PORT HADLOCK — The twice-yearly “Growing Groceries” class, a combination of in-person workshops and livestreamed sessions, is open to people hungry for their own fresh produce this spring, summer and beyond.
The volunteer Jefferson County Master Gardeners are presenting the eight-session course starting this Wednesday — while signups are open only through Monday, said Bridget Gregg, Washington State University- Jefferson County interim director.
The cost is $45 but scholarships are available; “we want to make it available to all,” she said. For information, visit https://extension.wsu.edu/jefferson/gardening-classes/, and contact Gregg at bridget.gregg@wsu.edu or 360-379-2490.
As for what kind of groceries gardeners can learn to grow, Gregg keeps an open mind. When master gardeners Nita Wester and Lys Burden started this program several years back, the mind set was “anything is worth a try,” and students have experimented with a variety of crops.
“Everyone has their own wish list. A lot of folks want to know how to grow tomatoes,” Gregg said, adding that gardeners have been successful with those.
“Growing Groceries” class sessions will be via Zoom from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, this week through April 20. The pair of Saturday morning in-the-field experiences will be held from 10 a.m. until noon March 26 and April 16.
The course will explore topics including location and climate, garden planting calendars, seed starting and transplanting, crop rotation, pest and disease management and pollinators and beneficial insects, Gregg noted. Each of the Zoom sessions will be recorded for later viewing or reviewing for two weeks afterward.
Gregg, who is also the master gardener program coordinator, added that the program’s trained volunteers offer several free services — all via the WSU website — for any home gardener. Information about the plant clinic, seed library and Master Gardener Foundation presentations is found at https://extension.wsu.edu/jefferson/. The foundation’s next Zoom program will be about Asian giant hornets with presenter Cassie Cichorz at 3 p.m. April 14.
A new training for prospective master gardeners will be offered this fall for the first time since 2019, Gregg added.
“Master Gardeners is a community volunteer program; people come to get trained in order to give back,” she said.
In the “Growing Groceries” course, participants have a chance to work with food-bank garden crews in Port Townsend and Port Hadlock. This way, Gregg said, they not only learn how to grow vegetables, but also help their fellow gardeners who supply produce for local food pantries.
To find out more about the many food-bank growing efforts, email foodbankfarmandgardensJC@gmail.com.
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Jefferson County Senior Reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3509 or durbanidelapaz@peninsuladailynews.com.
