Green-ing up her thumbs: County's lone Master Gardener ready for more

Jana Mathia, Gazette Reporter | Nov 23, 20170

Registration is now open until Dec. 22 for Master Gardener classes and Debbie McNeil is looking forward to another round of plant, bug, soil and weed learning.

“I thought I knew something until I went to those classes,” said McNeil who is currently the only Master Gardener in Whitman County.

Although she is already a bonafide Master Gardener, McNeil is planning to attend the classes, which are offered every other year, to brush up and learn more about a broad range of topics.

“The speakers are phenomenal,” she said. “It’s really well worth the money.”

The Master Gardener programs train volunteers to become community educators that provide science-based information on horticulture and environmentally sound gardening practices.

“It’d be nice to have one (Master Gardener) in every town,” McNeil said.

McNeil did some gardening in the 70s until her teaching career consumed all her time. After she retired, she still wanted to be around people and volunteering.

“I didn’t know a ton about gardening and planting,” she confessed. It had been 25 years since she had planted vegetables when she took the Master Gardener course.

“It was a great thing for me to do,” she said.

She admits she still is not as knowledgeable as the presenters at the class, but what she does not know, she knows where to look for the answer.

“You don’t have to be an expert in anything,” she said. “It’s all problem-solving.”

A person can take the classes without becoming a Master Gardener. According to Janet Schmidt, WSU Extension county director, those wishing to become a Master Gardener must submit an application, attend an orientation and have a background check since they will be working with the public and children. After the 15 classroom sessions and an on-line training module, a person is a Master Gardener interim until they fulfill their 40 hours of volunteer work at which point they become a bonafide Master Gardener. At that point the cost of the online training module is returned to the person.

“A lot of her (McNeil’s) volunteer hours have been spent at the Pullman Farmers’ Market,” Schmidt said.

In 2016, McNeil set up a booth at the Pullman Farmers’ Market to answer gardening and growing questions. She also worked with the Community Action Center on its gardening program, looking at good fits for aging gardeners. She now keeps busy in Pullman, answering questions like ‘what is this bug? Is it good or bad?’ and ‘am I over-watering?’

“As a Master Gardener, you can be as busy as you want or not,” McNeil said.

Classes are Tuesdays Jan. 9 - April 17 at the Clarkston Campus of Walla Walla Community College with a Master Gardener orientation Jan. 4. Presenters will be University of Idaho and Washington State University faculty and local horticulture experts. The last class will be a field trip to the U of I and WSU.

Topics taught at the classes include: vegetable growing; basic entomology, beneficial insects and pollinators; integrated pest management, including using pesticides safely and organic options; plant diseases and plant diagnostics; soils, fertilizers and composting; xeriscape and native plants; woody and herbaceous plants; tree selection and pruning; lawn care and using water wisely, and home orchards, small fruits and berries.

McNeil admitted she thought learning about soil would be boring, but it turned out to be pretty interesting.

Options for those not wanting to become a Master Gardener are to take the classes individually as they choose for $10 per session or all 15 for $50. For Master Gardener training, the course is $130 with an additional $75 for the online training module which will be refunded upon completion of the training and internship requirements. Scholarships and fee waivers are available from the Asotin County Extension Office.

For more information or to register for the program, contact Schmidt at the WSU Extension office in Colfax, 509-397-6290, schmidtj@wsu.edu.

“It would be nice to have many more people,” McNeil said.