Desert makes a great backdrop for conference

By Angela O'Callaghan

Wednesday, April 8, 2009 | 11:49 a.m.

The last week of March this year was full of excitement and horticultural adventures for Cooperative Extension. From the 22nd through the 26th, we were the host of the International Master Gardener Conference. Master Gardeners from across the United States and Canada gathered at Alexis Park Hotel for education and conviviality. They brought their expertise and their interest in creating a more beautiful world through horticulture.

Over the course of the four day convention, nearly 800 attendees had the opportunity to see our wonderful desert landscape and tour some of the unique elements in this area, as extreme as Lake Mead and the date orchards of Death Valley. The classes and lectures covered such a range of topics – from the need to use scientific nomenclature to scouting the landscape for plant health to community gardens to the Slow Food movement. People who had no idea that horticulture was even possible in the desert southwest were thoroughly delighted when they visited the home gardens of several of our local Master Gardeners.

The USDA team leader for Master Gardeners, Bill Hoffmann, reported on the impact of the program nationally: Almost 5.2 million volunteer hours donated. We know that many people in this region rely on their assistance for gardening questions, but I was astonished at the size of the program's national impact. In this country, these volunteers have 4.9 million personal contacts. Master Gardeners work with children through school gardens and other programs, but they are also helping community members address issues of water conservation, controlling pests with minimal pesticides, using native plants, and managing wildlife.

The featured speakers were very impressive – Jeff Loewenfeld, author of "Teaming with Microbes," spoke about the need to care for the soil if we intend to grow healthy plants and people. The president of America in Bloom, Marvin Miller, discussed how cities throughout the U.S. are gathering to beautify metropolitan areas using environmentally sound practices. Miller's day job is with Ball Horticultural, one of the major sponsors of the conference. Another major sponsor was UNLV, as was UNR. We can provide a comprehensive list of the terrific organizations that helped make the conference a success, including those who donated for the goodie bags.

A dedicated group pulled it together, led by program officer Ann Edmunds and her coordinating team of Master Gardeners — kudos to them.

As if that were not enough activity for a single week, March 28 was my Growing Vegetables in Small Spaces class. A surprisingly large group – 58 – attended to learn about getting tomatoes and peppers to produce when they are living on a patio. With such a great amount of interest, I am planning on holding another class at the end of the summer. This will cover fall vegetables. In order to get on the mailing list, contact the Master Gardener help line at 257-5555. It promises to be an interesting morning.

Angela O’Callaghan is the area specialist in social horticulture for the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. She can be reached c/o the Home News, 2360 Corporate Circle, Third Floor, Henderson, NV 89074, or [email protected].