Canadian County Master Gardener activities in full swing

Fresh off annual county fair, members prepare for fall events

September 12, 2023

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CC Master Gardeners1 — Canadian County Master Gardener Paige Ballard teaches a pinecone bird feeders demonstration during the Annual Canadian County Free Fair. Here she is helping Leif Keck (8) and Beatrice Keck (3) make their own pinecone bird feeder.

The Canadian County Master Gardeners have been busy lately.

The Master Gardener training class concluded their first week Aug. 30 when they learned about soil fertility in the home garden from Dr. Jason Warren, Oklahoma State University’s Plant & Soil Sciences specialist and OSU Extension assistant director.

Some 21 students and Master Gardener volunteers attended the training.

These classes will continue every Wednesday until mid-November, covering a variety of gardening topics taught by OSU professionals.

Canadian County’s Master Gardeners wrapped up activities Aug. 23-26 at the annual Canadian County Free Fair in El Reno.

They helped take in entries, held an information booth with OSU fact sheets and fun coloring sheets for kids, put ribbons on the floriculture entries, and had a few interactive demonstrations for fair visitors.

Some 22 Master Gardeners volunteered in these efforts during the fair at the Canadian County Expo & Event Center.

Over the past 10 months, Canadian County’s Master Gardeners have been meeting once a month to plan the State Extension Master Gardener Conference set Oct. 6 at Canadian Valley Technology Center.

Master Gardener volunteers from across Oklahoma will meet and listen to experienced horticulture professionals and tour a few gardens in Canadian County.

Cleveland County Master Gardeners Marilyn Solomon and Judith Kautz judge floriculture entries as Canadian County Master Gardeners Carol Smith and Karen Tinsley write down their placements and put ribbons on the flower entries at the Canadian County Fair.

Canadian County Master Gardeners Carolyn Balson (left) and Carol Smith eagerly await visitors at the Canadian County Fair to help them with their gardening questions and hand out OSU fact sheets, while Canadian County Master Gardener Karen Tinsley helps engage youth with coloring pages, stamps and stickers.

EVENTS AT ‘THE FARM’

About 30 people met in October 2022 at the Mollie Spencer Farm in Yukon for the annual Fall Plant Swap, hosted by the Canadian County Master Gardeners. More than 300 plants were swapped.

Also coming up, the Master Gardeners are partnering with Mollie Spencer Farm in Yukon for a few events there.

First, they will assist with the farm’s fall open house on Saturday, Sept. 16, talking to visitors about fall gardening.

Then, they will co-host a Monarch (Butterfly) Festival on Saturday, Sept. 30 at Mollie Spencer Farm.

The Canadian County Masters Gardeners will hold their annual Fall Plant Swap on Oct. 28, also at Mollie Spencer Farm.

All these events are free and open to the public. Check with Mollie Spencer Farm’s Eventbrite page for more information and to register for the first two mentioned events.

Anyone who’s interested in the Canadian County Master Gardener program or has questions about their upcoming events, contact Canadian County OSU Extension Horticulturist Courtney Keck at courtney.sidwell@okstate.edu or (405) 262-0155.