FAYETTE MASTER GARDENERS SERVE THE COMMUNITY AS VALUABLE VOLUNTEERS
Fayette County citizens will be pleased to learn that the Fayette County Master Gardeners provide valuable volunteer services in several in areas. The first important service is planting, maintaining and harvesting Plant-A-Row for the Hungry (PAR), a vegetable garden on county property that provides fresh produce for charity organizations such as Senior Citizens Center, Promise Place, Fayette Youth Protection Home, and Fayette Samaritans.
The second service is answering horticulture questions on the phone or for walk-ins at the Fayette County Extension Service Office at 140 W. Stonewall Avenue, Fayetteville, 770-460-5730 Ext. 5412. In some cases, a knowledgeable volunteer, in a specific area, will make a visit to a home garden. An organization may request a volunteer speaker for their meeting. Members increase their knowledge at monthly meetings where speakers are provided on many topics.
The third service is sponsoring the Junior Master Gardeners Program which meets at the Extension Service Office on Stonewall Avenue to teach future generations about gardening. A section of the garden is set aside for a group of third, fourth and fifth graders.
The fourth service is maintaining a Native Plant garden at the entrance of the Frederick Brown Amphitheatre in Peachtree City.
A fifth service is assisting at plant sales. Also, Master Gardeners often assist at free seminars sponsored by nurseries, where they answer customers’ questions.
A sixth service is sponsoring a spring Master Gardener Garden Tour. This year’s tour will be April 21st with six gardens being shown.
A final service is offering to volunteer to work at schools, churches, assisted living homes, or hospitals.
In January 2007 there were 138 Master Gardeners listed on the Fayette County roster. Sonya Brannon, Fayette County Extension Agent, and Gail Marsengill, Horticulture Program Assistant, guide and assist these volunteers who are certified as Georgia Master Gardeners . To attain this certification each individual must be accepted in the South Metro Master Gardener Program that is taught once a year from January to end of March with a final exam. It is sponsored by the University of Georgia, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Cooperative Extension Service. They have written the textbook and provide the speakers. The 10 graduates plan and carry out a project which is part of their internship. The 2006 project was planning and planting a 26 x 9 feet section of the East Fayette Elementary School grounds in Fayetteville. Lifelong friendships are formed in these groups.
Plant a Row: seated Tommy Waller, standing from L, Carol Benjaminson, Barbara Heatwole, Don Adkins, Vauna Bellury, Sonya Murphy, Peggy Elder. Picture by Judy Hughes.
Master Gardeners come from all walks of life and have many interests, but gardening and sharing that knowledge and passion for gardening is the common thread that ties the individuals together. Art Ayers of Fayetteville, an Advisory Board Member, was certified in 2001 and initiated the Plant-A-Row for the Hungry Garden because of his keen interest in vegetable gardening and because he likes to help people. When he presented his idea to the Fayette County Extension Agent, the agent was able to get the county to loan a piece of land for the garden located behind the Extension Office. Art presented his vision to volunteers and together they started with a small plot of land full of rocks and clay. Today, six years later, the garden is 200 feet by 100 feet large with loads of rich top soil, an irrigation system, a compost pile, and a tiller.
In April 2003 Barry Braender received his certification and was asked by Ayres to organize the work for the summer in the garden. Since 2001 Art had worked several days a week organizing the volunteers and welcomed Barry's help. Vauna Bellury replaced Barry the summer of 2005. Then Tommy Waller joined the team of leaders. Don Adkins, a 2006 graduate, has joined the team of leaders. The garden has become too great a challenge for one leader. At present, work is done two days a week with Ayres, Bellury, Waller and Adkins each taking a month to guide the volunteers that show up. The volunteers hoe, weed, till, plant, fertilize, stake, harvest, weigh, and deliver the produce.
Master Gardeners, Art Ayres, Vauna Bellury
Art Ayres, for his perseverance and dedication, is to be commended for planning a difficult project in 2001 that required constant attention, planning, and delivery of the fresh produce to those in need. He deserves a conservation award for a project that will continue for years.
In the summer of 2006, Brent Chambers of Dolphin Lawn Irrigation, Inc. generously donated an irrigation system valued at $1500. The irrigation system contributed greatly to the garden producing 2,889.00 lbs. of vegetables in 2006. The Extension Service Office is grateful for Mr. Chambers’ donation. The Master Gardeners no longer have to water by hand. Several local nurseries donate potting soil and seed for free. The volunteers constantly amend the soil with torn bags of compost donated by Home Depot, Lowe's and Wal-Mart.
In the spring of 2007 a second Plant-A-Row for the Hungry plot was loaned to the Extension Service. Brian Corbin of Southside Environmental LLC donated his time to dig a trench for the PAR garden. The Extension Service Office is grateful for Mr. Corbin's donation.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution sponsors a contest giving $240.00 to the garden of an organization that produces the most pounds of vegetables in the state. In 2005 and 2006 the garden won second place. The 2,889.00 lbs. in 2006 just missed first place.
Each December there is a Master Gardener's Awards Luncheon. On December 4, 2006, Gail Marsengill presented awards to Ayres, Bellury, Waller and Adkins for their leadership in the Plant-A-Row Garden. Also, she presented awards to Peggy Roy and Tutt Larsen, Leaders of the Native Plant Garden at the Amphitheater. The ten 2006 graduates received an award for their successful Intern Project.
By Judy Hughes, Master Gardener, Fayette County Extension Service
Editor’s Note: A version of this article appeared in The Citizen, Garden Section, February 7, 2007.www.thecitizen.com The Citizen Newspapers, 310B. North Glynn Street, Fayetteville, GA 30214
