The Rural Voice, 1998-09, Page 56(-a Join us this fall for
(o Pratie Oaten O)
Our
Potato Harvest Celebration
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1998
1:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Treat yourself to:
• POTATO OAT CAKES •'PRATIE OATEN'
• POTATO & CHEESE BISCUITS • POTATO SOUP
• BAKED POTATOES WITH BUTTER
Other Events:
CELTIC MUSIC AND DANCING
DEMONSTRATIONS OF CELTIC CRAFTS
Adults - 56.00 Children - 53.00
COUNTY OF GREY-OWEN
SOUND MUSEUM
975 6th Street East Opposite Days Inn
Tel. 376-3690
52 THE RURAL VOICE
Gardening
Looking to share the joy of gardening?
By Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
If you have a gardening problem
who do you call? If you know the
local whiz down the street you may
feel comfortable dropping in and
getting some info. But most people
are pretty busy and really don't know
who to call. The local OMAFRA
offices are already tied up with
agriculture and rural development
calls but try to help gardeners as
much as they can.
There is a real need for the public
to know more about gardening, one
of the most popular hobbies and so
OMAFRA and the Ontario
Horticultural Society developed the
Master Gardener Program. There are
now over 32 groups around the
province who provided over 32,000
hours of volunteer service to their
communities last year. I am proud to
say that I am working my way up to
being part of this great group of
gardeners.
Anyone interested in joining
applies to the group closest to them.
Unfortunately for us most groups are
located in larger urban centres but a
couple of years ago the Chesley
Horticultural Society offered to host
the formation of a Master Gardener
group. An open invitation to a series
of informal information meetings was
extended to the three counties of
Huron, Bruce and Grey. The new
group, called Tri -county, has
approximately 40 members who are
just getting their feet wet on a variety
of projects from naturalization
projects in the schools, to helping
seniors gardens indoors.
The great thing about this group is
that everyone starts on the same foot.
Everyone has to complete three
correspondence courses through
University of Guelph. Horticulturist I,
II and III are basic plant biology,
soils, turf maintenance, plants and
their care, and a bit of landscaping. If
home study is a problem the group
can pair you up with someone to help
you. If you arc really keen and wish
to continue on in greater depth, these
courses are part of the Horticulture
Degree program and you can apply
your marks towards that degree.
This is not a simple garden club
group although we have a lot of fun.
You are responsible for the costs of
your courses which is $190 each or
all three for $550. Secondly, you
must volunteer 20 hours of advice
time to the public and 10 hours of
non -advice time which could include
meetings, preparation time and
training seminars.
It takes about two years to get
your courses out of the way and for
some of us a wee bit of an extension
is in order. Now that the Tri -county
group has some fully trained Master
Gardeners they feel comfortable
going public. New members are
usually invited to attend a few
meetings to get a feel for the group
and a better idea of the kind of work
they may be getting involved with.
The Master Gardener organization
has been undergoing a
metamorphosis these last two years.
Initially funded by the province
through OMAFRA, cutbacks have
forced this group to become
independent with its own board and a
new way of looking at running an
organization this big. There is a
strong, dedicated group working hard
to put a constitution and board
together as well as a plan on how
funding will come about. But the
grass -root level still operates much
the same way with one exception.
When Master Gardeners are asked to
speak at meetings or to large groups
they certainly appreciate a Tittle
something for their efforts. The
donation helps offset newsletters,
yearly training seminars and
promotional material. We are quite
fortunate that Master Gardeners still
work hand in hand with OMAFRA
staff. It has been a wonderful
relationship.
The Huron sub group of the Tri -
County Master Gardeners is hosting
an information evening in September
in Clinton. Members will talk about
their studies and the work they have
done in the community over the last
1
Hours: 10 - 6 Daily
Closed Tuesdays
The best time to plant
was 10 yrs. ago.
The second best is now.
ALL NURSERY STOCK AND
FLOWERING SHRUBS ON
SPECIAL
CHOOSE FROM OUR
EXCELLENT SELECTION
Wind break trees
(Volume discounts available)
FIELD TOMATOES
For canning, freezing & chili sauce, etc.
by the pound or by the bushel or anywhere in
between - you pick or we pick in your containers.
A LARGE
SELECTION OF PERENNIALS
Goderich
Telephone Rd.
T
TE-EM N
Huron County 013 Clinton
Bayfleld
R.R.
1, Bayfield, Ontario
519-482-3020
(-a Join us this fall for
(o Pratie Oaten O)
Our
Potato Harvest Celebration
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1998
1:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Treat yourself to:
• POTATO OAT CAKES •'PRATIE OATEN'
• POTATO & CHEESE BISCUITS • POTATO SOUP
• BAKED POTATOES WITH BUTTER
Other Events:
CELTIC MUSIC AND DANCING
DEMONSTRATIONS OF CELTIC CRAFTS
Adults - 56.00 Children - 53.00
COUNTY OF GREY-OWEN
SOUND MUSEUM
975 6th Street East Opposite Days Inn
Tel. 376-3690
52 THE RURAL VOICE
Gardening
Looking to share the joy of gardening?
By Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
If you have a gardening problem
who do you call? If you know the
local whiz down the street you may
feel comfortable dropping in and
getting some info. But most people
are pretty busy and really don't know
who to call. The local OMAFRA
offices are already tied up with
agriculture and rural development
calls but try to help gardeners as
much as they can.
There is a real need for the public
to know more about gardening, one
of the most popular hobbies and so
OMAFRA and the Ontario
Horticultural Society developed the
Master Gardener Program. There are
now over 32 groups around the
province who provided over 32,000
hours of volunteer service to their
communities last year. I am proud to
say that I am working my way up to
being part of this great group of
gardeners.
Anyone interested in joining
applies to the group closest to them.
Unfortunately for us most groups are
located in larger urban centres but a
couple of years ago the Chesley
Horticultural Society offered to host
the formation of a Master Gardener
group. An open invitation to a series
of informal information meetings was
extended to the three counties of
Huron, Bruce and Grey. The new
group, called Tri -county, has
approximately 40 members who are
just getting their feet wet on a variety
of projects from naturalization
projects in the schools, to helping
seniors gardens indoors.
The great thing about this group is
that everyone starts on the same foot.
Everyone has to complete three
correspondence courses through
University of Guelph. Horticulturist I,
II and III are basic plant biology,
soils, turf maintenance, plants and
their care, and a bit of landscaping. If
home study is a problem the group
can pair you up with someone to help
you. If you arc really keen and wish
to continue on in greater depth, these
courses are part of the Horticulture
Degree program and you can apply
your marks towards that degree.
This is not a simple garden club
group although we have a lot of fun.
You are responsible for the costs of
your courses which is $190 each or
all three for $550. Secondly, you
must volunteer 20 hours of advice
time to the public and 10 hours of
non -advice time which could include
meetings, preparation time and
training seminars.
It takes about two years to get
your courses out of the way and for
some of us a wee bit of an extension
is in order. Now that the Tri -county
group has some fully trained Master
Gardeners they feel comfortable
going public. New members are
usually invited to attend a few
meetings to get a feel for the group
and a better idea of the kind of work
they may be getting involved with.
The Master Gardener organization
has been undergoing a
metamorphosis these last two years.
Initially funded by the province
through OMAFRA, cutbacks have
forced this group to become
independent with its own board and a
new way of looking at running an
organization this big. There is a
strong, dedicated group working hard
to put a constitution and board
together as well as a plan on how
funding will come about. But the
grass -root level still operates much
the same way with one exception.
When Master Gardeners are asked to
speak at meetings or to large groups
they certainly appreciate a Tittle
something for their efforts. The
donation helps offset newsletters,
yearly training seminars and
promotional material. We are quite
fortunate that Master Gardeners still
work hand in hand with OMAFRA
staff. It has been a wonderful
relationship.
The Huron sub group of the Tri -
County Master Gardeners is hosting
an information evening in September
in Clinton. Members will talk about
their studies and the work they have
done in the community over the last
1