Master Gardener Class Musings
– Sandy Chang
Silvera must have glimpsed evidence of lacking in our plot – be it the overrun nutgrass, the larvae infested cruciferous greens so chewed through that they resembled ragged dishtowels or the deformed ears of corn with missing kernels reminiscent of old men’s missing teeth. So he sent me a note to attend the master gardener class.
I arrived early in the morning to find everyone enthusiastic and already halfway through the day’s coursework. The class was held under a densely hooded flowering trellis with a built-in concrete BBQ grill as makeshift podium. Squawky green parrots zipped low and angrily across the sky protesting the interruption to their Saturday peace.
The group was passionately discussing insects and in the middle of passing around large mason jars with various species inside. Instead of cringe and recoil, the insects were met with affectionate oohs, aahs and photo-ops. Someone fancied how cool it would be if one could purchase praying mantises while others suggested finding insects with a magnifying glass, talking to them and treasuring their poop, because, much like honeydew, insects’ “honeydoo” can attract ants of beneficial varieties. Much hype was made of the “pretty” slippery silvery trails that some insects leave behind.
During a short break, an organizer went around the group with signup sheets for compost and worm bins – about which attendees swarmed with no less enthusiasm than shoppers at a special on QVC.
Participants took turns presenting interesting topics such as crop rotation and solarization with Roundup – the pesticide currently considered public enemy number one, and arousing much resentment – closely followed by bird nettings. Gardeners were encouraged to detach themselves emotionally from no-longer-producing summer plants and to use the month of October to clear their plots in preparation for the next season, but were warned against starting winter crops prematurely. There was collective joy and exaltation in hearing SoCal’s status as one of the world’s only three Mediterranean climates and one of twenty-five worldwide bio-diversity hotspots. Much talk focused on safeguarding the local microcosm by keeping out a designated dirty dozen foreign plants that outcompete with native plants. The gardeners were reminded in growing native plants that : “The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap!”
Attendees never tired of the long sessions and when the class concluded, chard and sorrel seedlings were distributed like party favors. Some brought dragon fruit cuttings to share while others handed out seed journals, for who would have expected there to be such things as seed keeper stationery out there in the gardening universe.
If caterpillars, manure, fungi and the likes are of interests to you, or if you’d like to dive deeper into the fascinating world of gardening, or just experience a gathering of true garden aficionados, please consider signing up for a master gardener’s class with gardener Patricia (Trish) Hansen at dgflightnurse@hotmail.com.