April showers brought May flowers. May has also brought us some questionable temperatures. I read a meme on Facebook the other day that read, “I just realized why this month is called May. It may rain, it may snow, it may be 70 degrees, it may be 20 degrees.”   I thought that was very fitting for the weather we’ve been having in West Virginia the first few days of May.

We finished April strong with participants learning many things in our third workshop. Betsy Thomas, WVU Extension Ag and Natural Resource Agent from Monongalia County, presented on “Maintaining a Garden”. We had lots of great feedback and questions during the workshop and even days later I was still getting emails on “what a great workshop it was”.

Participants learned and shared their experiences with certain mulching materials. Many voiced their questions and thoughts on layering raised beds with different materials to cut the cost of soil. We learned the importance of essential gardening tools and their “job” in the garden. Many were able to take home incentives items such as watering cans, hand trowels, pruners, and frost cover.

This year we not only have many new participants in the program, but we also have many new to gardening. The pictures we chose to share are of many ways people are building their gardens out this year. You see your traditional garden, raised beds, container gardens, and some grow bags. As we progress in this gardening season, we’re all leaning on each other to learn and grow. It’s one of the things I love most about this program.

-Heather Cook

I’ve attached a link to a box garden video by WVU Extension, Family Nutrition Program.