I grew up on a grain farm in the Midwest and have been an avid gardener my entire adult life. I retired last year and immediately signed up for the Smith County Master Gardener program, as that was top on my post-retirement to-do list.
While in route to volunteer with my newfound gardening tribe at the Tyler Botanical Gardens, I had to chuckle at all the things I had in common with these amazing new friends. So, in legendary Jeff Foxworthy fashion, I thought I’d share a few of the things that Master Gardeners identify with. If you can relate, then I highly suggest you consider the Smith County Master Gardener program.
If you pull weeds in public places or other people’s yards, you might be a Master Gardener.
If you always keep a blanket in the back of your car in case you pass a plant store, you might be a Master Gardener.
If you have more pictures of plants than people on your phone, you might be a Master Gardener.
If you offer plant advice to complete strangers at the plant store, you might be a Master Gardener.
If your definition of a Texas Superstar has nothing to do with athletics, you might be a Master Gardener. (Texas Superstars are a collection of plants that thrive in Texas)
If you’ve proudly sported a gardener’s manicure, you might be a master gardener. For that matter, just knowing what a gardener’s manicure is, you might be a Master Gardener.
If you know how to mind your NPK’s (nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus), you might be a Master Gardener.
If you’ve submitted a plant ID correction to the Picture This app, you might be a Master Gardener.
If your idea of a picture book is a flower and bulb catalog, you might be a Master Gardener.
If you unabashedly talk to your plants, you might be a Master Gardener.
If you have counseling sessions with the bees in your yard about biting the hand that feeds them, you might be a Master Gardener.
If you have a gardening “go bag”, you might be a Master Gardener
If you adjust your irrigation multiple times a year, you might be a Master Gardener. For that matter, if you have a love-hate relationship with your irrigation system, you might be a Master Gardener.
If you give spare plants away to friends and family, you might be a Master Gardener. If you only give them to people you feel confident will take good care of them, you should most definitely sign up for the next Master Gardener class. The class is held once a year in January, but you need to sign up in October and attend a November orientation.
To learn more about the Smith County Master Gardener program, go to https://txmg.org/smith/
— Smith County Master Gardeners are volunteer educators certified and coordinated by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.