New Garden Coach Directory

It's a cold crisp day and I'm impatiently waiting for spring here, trying to figure out what to write about for this month. Well, sometimes the subject comes easily, and sometimes, like today, it just pops up! I no sooner opened this document when an e-mail arrived in my computer with an update to a site I joined a few weeks ago- The Garden Coach Directory ( http://gardencoachdirectory.wetpaint.Com/ ). It's a new version of the site I joined a couple of years ago that had grown to be too big for it's originator to handle. I've written about it before on my blog (August 3, 2007), set up a web site, and have even had a few clients since then.

As Master Gardeners we provide a valuable service to the public- educating, volunteering, caring for our environment, and hands on gardening efforts to show people the value of gardening as a whole. With the economy in such turmoil this year, I believe that there will be many people interested in learning how to grow their own food, and to care for their own landscapes and gardens as well as the environment as a means to conserve their own resources and even to nurture their own souls. We are all in a position to help them learn to do that.

There are a few ways to teach people about gardening available to us as members of the MGAWC. One is the tried and true "Let's Go Gardening" program set up years ago by Leo Blum. By volunteering on Saturdays in May at local nurseries, we can answer questions, advise on safe gardening practices as well as earn a bit of income for our organization. Another way is to direct people to the series of classes offered by our organization meant for beginning gardeners, the "Intro to Gardening" classes. Yet another is to man a booth at a local farmer's market and answer questions there. I predict that there will be a lot more people interested in taking advantage of our words of advice this year. I urge you to volunteer a few hours of your time to provide this valuable service. If that isn't enough for you, hang out a shingle as a Garden Coach as I have and provide the service right at the new gardener's home.

Visit the new Garden Coach Directory at: http://gardencoachdirectory.wetpaint.Com/ - it's growing quickly to be a valuable resource, user friendly, and a great group of gardeners all over the world dedicated to teaching about gardening. Each individual coach has their own page, listed in their home state- mine of course can be found in the great state of Michigan. It's absolutely free to join, and could be a great place to scatter your gardening expertise and help grow new gardeners.

See you in the Garden!