Victoria County Master Gardeners turns weedy lot into 'garden of Eden'

By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

Pat Plowman and Barbara Sparkman show off some of the Victoria County Master Gardeners' work at the VEG, which will open in late spring or early summer. -- Staff photo by Taylor

April 24, 2003 -- "Wanted: Adults who love to play in the dirt and work with plants."

This could be an ad for the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, whose latest project has turned a weed-filled lot on the Coastal prairie to a little "garden of Eden."

The Victoria Educational Gardens (VEG) is located around the old Officers' Club on what was once the military facility, Foster Field. The VEG is due to open to the public in late spring or early summer.

The Master Gardening program is offered all over the United States, and here in Texas, classes are taught by the Texas A&M University (TAMU) system and the Texas Cooperative Extension specialists, staff and local experts.

According to their literature in Victoria County, Master Gardeners are "members of the local community who take an active interest in their lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers and gardens." But, don't think for a minute that's all there is to the program!

In December of 2000, the Victoria group signed a site agreement with the Victoria Regional Airport Commissioners. Rather than military planes around the Foster Field control tower, the VEG project is under way, with a total budget for the project estimated around $200,000.

The work started in October of 2001, and the children's area and vegetable garden are included in the first phase.

"In the Master Gardener Program, itself, we pay dues. As far as this garden goes, we did a letter campaign in Victoria and raised around $28,000, and different people have donated in-kind," explained Pat Plowman, chairman of the VEG.

The group offers several symposiums, each year, and two plant sales ... one in the fall and one in the spring. Last year, plant sales brought in around $8,000, and many of the plants sold were propagated by the gardeners.

Plowman said during the plant sales, a variety of products are offered.

"Most of the plants are things that grow well here. We do have tropicals and a variety of native plants, vegetables and herbs. We had 1,200 to 1,500 plants last year, in the fall sale," she added.

When the gardeners decided on this VEG project, Plowman said they just all sat down and decided what different things they wanted to produce, and who they wanted to serve.

At the site, all of the pathways are built of crushed granite from around Kingsland, and are set up for wheelchair accessibility. According to Plowman, they have had five trucks, each carrying 25 tons of crushed granite, brought in, to date. All of which must be put in place by the members. She said they've taken the lot through weed removal, tilling, topsoil and mushroom compost (which she highly recommends) to get to the point of spreading the granite.

Once the group reached a decision as to the types of gardens to be represented, the real work began.

"We started with just blank patios, then one of the Master Gardeners came up with the idea to do the patio by the butterfly area as a flower with a butterfly in the middle of it," she laughed.

The volunteers have poured concrete, designed pictures with chipped glass, and organized special plants to depict certain themes, especially, for the children's areas. The VEG is open for school field trips as well as any clubs available to children of all ages, along with the adult population.

"In the children's garden, we had the butterfly area, so all the plants there will attract butterflies. They are either host plants or nectar plants for the different butterflies that come to this region," explained Plowman.

Barbara Sparkman, president of the Victoria County Master Gardeners, said there are about 74 current members ... many are retirees who like to "putter" in the garden.

On Tuesday afternoons, there is a classroom program presented to the soon-to-be members. In order to obtain the Master Gardener certification, one must attend 50 hours of classroom and complete 50 hours of volunteer work.

"There's a large textbook that comes with the course, and it is a huge binder with all kinds of information. During your classroom time, you have supplements that add to it, so you get a wealth of information, plus great speakers," Sparkman said.

She explained they try to diversify the speakers, each year, so current members are able to sit in on the classes for the six hours of continued education they need, each year.

This summer, the volunteers will offer the first Junior Master Gardener program to children in Victoria County.

"We're just starting up the Junior Master Gardener project with the Boys/Girls Club, here ... it is a nationwide program, as well," said Sparkman.

The curriculum will be presented to around 20 youngsters, age 9- to 10-year-old, and compliments their school curriculum.

Adult volunteers will be offering tours of the VEG as well as going out into the public to present gardening programs as part of their volunteer hours.

Plowman said she has ordered 350 plant labels, and that each plant will be labeled so visitors won't be looking and wondering, "what is that?"

Plans are under way for a shade garden, as well as rose and international plots. The animal alphabet garden (with a plant for each letter of the alphabet) is being developed, as well as the rainbow and butterfly gardens.

Benches are available for resting and looking at the various sites, and plans are already being made to convert the front of the old Officers' Club into a space for a water garden and a place to hold weddings and other events.

While the VEG is a work of love and volunteerism, Plowman laughingly said her own yard has suffered, since she spends so much time out there.

(For more information about the Master Gardeners program, contact the Texas Cooperative Extension office in your county.)