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University of Maryland Extension, Montgomery County, MD, Master Gardeners

J U L Y 2 0 1 4

July 3 membership meeting at the Fairgrounds.

By Janet Young

Read About Master Gardeners’ Achievements

J U L Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 2 The Seed

By Len Friedman Outreach to the Public

Between 2005 and 2013, the number of Master Gardeners (MGs) went from 250 to 351, a 40% increase. This increase—as well as changes and improvement in activities—has resulted in a 76% increase of volunteer hours and a 240% increase in contacts (from 12,667 hours and 6,800 contacts to 22,285 hours and 23,172 contacts). During this time period, the average number of volunteer hours per MG went from about 50 to over 60.

Our first Mini-Conference for the public was held in the fall of 2001. Fifteen people attended the full day conference. The fee charged was $15, which included a box lunch and drink, certainly a bargain by today's standards. Since 2005, our Mini-Conferences have hosted about 100 participants each year and brought in a profit of over $1,500 annually. In a separate but associated activity, the Speaker’s Bureau has improved speaker training and vetted an extensive list of presentations; honoraria amounted to over $4,000 in 2013.

Another major change was the increase in the number of Plant Clinics. There were seven locations in 2005 and now there are 17 in 2014, some hosting more than 1 clinic per week. In 2009, we held our first plant clinic at a farmers market. Two more have been added since then. Also, in 2009, an email hotline was initiated. In 2013, the Ballard Room telephone hotline and plant clinic merged with the other plant clinics.

There are two primary demonstration garden locations; the University of Maryland Extension in Derwood and the Montgomery County Fairgrounds.

The Derwood Demo Garden has been transformed from primarily a MCMG internal educational opportunity to a public outreach effort. This has been achieved by: participating in the MCPS Close Encounters Program, which involves over 3,000 children and adults annually; assisting with the popular Harvest Festival; initiating organized group tours in 2005; partnering with the Grow It Eat It Program (GIEI, see below); and creating an interactive map of the garden that went online in 2011. Until recently, the produce from the Derwood Demo Garden was given on an irregular basis to Manna Food in Gaithersburg that distributed it to homeless shelters. However, for the past two years, a systematic program of donations was introduced; 384 pounds in 2012, and 676 pounds in 2013. The Therapeutic Horticulture Group maintains several plots in the Derwood Demo Garden. Some are used by two groups of autistic youths and others are used to grow flowers for its activities. The Group has grown over the years and now provides services to residents in 18 senior centers, nursing homes and assisted living facilities. (See below for additional information about the Group).

In 2007, at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds Demonstration Garden, MGs

relocated and redesigned this demonstration garden at the Farmers Triangle and assumed

University of Maryland Extension Montgomery County Master Gardeners A DECADE OF CHANGE AND PROGRESS: 2003-2013

Len Friedman, Class 2000 Photo by Len's wife, Randi Passamaneck

Robin Ritterhoff harvests vegetables from the Derwood Demo Garden to donate to homeless shelters.

J U L Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 3 The Seed responsibility for the Heritage House Garden. Both have undergone continuous improvement since then. In 2011, MGs also started to take care of the Home Arts Building Garden, previously done by 4-H. As a result, a unique cooperative relationship has formed between the Montgomery County Agricultural Center and the MCMG. These gardens have the largest

public exposure of any other MCMG activity, hosting thousands of visitors a year during the Montgomery County Fair and winning numerous awards.

A major new initiative, Special Work Action Team (SWAT), was conceived in 2008 and implemented in 2009. It has grown rapidly. SWAT is a multi-purpose group that seeks to bring MG services and skills to the public by staffing information tables at various types of one-time events, even at “big box stores.” While serving a previously unserved public need (block parties, community gardens, nurseries and garden centers) it also provides weekend volunteer opportunities for many MGs who work.

The State Master Gardener Program has always had a strong interest in vegetable gardening. It came to the forefront when the White House and Maryland’s Governor’s vegetable gardens were reported by the news media. So, in 2009 and 2010, as part of SWAT, GIEI projects got underway. SWAT/GIEI members helped develop part of Montgomery County Public Schools curricula. In 2010 one of our members took over responsibility for the State’s GIEI Blog.

In 2011, “Garden Consultants” worked as mentors at all 10 of the Montgomery County Parks and Community Gardens. SWAT/GIEI members also provided Garden Consultants to schools that requested help. This was done in collaboration with Audubon’s Green Kids Program. MGs helped educate children and teachers about native plants and taught gardening skills at beautification and Earth Day clean-up events. GIEI sponsored its first public event in

The Bank Barn at the Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood. Photo by MG Susan Bell

Linda Daniel and Caroline DeCesare listen to home gardener Russell Belcher at one of our Plant Clinics. Photo by Julie Mangin

JULY MEETING

J U L Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 4 The Seed 2012, when 140 people came to Derwood for a morning of classes and discussion. During 2013 there were two GIEI events, one in the spring with 175 attendees, and another in the summer with 270 attendees. Several events are planned for 2014.

The Outreach, Education, Marketing and Public Relations group provides support to MG activities. Starting in 2008, general information sheets were revised and made more “consumer friendly.” News releases about activities such as our plant clinics, demo gardens, the Training Class and the Mini-Conference all helped improve the public’s awareness of our Organization. Garden baskets with produce and flowers from our demonstration gardens were given to the reception areas of the County Executive, County Council and Office of Economic Development. In 2011 and 2012, MGs worked closely with Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection on the redesign of “Mulch Meter Bookmarks,” and with Frederick County MGs and the University of Maryland Extension on “The Gardener’s Guide: What To Do & When.”

Throughout the decade, MCMG has had an active Landscape Design Group. The number of projects increased from five in 2003, to 10 or more in recent years. In 2010 MGs worked with Audubon’s Green Kids to design four garden templates, which were vetted by MCPS and posted on their gardening website. Since then, they have increased their outreach by conducting on-site “grounds review” and consultation for condominium and homeowners associations as well as religious institutions and private schools.

In many ways, our Organization has also kept pace with changing communications technologies. In 2007, the MCMG website went online, one of the first in the State’s Program. This was integrated into the University of Maryland Extension website in 2013. Since 2012, we have incorporated Facebook, Twitter and PATCH into our outreach efforts. The three-inch thick training manual is now available on a thumb drive. In 2011, the members’ monthly newsletter, The Seed, was posted and archived on the website with the link emailed each month.

MG Education and Internal Activities

Jon Traunfeld, Director of the State MG Program, University of Maryland Extension, and Steve Dubik, our MCMG Horticultural Coordinator and Professor/Coordinator of the Landscape Technology Program at Montgomery College, deserve a great deal of credit for educating and guiding us—scientifically, technically and managerially. During the decade, there were significant financial constraints at the State and County levels, managerial changes at the University and Extension offices, as well as horticultural challenges.

Our Training Class size increased from 36 in 2005 to 50-55 after 2008. Student projects were introduced in Montgomery County as part of 2008 classwork. Maryland’s new MG Handbook was issued in 2008 and revised in 2012. In 2009, five “core” subjects (botany, ecology, soils, entomology, and plant pathology) were selected to be taught statewide. Each county continues to have flexibility in other topics to meet local horticultural conditions and needs.

The MG Association is a 501(c)3 Organization which operates under a set of Bylaws. The general membership elects Officers and Committee Chairs to a Board of Directors. The Board is responsible for managing fiscal affairs prudently, assuring compliance with State requirements, coordinating activities with the Horticultural Coordinator, overseeing “day-to-day” operations, and introducing or changing activities to better serve the residents of

Our collection of gardening handouts.

Lining up new Master Gardeners. Photo by Julie Mangin

Screen shot of the Website.

J U L Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 5 The Seed How to Submit Articles and Pictures

Montgomery County. The Board has grown over the years as the number of committee activities has increased. More recently the Board added Class Representatives and At-Large members to its roster to better serve the membership. It also clarified the membership categories of emeritus, hiatus, and intern.

In 2006, our financial account was integrated into the University of Maryland system, which provides oversight and auditing. Association dues (which are tax deductible but not mandatory) were increased after approval by the general membership in 2010, from the longstanding $10 to $25 annually. This increase, plus revenue primarily from Speakers Bureau honoraria and Mini-Conference fees, and an improved Committee budgeting process provided more flexibility and a cash reserve to meet both MG activities, equipment expenses, and other Program needs.

The Strategic Planning Committee was established in 2007 to help the Board resolve important issues, starting with finances and our monthly meeting venue, and moving on to improve outreach efforts and internal activities. It serves as a “focus group” for discussing new initiatives and conducts periodic membership surveys when the Board of Directors needs specific information.

For example, a survey in 2011 found out that most MCMG Training Course graduates participated in three or more activities during their internship period. The survey also looked at MG retention and found that 1/3 of each class dropped out after completing the course. It also showed that 2/3 of each recent class remain active for at least five years, which is typical for a volunteer organization. Green Sheet (“time sheet”) data for 2011 showed that a few MGs do most of the Organization’s work, while many do the minimum required; 45 MGs volunteered more than100 hours and accrued 43% of the total volunteer hours. Although this is normal in volunteer organizations, our challenge is to determine ways to distribute work more evenly.

As part of this, Board Members help Steve Dubik identify MGs who do not fulfill their

25 volunteer hours, so remedial action can be taken. In 2013, a survey of the Classes of 2012 and 2013 indicated that our mentor program for interns was not working as well as it should. As a result, it was changed in 2014 and will need to be evaluated at the end of the year.

To remain in good-standing, each MG is required to attend at least 10 hours of continuing education (CE) per year. However, in order to remain scientifically and technically competent, many MGs accrue more hours. The average was 13 hours in 2006 but the Board promoted the importance of CE and the requirement increased to 17 hours in 2013. Throughout this decade, the State has offered many classes suitable for CE as well as organized and supported the annual Advanced Training Day at the University of Maryland. On a local level, we have monthly seminars.

“Open Garden Tours” of MG gardens were initiated in 2008 and our first educational Mini-Conference for MGs was held in 2009. Internal training classes are also held for activities such as the Speakers Bureau, Close Encounters, SWAT and for volunteers at our Fairgrounds booth. Guidelines for online training were established in 2013, making it easier and more accessible for MGs to get additional training in many different areas. Finally, the monthly newsletter, The Seed, provides a listing of CE Members tour an "Open Garden."

J U L Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 6 The Seed courses throughout the metropolitan area along with other informative columns and articles about current issues in gardening.

In Therapeutic Horticulture, annual workshops to share ideas and demonstrate projects have been held for over 10 years. But in 2011, they started to have everyone who demonstrates a project put it in writing. The write-ups and a picture of each project are now on our website. This

is just another example of in-house continuing education. Until 2010, the Derwood Multi-use Room was usually large enough for our monthly meetings. When attendance routinely exceeded the capacity allowed by fire regulations, we had to find another venue. This was expected to be a major drain on our finances. However, because of our relationship with the Montgomery County Agricultural Center, we arranged to have some of our monthly meetings at Heritage House, at no cost. By 2013, most of our monthly meetings were held there.

Many Membership Benefits

Our MG monthly newsletter for members was paper-based from its inception many years ago and mailed to everyone, through the US Postal Service at significant annual expense. For several years the newsletter, in paper copy format, was e-mailed. But in 2011, The Seed, a totally redesigned and electronic based newsletter, went online. It was easier to read, had links to many items, and contained more information.

Discounted purchase of books from The Timber Press/Storey Publishing/Workman Publishing started in 2009. We went from one to two annual plant swaps, beginning in 2010. Discounts at local garden centers and nurseries were renegotiated in 2012 and a Garden Book Exchange and a Seed Exchange were initiated. The Awards Program was improved to give more specific recognition to MGs for service through leadership, longevity and/or significant volunteer hours. Direct, online data entry for Green Sheet (volunteer and CE “timesheets”) should be available in 2014. Sign-up sheets for many activities became routinely available online in 2013.

Summary

Ours is a dynamic and ever-growing organization with many creative and hardworking members. We look forward to our members continuing to educate residents in our many diverse communities in the area of environmentally sound gardening practices.

Therapeutic Horticulture Program brings projects to residents at 18 senior living facilities.

Spring Plant Swap, May 8, 2014. Photo by Julie Mangin