heading up programs in Greene County to help people grow their own food affordably for the past few years. The Seed to Supper program was started in January 2020 to assist low-income people with how to grow their own food to lower their monthly cost of living and provide healthy nutrition. The program originally started in Oregon, and the Master Gardeners of Penn State have adapted the original program to accommodate growing food in the Greene County climate.
Cheryl Brendel is the part-time coordinator for Penn State Extension’s Master Gardener program. Cheryl and the Penn State team of Master Gardeners have partnered with the Corner Cupboard food bank and Eva K. Bowlby Library to bring the Seed to Supper gardening program to the public. Participants receive a Seed to Supper Gardening Manual, and the sponsoring agency also provides a small garden site to do hands-on activities. Participants learn over the course of six classes. These classes include planning your garden, soil, planting your garden, caring for your garden, harvesting, and using your harvest. These classes started at the Bowlby Public Library in March, but the food bank still has openings for the classes starting in April. If interested, call Corner Cupboard Food Bank at 724-627-9784.
The Master Gardeners also has programs working with children to teach them their food doesn’t just come from the grocery store. The “Tiny Tim” program teaches children about growing tomatoes, what foods tomatoes are in, and how the seed grows. The children are then given plants to care for at home. Tiny Tim is offered at Bowlby and Flenniken libraries; adults can sign children up for the program at each location. The program is free. They have also teamed up with Bowlby’s Summer Reading project, Crystal’s Child Care, and WWJD to teach children more about growing beans, grass, etc.
The Penn State Extension’s Master Gardener Program is in every county in Pennsylvania, with activities tailored to each county. Trainees take classes from October to March and are required to have volunteer and continuing education every year to remain certified. The goal is to provide science-based education to the public. Penn State Extension is pleased to announce the certification of five new Master Gardeners in Greene County: Judi Tanner, Laura Mitter, Tammy Jamieson, Lisa Durbin, and Sandra Brudnock. Each completed the 40 hours of educational classes, passed their certification exam, and completed a required project of their choice. Judi, Sandy, and Lisa worked with Bret Moore and the Department of Parks & Recreation to plant natives in several gardens at the Greene County Fairgrounds. Tammy worked with the students and staff of Mapletown High School to plant a native garden on their campus. Laura developed a Facebook page for our county. If you would like to visit, the address is: https://tinyurl.com/MGGreene
In addition to providing programs to the public, Cheryl and her team of Master Gardeners work closely with the Corner Cupboard Food Bank to help grow veggies for food distributions. They meet with Director Candace Webster to identify which vegetables to grow to supplement what they receive through donations. They are always looking for volunteers to work with the Master Gardeners to help tend these gardens. They were able to supply an additional 245 lbs. of produce last year to the food distribution program.
The Master Gardeners also work with the Penn State Dept. of Pesticide Education. This team collaboration brings Pesticide Education and Poison Prevention classes to the first-grade classes in Greene County during the Poison Prevention Month of March.
The Master Gardeners are looking to recruit more applicants to their programs. They are invested in increasing and immersing their presence in the community by getting the word out about what their programs have to offer and their benefits. If you’re interested in participating or would like to find out about becoming a Master Gardener contact Cheryl Brendel by emailing ckb5569@psu.edu or calling 724-802-8025. Applications will be accepted until August 30.