I’m Mary Morley Poplin, the gardening enthusiast you might know from The Gathering Garden in our lovely town of Mount Gilead, and I’m also a proud member of the Montgomery County Master Gardeners. I am so excited to begin Master Gardener Musings here in our local paper.
Our dedicated team volunteers at the Mount Gilead Community Garden, Donna Keesler, Monika Saxton, and I are donating most of our harvest this year to our logical food pantry, but we’d welcome more help and are happy to send volunteers home with the fruits of their labors. We’d love to share our knowledge and experience with you. As a Master Gardener, I am dedicated to spreading knowledge about agriculture and more, and I am here to help you.
Growing things in a garden, be it flowers, ornamentals, natives, or even fruits and vegetables opens up a world of magic waiting to be discovered. I can help you navigate this exciting journey. Looking for landscape ideas or detailed garden plans? I’ve got you covered. I’m a strong advocate for natural pest control and companion planting. You’ll often hear me talk about these and other evidence-based gardening practices. Trust me, they make a world of difference in our gardens, and they’re easier and more inexpensive to implement than you think. We work on a shoestring at the community garden and have first hand experience with the results.
I’m also a collector of fun gardening lore. I believe that these nuggets of wisdom add an extra layer of charm to our gardening experiences. And who knows, they might come in handy the next time you’re tending to your plants.
Whether you’re new to gardening or an old timer at this farming thing, I’m here to make the journey more enjoyable and fulfilling.
If you want to get your hands dirty and visit in person, feel free to swing by The Gathering Garden in Mount Gilead at the corner of W Allenton St and School St, if you want to discuss gardening with us, you can find out more about or workdays on our facebook page.
In these weekly columns, I will share the science of gardening and so many more interesting tidbits. Check back here every week for tailored Montgomery County garden advice, sharing our garden updates, and more.
Let’s grow together!
This article was originally published in the Montgomery Herald and is reused here with permission by Mary Poplin.