Erie County Master Gardeners win awards

The Erie County Master Gardeners received three awards at The Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Award Program held recently in Cleveland. The program was hosted by the Cuyahoga County Master Gardeners. Over 240 Extension personnel, Master Gardeners and supporters attended. In the medium-sized division, which includes Master Gardener counties of 25-50 members, Erie County received the first place award in the Backyard and Local Foods category for their project Back to the Wild Vegetable Garden. Chaired by Master Gardener Lynn Sparks, the Erie gardeners have worked with volunteers at Back to the Wild to plant, maintain and harvest produce which is fed to the animals housed there. Back to the Wild, located in Castalia, returns injured and sick animals back to their natural habitats. BTTW General Manager Heather Tuttle said that the project helps cut costs by allowing them to grow some of their own fruits and vegetables. The Erie Master Gardeners helped in getting the project underway. This project also was the overall winner for all projects submitted in the medium-sized group. In the Environmental Horticultural category, Carolyn Cull accepted the prize for the Erie County Master Gardeners for their Master Gardener Fair Booth at the Erie County Fair. The project set up a fair booth and educated the public on environmental concerns in Erie County. This year's display focused on promoting environmentally sound agricultural practices. A second goal focused on encouraging homeowners to reduce lawns and plant more native plants which support a wider diversity of wildlife. A third goal was to encourage those with physical disabilities to garden using ergonomically designed tools and garden beds. Although the winter has forced most gardening indoors, Erie Master Gardeners are planning the spring seminar which is open to local gardeners and will feature a day of gardening speakers and vendors. Erie MG'ers are also reevaluating their gardens and planning which plants they may be able to contribute to the annual Master Gardener plant sale which is held in May. Funds from the plant sale help to support local scholarships. As for me, I am taking to the sofa with the latest seed catalogs and planning gardens in my head. Low energy but what fun!