The Master Gardener Association
continues to grow and thrive.
by Jennifer H. McInerney
As spring finally arrives across the Cape, a new season of growth begins, heralded by the sudden appearance of leafy sprouts pushing through the soil, reaching skyward, and tiny buds emerging on long dormant branches.
One group of horticulture enthusiasts has been “thinking spring” since the moment they put their gardens to bed last fall, planning and preparing all winter for the growing season.
The Master Gardener Association of Cape Cod, established in 1993, is a collaborative effort between volunteers and the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, the education department for Barnstable County. Its mission is to promote and propagate gardening skills and enthusiasm among local gardeners.
Today, the organization is 200 members strong. Together, they sow and nurture community gardens, offer educational outreach events, and share the importance and joy of gardening with current and future generations.
For the casual gardener, toiling in the soil and tending to plants are enjoyable pastimes. For the Master Gardener Association, gardening is more than a hobby: it’s an opportunity to master valuable information and share it with neighbors, cultivating community from the ground up.
“It’s a lot of work and it takes a lot of time, but we have a lot of fun doing it,” says Debbie Webster, the association’s president. “We have so many talented and creative people in our group, and they keep coming up with great ideas to improve.”
Planting Seeds
Each year, the association receives about 80 applications from people interested in becoming candidates. Following an interview process, 25 are selected to take part in a 60-hour training program, with classes taking place weekly from early January through March.
Cape Cod Cooperative Extension conducts training programs in cooperation with University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is supported by county, state, and federal funding. Upon completion, candidates are tested to ensure mastery of the course materials before graduation.
The association’s mission of “helping others learn to grow” includes the integration of applied research and science-based educational resources. The goal is to help people develop sound management practices for natural resources and to contribute to a safe and abundant food supply through home-based fruit and vegetable production.
“The training is comprehensive so that, as Master Gardeners, we can go out into the community and share our knowledge,” Webster explains. In fact, volunteers are required to give back a minimum of 20 hours annually in the form of community outreach—but most, Webster notes, far exceed that amount.
“We have so many fun and varied opportunities for our members to try,” she points out. Among them are the Demonstration Garden and Children’s Garden, both of which are designed for the benefit of the general public.
Located at the Barnstable County Fairgrounds in Falmouth, the half-acre Demonstration Garden features recently renovated garden beds with extensive vegetable plantings, herbs, perennial flowers, and berry bushes. During the Barnstable County Fair, held in July, volunteers guide tours and answer questions about the garden.
On Thursday evenings in May, June, August, and September, the association hosts Evenings in the Garden, offering garden tours and topical discussions, including how and when to plant, garden management (mulching, watering, and plant care), maintenance (pest-management and harvesting), and next-season planning.
Similarly, the Lower Cape Children’s Garden at the Brewster Community Garden offers kids between the ages of 8 and 12 the chance to get their hands dirty and learn from Master Gardeners. Throughout the growing season, young gardeners work one-on-one with mentors to grow, tend, and harvest their own crops. The Children’s Garden includes 20 raised beds for kids to develop their horticultural knowledge.
“I was a mentor in the Children’s Garden for one summer and loved it so much that I went back for a second,” notes Webster.
Rooted in the Community
On the occasions when the Master Gardeners come inside from the garden, they’re often taking part in ongoing educational opportunities and helping with one of the many committees that support the group’s year-round efforts.
Throughout the winter, the association invites the public to its Backyard Horticulture series, with classes conducted in Barnstable and Harwich. These presentations cover a wealth of essential topics, including soil, composting, pollinators, seed starting, pruning, pest management, garden design, and more.
Continuing its mission to educate the community, the association serves as a resource at monthly farmers markets and operates a designated hotline for gardening questions. From March through November, the group offers a Horticultural Clinic with walk-in hours to assist with queries, plant and insect diagnostics, and soil testing.
The Master Gardeners also invite experts from the field to expand their members’ knowledge base and increase resources available to the public. This year, the association’s Spring Symposium in March featured a keynote presentation, “We Are Nature’s Best Hope,” by Doug Tallamy, world-renowned ecologist and advocate for returning nature to backyards.
Perhaps its most anticipated event is the annual Plant Sale at the Cape Cod Fairgrounds in East Falmouth, the organization’s primary fundraiser. The sale features native plants grown and donated by Master Gardener members, including affordable favorites like hydrangea and rhododendron as well as ornamental perennials and grasses. This year, the event will take place on May 17 from 9:00 a.m. until noon—or until the plants are sold out.
“It’s so popular that, every year, we have people lining up at eight in the morning,” Webster notes. “It’s the only sale of its kind and we showcase climate-change and pollinator-friendly native plants.” mastergardenerscc.org