POKE For me, my feet hitting the floor in the morning qualifies as a "Special Occasion". ;-)) We have a Moonshine distillery in town and they even give tours, but I've yet to go. Wet
Coot and Chunk, I want you to know right now that these two posts have solidified my decision to enter the program in the spring. My local MG program is a city away, six month course from January to June. I have been wanting to give of myself to the community, Im very passionate about learning and teaching. What better way to learn and to teach than a program such as this one? I didn't know that you two, including jerry were involved in this program. I never see it mentioned on grasscity. I hope to see more people encouraged to join their local master gardeners program in the future. We don't have any community garden that I'm aware of, nor do we have a library run community Seedbank, nor do we have a vermicompost informed community. It would appear I've just set some goals I sincerely appreciate both of your posts. Very enlightening and informative. Thank you gentlemen You know, everyday above ground is a good day brother. I sincerely appreciate your outlook on life Seize the moment! ~ poke
Poke, I keep my MG affiliation vary vague on GC due to one particular reason. The university system receives federal money for research programs and in my particular state which has medical and recreational laws on the books, we were instructed that we could not be affiliated with cannabis growers. Even though on the state level, cannabis is *legal*,, it still isn't federally and the university doesn't want to jeopardize their federal funding. Add to that, a majority of the people in the MG's are retirees, and I just don't want to put it out there for personal reasons. I had to bite my tongue a few times in training when the instructors were promoting the conventional methods, but at the same time, I was able to ask the provocative questions that got people to thinking. If you go in to it as a gardener and not a cannabis grower it will only enhance your gardening skills in all areas. I'm stoked that you're going to go for it and just know that I'll be happy to answer any of your questions and help you in any way possible. All the best, Chunk
I was just going to add that it's striking what goes on in the cannabis field, vs. what goes on on a farm, vs. a university lab. I made the mistake of bringing something up to a professor one time (nothing incriminating), and I got a sideways look for a week. It was like he heard some strange sound, instead of my voice, all because of how I asked the question, and a particular word that was used. As well, it's hard to see things one way, learn them another, read about it yet another way, and practice it 2 different ways - one personally, and one scholastically/professionally. I suppose the beauty is in the balance. Meh. Good luck Poke!! Lu
I was sure there was a reason nobody was talking much about it on grasscity or other cannabis forums. And the reasons you listed make perfect sense. I was talking with a friend yesterday about who the master gardener program targets. He said people with lots of time, which translated to retirees. This was only after asking a few people in my age group why they hadn't taken the steps to become an MG. Their response was that there is nobody to watch their kids. Which makes me realize the master gardener program is missing out on a lot of the youth, which makes me realize there's an untapped category (age wise) of potential gardeners out there. I think it would be very wise to have some sort of 4H gardening program to target kids so that parental involvement becomes the norm. It's kind of funny that so many people in their 20s and 30s get into gardening exclusively to grow mind altering substances. I guess they must start somewhere I suppose Thank you for the clarification Chunk. I look up to you, jerry and coot as much as most people do for obvious reasons. You guys are authentic and kind and very educated on many important subjects. I am truly and sincerely on a search for the science behind gardening, to have a comprehensive understanding of what is happening that we can't see. As I absorb this info like a sponge I try my best to regurgitate it in a way that is easy to understand for the average person. Many of my own methods are simply many of your guys' methods rehashed or reinterpreted. After rereading coots post a few times it makes me wonder how the six degrees of separation theory plays into how we are interconnected, without even knowing it. The other day I was reading a random post on another site. I thought, that sounds like something coot would say, so I scrolled it up and wouldn't you know, it was clackamas coot! Lol I appreciate your offer to help and am positive at some point in the near future I will turn to you for help when the time comes. Thank you again Chunk. ~ poke
I was recently asked to translate some of my cannabis guides into general gardening guides. After doing a few edits one thing became abundantly clear.... I have to rewrite all of this entirely from a different perspective, with a uniquely different tone. Otherwise I'm simply isolating myself and isolating my audience. ~ poke
If you approach cannabis growing AS a gardener, life gets a hella lot simpler. Sure did for me. Go for it Poke! Wet
Poke, the Master Gardener program, as Chunk said, is all about giving back to your community. A lot of the volunteer work that I've personally done has been at a large (Organic) community garden that the Master Gardeners keep to help provide organic vegetables to one of our local cancer hospitals. We promote gardening in a myriad of ways, help seniors with their gardens, give lectures on all kinds of subjects - composting, vermicomposting, pests, etc. Another program I was involved in was teaching inner city kids to garden - from helping them to plant, maintain and finally eat their own food. This is all done through your local County Extension Office. It's a great way to meet like minded people and help your own community through volunteer work. J