On April 17, Master Gardener volunteers from Oregon State University Extension Service will raise a canopy over their booth at Hillsdale Farmers' Market and reach into boxes to pull out handfuls of Metro guides to natural gardening. The pamphlets will include coupons for natural supplies, a brochure on native plants, rankings of the most and least toxic gardening products, even a coloring book telling readers how to be a natural gardening superhero.
The volunteers will use this information from Metro, the regional government, combined with their in-depth training from OSU’s Master Gardener program to field questions and educate the public about the art and science of caring for plants sustainably.
Collaboration between Metro's Natural Gardening Program and OSU Extension Service Master Gardener Program is nothing new, but the relationship has recently sunk deeper roots.
"A few years ago, Carl Grimm and I had a blue-sky conversation,” OSU Extension Service's Community and Urban Horticulturist Weston Miller said. "Carl wanted to increase the impact of Metro's pesticide-reduction outreach and I wanted to expand the capacity of the Master Gardener program."
"Metro started its gardening program about two decades ago, in part to promote nontoxic solutions that weren't emphasized by OSU," Metro's Natural Gardening program manager Carl Grimm said. "But, as OSU has shifted to more sustainable messages, we've found more common ground for collaboration."
"It's still a work in progress, but we have a great relationship because it meets both our goals," Miller said. "Together we increase the quality and scope of our outreach."
That attitude has opened opportunities for cooperation, from Master Gardeners distributing Metro materials at farmer's markets to Metro providing Master Gardeners' demonstration space at the Oregon Zoo and contracting with OSU Extension to run major portions of the program’s offerings.
An OSU-supported study, led by researcher Deborah John, will evaluate how effective the natural gardening workshops and tours are at motivating sustainable behaviors.
"This research is another great outcome of our collaboration with OSU," Grimm said. "Thanks to their input, we can better measure our impact on residents' use and disposal of toxic chemicals and learn how to improve the program in the future."
Both groups hope their efforts don't stop there.
"In many ways we're just scratching the surface of what we can do," Miller said. "The goal is to continue networking with other groups, avoid duplicating services and create regional resources that help gardeners grow sustainably."
Talk to experts about Metro's natural gardening program at 503-234-3000.