Hometown: McHenry

Year you became a Master Gardener: 1997

What is your background, and how did you get started gardening?

I grew up in a small town in a coal mining, agricultural and industrial area in east central Illinois where my family farmed and were coal miners. Growing up in part of The Depression era, we lived off the land. We gardened and farmed with vegetables and a small orchard and also raised farm animals. As our home had only electric lighting – no electrical outlets, running water or refrigeration – we had to preserve our food for out-of-season produce and meat. My mother canned, smoked, sugar/salt cured, dried, pickled and made cheese from the cows’ milk.

I like food preservation and cooking, and there are several of McHenry County Master Gardeners who also are master food preservers.

What is your gardening specialty and why?

All of my life, I have been involved with farming, and I continue to manage my farm properties downstate. After retirement, my wife and I traveled throughout the United States in a motor home, eventually spending more time in Florida in the winters. After becoming a Master Gardener in Illinois, I became a Master Gardener in Florida and further pursued additional education, attending the University of Florida Institute for Agriculture Science Extension classes and workshops in gardening, farming, worm raising, tomato grafting, hydroponics, food preservation and now beekeeping. I am enrolled in the University of Florida Master Beekeeper Program, a five-year program, where I am at the advanced level. Some of my garden space now is sowed with pollinator plants. There is a lack of pollinator plants for around 500 species of native bees in Illinois, as well as wasps and butterflies. This is a great concern of mine.

What’s in your garden? Tell us a bit about it.

I like to experiment with different varieties. It is not unusual for me to have 50 varieties of tomatoes, 30 varieties of peppers and 8 varieties of potatoes, as well as other vegetable varieties. Garlic has been a specialty for many years. Tomato grafting allowed me to experiment with creating tomatoes to resist soil born diseases. Hydroponics has provided me a way to extend the growing season, by at least a month earlier and later, to miss frosts without additional heat. I made a hoop house out of cattle panels that provides 52 pots with more than 200 plants. In that facility, I use a modified VertiGrow System. In addition, I have a Nutrient Film Technology system, tower garden, earth boxes, as well as experimental systems have created. I really like the Farm Daddy system. This is a type of earth box that is hooked up to a rain barrel and is moisture-regulated with a simple float. These systems allow me to grow more green vegetables so I can juice the products to drink.

In the garden, I bend metal hoops and use row covers to protect from deer damage and to deter insects and frost prevention. I have many contained beds, which use composted materials and wood chips in the walkways.

What motivated you to become a Master Gardener? What projects do you volunteer for within the organization?

A little more than 20 years ago, our local newspaper announced the University of Illinois was offering Master Gardener training. I was accepted into the program, and I also started taking horticulture courses from McHenry County College. Having worked with many volunteers during my professional life, I also felt it was time to reciprocate. I have been involved with many of the Master Gardener projects, having volunteered at the MCC Greenhouse, the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden and the plant sales. In 1999, a committee was formed to develop a community garden in Harvard based on a model from Wisconsin. Ground was broken in 2000 and, since that time, the garden has grown and is now three times its original size. All the produce benefits the Harvard Food Pantry. The garden also serves to educate children, teaching them how to garden and, more importantly, how to eat healthy food. I especially like to teach them about insects, and I bring in an observation hive with honeybees. We also have a night for the parents so they can observe what we are teaching their children. It takes many helping hands to make this community garden successful.

What tips do you have for someone who is just getting started, either with their own garden or in training to become a Master Gardener?

I encourage you to visit our ongoing projects, such as the Garden Walk or Garden Fest, take a walk through the Demonstration Garden at MCC or visit with us on Monday mornings at the Harvard garden adjacent to the library. Call the University of Illinois Extension office at 815-338-3737 for information.

• The McHenry County Extension Master Gardeners are volunteers sponsored by University of Illinois Extension. Their mission is to share unbiased, reliable, research-based information with home landscapers and gardeners, as well as to encourage people to enjoy gardening and vegetable growing. For information, contact the McHenry County Master Gardeners at 815-338-3737 or web.extension.illinois.edu/lm.