Are You a Gardener Yet?-Learn how to become one on June 19 at Crossroads Library

When we began a garden a few years agoa at our church people were always telling me they couldn't garden because they didn't know a thing about gardening. I want everyone to know it just isn't that difficult. If you have a seed packet, some dirt and a flower pot or a small piece of ground in the sun, you too CAN have a garden. There are all kinds of gardens and it doesn't have to be a precise endeavor.

One of my friends never gardened until about 5 years ago when she put some ornamental tropical plants in containers around her pool and low and behold, it was a success! She is in her 60s and never thought she had a "green thumb", was worried about expenses and didn't think she would stick with it during the hot summer. I am happy to report she was so encouraged by her success that last year she hand dug a small space in her backyard, got a soil test, added some cow manure and about 5 packs of seed and she was in business. I had given her an old gardening book several years before on square foot gardening. She dug that book out and the rest is history. She has eaten beans, tomatoes and squash each since summer and is so proud of herself. You can do that too!

Gardening is an adventure, an experiment and a learning experience that is fun, healthy and rewarding. Don't miss out on the fun. There are a lot of resources available to you in our county. The Master Gardeners of Paulding County and our Cooperative Extension Agent, Mary Carol Sheffield look forward to helping you get started. The University of Georgia has wonderful online pamphlets you can print  and you can also come by our office at 530 West Memorial Drive in Dallas and collect information that will help you grow just about anything. Master Gardener Extension Volunteers tend a demonstration garden for you to see at the office. You can observe vegetables in different stages of development and see how we prevent weeds, plant, irrigate, cultivate and harvest our garden.

It's not too late this year for you to get started. Take advantage of resources and start simple. Master Gardener Extension Volunteers will host a vegetable gardening class at the Crossroads library on June 19 at 2 pm. You haven't tasted  vegetables until you take them directly from the garden to the kitchen to the table. Come learn how to get started on a successful garden in your back yard. 

There are a lot of ways to garden and we will offer you information on some of these methods: raised bed gardening, container gardening, square foot gardening, lasagna gardening, organic gardening or row gardening. You may elect to experiment with different methods of gardening each year and then decide what is most effective and enjoyable to you. You may be a gardener that comes up with your own methods. Whatever you do, learn and grow! Best of luck and happy gardening.

The author of this article, Donna Phillips, is a Paulding County Master Gardener Extension Volunteer.  As representatives of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, Master Gardener Extension Volunteers are trained experts, who answer questions about home horticulture, sustainable landscaping, and environmentally friendly gardening practices using unbiased, research-based information from the University of Georgia.  For more information on gardening in Paulding, contact a Master Gardener or the County Extension Agent at the Paulding County Cooperative Extension Office at 770-443-7616 or check us out online at www.ugaextension.com/paulding.