Committees

Grays Harbor Fair Flower Exhibit

Greenhouse Demo Garden

Most of the work of the Greenhouse committee takes place at the WSU Master Gardener Demo Garden Greenhouse at the Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds. There are opportunities (probably beginning in March) to begin planting seeds. These will be used to grow plants for the Children’s Booth at the Home and Garden Show in May, to liven up the Demo Garden for the Grays Harbor County Fair and to distribute to Master Gardeners at our monthly meetings in (mostly) April, May, June and July. We will plant a variety of seeds, some of them unusual. Most of the plants grown will be ornamental flowers of some kind, with the occasional vegetable. Making plant labels, watering, keeping track of what is planted, maintaining the supply for the special projects and repotting into larger pots are just some of the things that Master Gardeners can do to put in their hours. We will plan occasional planting and repotting “parties” to get these tedious, but rewarding, jobs done in a timely fashion.

If any Master Gardeners have ever desired to try their hand at greenhouse growing, this would be a good time to begin. Come for one session, or come all the time; whatever fits your schedule. We will welcome any and all assistance. If you think you would like to volunteer in this area, please either call or email us and we will put you on the list of those to call when we get started after the first of the year. We also welcome any questions.

Historian

Home & Garden Show

Each year, for the benefit of the community, this committee presents the Home & Garden Show at the Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds in Elma. The purpose of the Home & Garden Show is to provide education about garden related topics and to invite vendors to sell their products to promote gardening on the Harbor. At the show, Master Gardeners host a Plant Clinic, Children's Booth, Flower Booth, a Refreshment Booth and a Plant Holding Area.

The Home & Garden Show provides great gardening ideas, information on growing plants, and the opportunity to purchase a spectacular selection of annuals, perennials, vegetables, and ornamental plants. We also have vendors selling all kinds of garden art, outdoor furniture, fountains, yard equipment and garden sheds.

Hospitality

Master Gardener Training

Newsletter

North Beach

Permanent Demo Garden

Plant Clinics

No matter how great a gardener you are, no matter that your weeds are never allowed to grow and slugs are removed promptly, sometimes, even in the best of gardens, something goes wrong! A strange, new insect appears, or the Rhododendron suddenly has scalloped edges and the Camellia, always so lush, has a dull, dark patina on its leaves. Go directly to the nearest Plant Clinic, Master Gardeners' gift to the public!

Plant Clinics are held throughout the growing season, on Saturdays in various places in the Grays Harbor area. The clinics are staffed by experienced Master Gardeners and Interns, who diagnose and make recommendations for treatment. The Interns ("new" Master Gardeners) have lots of up-to-date information and are paired with experienced Master Gardeners, who have the wisdom that comes from years of working with plants.

The clinic committee is responsible for all aspects of the Saturday clinics, from site selection, scheduling staff, staff training, provision of resource materials, and data collection, to publicity for the clinics. In addition to the Chairman and Co-chairman, there are several coordinators who work in specific areas. Our committee is very busy in January and February, doing all the pre-planning, but the work is less intense during the growing season, so we do have time to spend in our own gardens!

Publicity

The Publicity Committee works with the other committees to publicize our Master Gardener events. Some of these events are: the bus tour to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show at the Convention Center in Seattle, the Home and Garden Show in May, the annual Garden Tour in July, and our Master Gardener Training Classes. We advertise in all local newspapers, on local radio stations, reader boards, and with flyers and posters placed around the local communities. There are usually 3 to 4 people on this committee.

Raised Beds Demo Garden

The purpose of the raised beds is for individual Master Gardeners to maintain little garden spots that are on view and accessible to the public. In the process of growing and maintaining the each year, the Master Gardeners teach each other and the public gardening skills and techniques, while experimenting with growing a variety of plants - both flowers and vegetables - in proximity to one another.

The raised beds provide an excellent opportunity for Master Gardeners to plant things that they might not be able to plant in their own yards because the plants don't fit in with their home landscaping, there isn't enough space in their yards, the home soil conditions won't support the plants, or the microclimate in their home surroundings is not appropriate for the plants. The Elma fairgrounds tend to be warmer in the growing season and colder in the winter than most of the more populated areas of the county.

We encourage everyone to visit the fairgrounds and see what each raised garden demonstrates. It's fun and exciting to see all these little garden spots sprout, take shape and be harvested during the season. And it's fun to work with other Master Gardeners and share ideas.

Sunshine

Tour

The Tour Committee organizes the Grays Harbor Garden Tour as well as planning and arranging tours for Master Gardeners to nurseries and well-known gardens in the Puget Sound area and beyond.

Planning for each year's events begins shortly after the current tour or show is completed. The Tour Committee is an active, creative, friendly, dedicated group of stimulating people. Our goal is to educate the public about the many programs offered by the WSU Master Gardeners program, to encourage people to beautify our community and to learn ways to garden more effectively. Volunteers can choose how heavily involved they want to be.

Youth Activities

Grays Harbor County and Pacific County reach youth in their respective areas through a Master Gardener Youth Committee. The committee is dedicated to the education of horticulture for children from preschool through high school.

The Master Gardeners involved in the youth committee have created fun and educational programs to share in our schools' classrooms. Master Gardeners have presented plant-based lessons at local schools, created backyard wildlife habitats, created a historical garden and sponsored a Garden Contest with the 4-H Youth Development program.

Not only are Master Gardeners working in the classroom, but they also coordinate children's activities at the Home and Garden Show each spring at the Grays Harbor Fairgrounds.