Becoming a Master Gardener

Sprouts

One of my self-improvement goals is to get myself out into a social environment more often and to find a way to contribute to the community while doing so.  Both things are challenging to me.  I'm about as introverted as introverted can be and given a choice, I'd almost always rather stay home than interact with others.  But I recognize the value of social and community connections enough that I want to overcome my natural tendencies occasionally. It's also challenging to find a way to contribute to the community when my energies and capacities fluctuate from hour to hour, due to chronic illness.

But when I read about the Master Gardener course offered by the County Extension Office of New Mexico State College in Taos, I decided to commit myself to it.  I'd previously enrolled in a similar course in Maine a few years ago, but I stopped going before the half-way mark.  This time, I told myself, I'll go to every class and work at engaging with other people.

Last week was the final class and I did manage to go to every single one.   Some days were rough. I woke feeling like I was in a mental haze with allover body aches, but instead of  succumbing, I drove an hour into town and sat my butt in a chair for three hours, then drove an hour home.  For each class, I also worked on overcoming my usual tendency to observe from a distance, and engaged in chit chat with fellow students and instructors.  So congratulations, me! 

To finalize the process and become a certified Master Gardener, I now have to complete 30 hours of volunteer service by the end of October 2018.  Writing is one way I can do this.  It's minimally physically demanding and I can do it when I have the sufficient energy and mental focus.  I also want to get out and do some in-person social activities as well, but 30 hours of physical engagement is a lot for a person with disabilities.  I figure, generally, that it's best to call upon my strengths--processing information and writing, rather than place demands on my weaknesses--physical stamina and strength. 

The program was great, I highly recommend it, and it whetted my appetite for learning more about a variety of topics that the course could not cover, due to time constraints.   The instructors were interesting and well-informed and I especially appreciated that the content was focused on the peculiarities of northern New Mexico--our growing conditions and strategies for growing under these conditions: high elevation and intense solar radiation, aridity, wind, short growing season, and fluctuating daily temperatures. 

We covered everything from plant physiology and development to plant science and integrated pest management, vegetable gardening to likely effects of climate change.  I also learned about some very useful online resources provided by the Agricultural College at NMSU.  Lots of general gardening resources can be found here: http://extension.nmsu.edu/garden.html.   They also provide some awesome, in-depth  publications that can be downloaded for free.  They have brochures on "general horticulture and plant science, vegetables, fruits, ornamentals, lawn and turfgrass care and maintenance, nuts, landscaping, plant pests and diseases, and greenhouses and other structures."  I'm working my way through them, topic by topic.  

I'm also considering going to the Statewide Master Gardener Conference, to be held in Albuquerque, August 31-September 2, 2018.  [Learn more about it and register here:  http://aces.nmsu.edu/ces/mastergardeners/cesnmsueducesmastergarde.html]. 

If you're interested in learning more about NM's Master Gardener Program, you can check it out here: http://aces.nmsu.edu/ces/mastergardeners/about-us.html. If you're in another state and interested in a similar program where you live, check out this link: http://articles.extension.org/pages/9925/state-and-provincial-master-gardener-programs:-extension-and-affiliated-program-listings.

A big thanks to Tony Valdez, our Taos County Program Director, for organizing this class!