Manatee County Master Gardener Volunteers Celebrate 40th Anniversary with Open Garden Event

Master Gardener Volunteers are holding an “Open Garden” celebration on November 8th and 9th between 9AM and noon, to commemorate their 40 years of volunteer service to the Manatee County’s University of Florida/IFAS Agriculture and Extension Service. The free event, which is open to the public, is taking place in the Master Gardeners’ Educational Gardens on the Extension grounds, located at 1303 17th Street West at the Manatee County Fairgrounds in Palmetto.

Friday, November 8th will include self-guided tours of our award-winning garden, as well as Information Stations and demonstrations, all geared toward inspiring the creation of Florida-Friendly landscapes. The Information Stations will educate visitors on the many services provided by the Master Gardeners, such as the plant clinic, soil and water testing, school and community gardens, rain barrels, vermicomposting, the Landscape Assistance Program, classes for all ages and much more. Master Gardener Volunteers will also provide several container garden demonstrations followed by a drawing for each item created.

Saturday, November 9th is devoted to families and children. In addition to self-guided garden tours and Information Stations, the morning will include fun activities for children. Home Depot will be on site to build a make and take craft with the children and Boyd Nature Preserve will entertain families with several birds of prey and reptiles.

Complimentary cookies and beverages are available both days and on Saturday, Kona Ice (every kid’s favorite) will be on site for those wishing to purchase a refreshing treat.

When the Florida Master Gardener Volunteer Program started four decades ago, Manatee joined Brevard and Miami-Dade as the original three counties to participate, training volunteers to assist Extension Agents in providing university research-based horticultural education to Florida residents. The Manatee County Master Gardener Program has nearly 100 members that, in the last year alone, volunteered over 10,000 hours working in the plant clinic, maintaining the Educational Gardens, teaching classes, working in school and community gardens, preparing newsletter articles, and many other outreach activities.

In Manatee County, residents can bring their horticultural questions to the Plant Diagnostic Clinic where Master Gardener Volunteers will assist in resolving their questions. The clinic is open weekdays (except Wednesdays) from 9:00AM to 4:00PM. Soil testing for pH and soluble salts is available for a small fee. Educational Garden tours are available upon reservation. Many varied educational classes in residential horticulture are offered throughout the year to the public.

Contact the Manatee County Agriculture and Extension Service at (941) 722-4524 to be put on the mailing list for the Master Gardener monthly e-newsletter and follow us on Facebook at https://facebook.com/ManateeCoExtension. If you have an interest in residential horticulture, consider becoming a Master Gardener Volunteer. This training program is offered annually with classes beginning in August each year.