Sustainable practices can extend to gardens, lawns

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Many of the practices associated with sustainability, such as recycling, can be extended into the garden.

Composting is a way to help reduce organic waste that goes to the landfill and helps feed gardens. These organic materials, which include grass clippings, leaves and other yard wastes, account for about 30% of trash that goes to the landfill.

“By composting these organic waste materials, homeowners can produce beneficial material that can be used in the garden, lawn and landscape,” said Jeff Wilson, horticulture specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “Returning these organic waste materials to the land maintains natural biological cycles. It is an ecologically sensible and environmentally safe way to use organic waste materials.”

Compost creates the perfect conditioner to help soil maintain proper moisture content. It also reduces soil compaction, increases the presence of earthworms and beneficial microorganisms, and provides a slow release of nutrients into the soil.

Creating a compost pile is simple, but it does require some patience and know-how. Usable compost can take from 6 months to 2 years to generate depending on several factors. Pile placement and size is important to properly break down the contents. For more information about starting a compost pile, consult MSU Extension Publication 1782, “Composting for the Mississippi Gardener.”

Whether gardeners use compost or not, soil testing is an important step before planting. Soil test results provide recommendations for fertilizer and lime. Lime helps increase soil pH.

While samples can be taken any time, it is best to send in soil samples 2 to 3 months before planting.

“Lime can take 2 to 3 months to neutralize soil acidity, so getting your soil testing results well ahead of time allows for purchase, application and activation of the liming material,” said Keri Jones, MSU Soil Testing Laboratory manager. “Soil pH should be in an optimal zone for the plants you are trying to grow well before any application of fertilizer.”

Soil test results help gardeners apply accurate fertilizer amounts only when needed. The results are customized to specific plants and give gardeners target dates for application.

“Without an optimized application rate, growers are left to guess the amount the plant needs. If the guessed application rate is too low, the plants won’t reach full growth and/or yield potential,” Jones explained. “If the guessed application is too high, fertilizer is wasted because there is no advantage to the plant when you apply additional amounts. Excess fertilizer can also end up in waterways, which is bad for the environment.

“Commercial fertilizers are sold as salts,” she added. “If we overapply fertilizer salt to the soil, eventually the plants will have a difficult time accessing water from the soil.”

Sherry Surrette, associate Extension professor of sustainable living, said gardeners can also incorporate products into their gardening chores that help protect natural resources. She recommends gardeners consider:

• Installing rain barrels. These vessels capture rainwater that can be used to water garden plants instead of using groundwater. They can be made from recycled materials or purchased. When choosing or making a rain barrel be sure to follow certain guidelines to ensure the water is clean. Learn more about rain barrels in MSU Extension Publication 3146, “Water Conservation in Your Landscape.”
• Using biodegradable peat pots. These pots can be planted directly into the ground when it is time to transfer seedlings to the garden.
• Installing nonplastic, biodegradable landscape fabric. This is available commercially. Newspapers can also be used as a weed barrier.
• Purchasing electric-powered lawn care equipment. Tools, such as mowers, weed eaters and leaf blowers, are more energy efficient, require less maintenance and produce less greenhouse gas emissions compared to gas-powered equipment.  

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Master Gardeners win second place award at international conference

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Six years ago, John Malanchak combined his love of science, passion for teaching and a call to serve others into a project he named Dominic’s Garden.

The project, which serves people with disabilities in the Jackson metro area, was recognized in June with an award at the International Master Gardener Conference in Overland Park, Kansas.

Malanchak, on behalf of his fellow master gardeners in Madison, Hinds and Forrest/Lamar Counties, accepted the David Gibby International Search for Excellence Award in the Demonstration Gardens category. The project was entered into competition under the title “Dominic’s Garden -- Gardening with Special Needs Groups.”

“I am humbled about the whole thing,” said Malanchak, who estimated he spent at least 80 hours on the award application. “We submitted a good application, but I wasn’t expecting to win. I just can’t get over the fact that we won the award.”

Jeff Wilson, state coordinator for the Mississippi State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program, said the recognition is well-deserved.

“This award is very special because it highlights the awesome volunteer work being done in Mississippi,” Wilson said. “It also rewards a great deal of hard work and compassion by these volunteers.”

What started out in 2017 as one garden at St. Dominic’s Hospital daycare for 25 3- and 4-year-olds has grown. Malanchak has been joined by other area master gardeners, and they now work with multiple organizations in Hinds, Rankin and Madison Counties serving children and adults with disabilities. The Pine Belt Master Gardeners in Forrest and Lamar Counties have contributed to the project by providing salad table raised beds for some facilities.

The group visits students and residents at five separate facilities during the growing season. Participants get hands-on lessons in planting seeds and growing a variety of vegetables in raised beds and containers. Volunteers also teach the residents the science of growing plants with presentations on topics like plant parts and plant biology.

“I love to teach,” Malanchak said. “And I want to convey my love for gardening to our participants and have them get joy from it, too. As a teacher, if I can present the information in a way that gets them interested, their desire to garden increases and then their ability to garden increases.”

While participants may be learning to grow plants, Malanchak said he knows they are getting something greater from the program.

“For young people, it’s the exploration and the ah-ha moments -- the instant they understand something. For senior adults, it can bring back memories of when they gardened in the past. They all get a sense of self-accomplishment,” he said.

Malinda Randall, a neonatal intensive care nurse, has been volunteering with Malanchak for more than four years at facilities in the Jackson metro area.

“Working with people who have disabilities is something that has a special place in my heart,” Randall said. “I was looking for a way to give back to the community. I felt a need to give of myself and bring joy to other people. One day I saw a story in one of the local newspapers on social media about John and the Dominic’s Garden project. And I said, ‘I’ve got to call that guy.’”

Randall recently earned her Master Gardener certification.

“I give all the credit to John,” Randall said of the award. “He has guided all of us in this project. It is an amazing accomplishment.”

Maureen Scott, a member of the Metro Master Gardeners in Hinds County and retired certified public accountant, said her work with Dominic’s Garden is exceptionally rewarding. She volunteers at The Mustard Seed, Madison Home Place and St. Catherine’s Village.

“I do a lot of work at Campbell Cove, the memory care unit at St. Catherine’s,” Scott said. “I used cuttings of different plants that I have growing in my yard to give them a complete sensory experience to try and bring back some memories for them.

“I had one lady say, ‘I used to grow daylilies.’ And I had another lady say, ‘I had a big garden with lots of tomatoes that I used to can.’ So, it brings me a lot of joy that they enjoyed it. I actually think I get more reward from it than the residents,” Scott said.

Delivered through the Extension Service, the Master Gardener Volunteer Program trains individuals on consumer horticulture and related areas. Once certified, volunteers help provide horticulture information to their communities based on university research and information. They also help with various community horticulture projects.

It’s a program that enriches not only the lives of the volunteers who are trained, but also the communities where volunteers give of their time, talents and knowledge.

“The program is incredibly important in the lives of our master gardeners and for the people they help,” Wilson said. “It brings them joy when they get to work on projects that they know will benefit others. Whether it is in a vegetable garden or flower garden, they know their work makes others’ lives better.”

Scott, who has been an avid gardener all her life earned her certification in 2021, said becoming a master gardener has expanded her gardening knowledge.

“I’ve learned a lot working with John and all the other master gardeners,” she said. “You get to learn from each other. It’s a great experience all around.”

The 2023 Master Gardener training will be held Oct. 3 through Dec. 4. The course is offered online and is self-paced. Registration opens Aug. 14 and closes Sept. 11. To register or for more information, visit the Extension website at www.msuext.ms/mg or call your local Extension office.

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