'Gardening for Everyone' and more: Lewis County Master Gardeners hosting free educational events next month

The Chronicle, Centralia, Wash.
·3 min read

Sep. 25—Looking for tips and tricks to improve your green thumb over this winter heading into next spring? Anyone interested in doing so will have two opportunities next month thanks to the Washington State University Lewis County Master Gardeners program.

According to a Master Gardeners news release, the first opportunity will be its "Gardening for Everyone" event held on Oct. 14 in Centralia College's Washington Hall from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The event is free to attend. No registration is required, but seats are limited, so those interested are advised to arrive early to secure their seat.

Washington Hall is located at 715 W. Pear St. in Centralia.

The schedule for the "Gardening for Everyone" event in Washington Hall is as follows:

—"The hardy fuchsia," from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in classroom 103, with topics including the history of the fuchsia, planting tips and how to care for them. The class will be taught by Will Gibbs, a Pacific Northwest fuchsia grower.

—"Mushroom foraging in the Pacific Northwest," from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in classroom 109, with topics including foraging, safety guidelines and favorite local mushrooms. The class will be taught by George Jenson, president of the Southwest Washington Mycological Society.

—"A year in the dahlia garden," from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in classroom 103, with topics including multiplying dahlias from tubers and seeds along with feeding, watering, harvesting and wintering techniques. The class will be taught by Wayne Lobauch, president of the Federation of Northwest Dahlia Growers.

—"Edible microgreens," from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in classroom 109, with topics including what microgreens are, how to grow them and how to prepare them. The class will be taught by Heidi MacDonald, owner of Lady MacDonald's Garden LLC.

—"Urban trees," from 12:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. in classroom 103, with topics including how trees heal, tree hormones and natural root grafting. The class will be taught by Ray Gleason, owner of Cascade Tree Experts, LLC.

—"A community-minded approach to gardening," from 12:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. in classroom 109, with topics including community supported agriculture, cultivating more than cabbage and casting seeds, relationships and connections. The class will be taught by Julie Gullett, owner of the Seedpod Farm.

Aside from the classes, attendees are invited to explore vendor booths that will be set up in the Washington Hall lobby before, in between and after classes.

Booths will include information on the WSU Lewis County Master Gardeners, the Lewis County Master Recycler Composters, Seedpod Farm, Cascade Tree Experts, the Southwest Washington Mycological Society, mason bees, pollinators, the Lewis County Stream Team, Lewis County Noxious Weeds and Hardy Fuchsia.

Then, on Oct. 21, a seed saving workshop will be held in the Fort Borst Park WSU Demonstration Garden near the Historic Borst Home Museum from 10 a.m. to noon.

"There are many reasons to save seeds! To preserve and ensure you have a favorite plant to attract beneficial insects, to save money, for trading, the list goes on and on," the release stated. "Learn some simple techniques to the art of saving seeds!"

The Historic Borst Home Museum is located at the south end of Fort Borst Park on Pioneer Road in Centralia.

Registration for this event is required by 3 p.m. on the Thursday before the workshop. To pre-register or for more information, contact Jason Adams, WSU Lewis County Master Gardeners program coordinator, at 360-740-1216 or Jason.Adams@lewiscountywa.gov.