Ed wrote:
On 18/08/08 22:27, Poe wrote:


In Ohio, where I live, we have a program called the Master Gardener
Program, which consists of 10 weeks of classes, and then some
volunteer work. Apparently the training is pretty extensive, and there
are never enough seats to go around, so they interview everyone to
determine who gets in.

I was wondering if anyone here has attended it, or anything like it,
and had any comments. I'd be interested in if it was useful,
especially for my interests in veggie gardening, or any other insights.

Is the program aimed at practical veg growing? Is that what you want?

Do you have a plot available now that you can plant up with veg? How
big is it?

Ed


I won't get the details on the program until fall, and then the classes
are over the winter. But my understanding is that it covers a huge range
of gardening information - including veggie gardening, but also soil and
climate and diseases, and so on. I would like to learn as much as I can,
although right now I am into veggies (and fruit).

I currently own about 2.5 acres in zone 5 (Northern Ohio). I have a
smallish garden at the moment, with tomatoes, lots of varieties of
peppers, eggplant, melons, summer & winter squash, cukes, cabbage,
broccoli, okra, and some leafy things like collard and swiss chard. I
have another area with herbs, and another small area with berries
(blueberries and raspberries).

I've also been learning about preserving - just canned 4 quarts of
sweet/sour/hot zucchini relish, and will be making hot pepper jelly in
the next few days. My goal is to eat healthy by having a load of produce
always in front of me, and to reduce my spend at the grocery - although
I also see this as a hobby, so I don't mind some investment. For
instance, I did purchase a solar powered deer-fence (give a little zap
on their nose), and I have a heated barn with rows of lights for growing
seedlings for spring plantings and such. I originally used those to
create huge amounts of decorative landscape items to make my yard more
pleasing, but now I think they'll be used to get a jump on growing
produce. Oh - I'd like to get more into heirloom variants of everything
when possible so I can save seeds with predictable results.

Sorry for my long winded answer, but I wanted to outline where I am at
with regard to gardening, and my interests.