Winter shadows soon giving way to sprouts

That darn groundhog predicts still six more weeks of Brrrrr! But it’s not too soon to start dreaming about clay pots of spring flowers and a bumper crop of plump red Jersey tomatoes, and Rutgers Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardening Program has just the tools you need to turn your garden dreams to reality.
The 2009 Master Gardening classes has begun, and for the next 16 weeks, they’ll be learning about everything from organic farming and wildlife management to winemaking and insect identification.
By June, the now-novice gardeners will be residents experts, who will volunteer their time to help Cape May County residents to plan and implement their gardens and to help conquer gardening obstacles from poor soil to hungry pests.
“The purpose of the program is to provide a better educated group of gardeners, who can serve the general public,” Said Lance Cockral, who graduated from the program last year. “We go out to the surrounding community to help people to get a better knowledge of gardening here.”
The program focuses on Cape May County’s unique ecology and local plant and animal life. Students learn what works here and what doesn’t.
Master Gardeners get the word out by teaching classes, working in community gardens, and distributing information and sometimes seeds at local fairs. One of their biggest outreach programs, however, is the Horticulture Hotline, where Master Gardeners help residents troubleshoot their gardening conundrums.
“The general public may have a question about how to begin a garden, or how to solve e problem like PH balance or how to get rid of pests,” Cockral said.
If a Master Gardener can’t solve the problem by phone, they will encourage the caller to bring in a sample leaf or twig into the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Headquarters so they can diagnose the problem in person. The center, at 355 Court House-Dennis Road (beside Atlantic Cape Community College), in Court House, will also send soil sample samples out for analysis for a small fee.
There are now about 70 trained and active Master Gardeners locally, and together they have already given some 2,000 hours of volunteer time to help make Cape May County greener. So chances are you may see the shadow of a Master Gardener kneeling in the dirt in your neighborhood, but don’t worry it’s s a good sign. It means spring isn’t very far away.
For more information about becoming a Master Garder or to ask for help at the Horticulture Hotline, call 609-465-5115. You can call anytime, and if a master gardener is not immediately available, one will return your call.