Washington County

Washington Co. MG Annual Report 2006

1.Basic Information
# of active MGs    12
# of interns    7
# of volunteer hours    689

2. Plant Clinics
# of active plant clinic sites    2
# of plant clinics    2
# of residents served at plant clinics    269

3. Bay-Wise
# of new yards certified as Bay-Wise (MGs and other residents)     2
# of total Bay-Wise certified yards (all years combined)     2

4. Composting
# of composting demonstration sites    0
# of residents who received a compost bin    0

5. Classes taught
# of classes/workshops taught by MGs    3
# of residents educated    57

6. Awards/recognition

7. Grants:

America the Beautiful Fund – grant of seeds for a Take Pride in America Garden

8. Partners:

Hagerstown Community College
Washington County Rural Heritage Museum
Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention – C-SAFE program
Hagerstown City Police Department – C-SAFE program
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church – Boonsboro, MD
Winter Street Elementary School – Hagerstown, MD
Bester Elementary School – Hagerstown, MD

9. Highlights from past year:

Master Gardeners partnered with two local schools and the C-SAFE after-school program to provide gardening education to nearly 50 at-risk, low-income third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students. Using donated Earth Box container gardens and community garden space, 5 Master Gardeners planted vegetables, flowers and herbs with students, teaching them about science, nutrition, organic gardening, responsibility and teamwork. Food grown was used for healthy snacks and meals for the students’ families.

A historic four-square garden was created by a partnership between the Master Gardeners and the Washington County Rural Heritage Museum. 7 Master Gardeners researched, designed, created and maintained the garden. Heirloom plants were chosen to reflect species that would have been brought by settlers to the Washington County area. Educational tours in period dress are planned for 2007.

Working in partnership with Hagerstown Community College, a group of 8 Master Gardeners are restoring the neglected Binau memorial garden on campus. After reviewing the original garden design, volunteers cleared the garden, controlled weeds and amended the soil. They developed a planting plan for implementation in 2007.

Master Gardeners helped to start a community garden on two acres of farmland at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Boonsboro, Maryland. 5 Master Gardeners designed a long-range plan for the garden and created and maintained a large pumpkin patch. The pumpkins were sold to create a fund for the garden. Plans for 2007 include a Bible garden and Native American “three sisters” garden of corns, bean and squash.

For more information, contact Robin Hessey

Last updated: 07/2/2007