How Does Your Garden Grow?

Anna Goodin, 11, a rising sixth-grader at Mosby Woods Elementary and her dad, John, needed some gardening advice.

As they entered the , front and center sat Master Gardners Kathy Kennedy and Virginia Blauer running a Saturday morning plant clinic.

“Some kind of pest is eating our strawberries,” Goodin said. 

When asked what advice Goodin received about her problem strawberry patch, she exclaimed, “She told us to put some mesh over the strawberries to keep the birds out!”

Blauer and Kennedy represent the Fairfax County Master Gardeners Association, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides research-based horticultural information, tips, techniques and advice to home gardeners in Fairfax County.

After a comprehensive training program, Blauer and Kennedy go out into the community to identify plants and insects, answer gardening questions, diagnose pest or disease problems and provide recommendations to prevent or control further damage to plants and trees.

And the best part? Master Gardeners provide unbiased, research-based and environmentally sound advice — for free.

The Fairfax Master Gardener program stems from the state cooperative extensive service, which is run by Virginia Tech and funded by federal and state money.  

Gardening is a passionate hobby and a big business across the country and also in Fairfax County. According to the National Gardening Association website, 71 percent of all U.S. households — 82 million — participated in one or more types of lawn and garden activities in 2007. The most popular lawn and garden activities included lawn care (48 percent), growing indoor houseplants (31 percent), flower gardening (30 percent), and landscaping (27 percent).

Blauer says she got involved because she wanted to learn about the plant kingdom and she figured this was the best way to do it. She likes teaching adults and kids about how important gardening is for the earth.    

“Even a pot of geraniums on the front porch is helping keep our air clean,” Blauer said.

Kennedy finds gardening therapeutic. 

“Being out in the garden relieves stress,” she said. “Hearing the birds, being outside — it’s a great way to let go.”

Kennedy said many people ask about grass, and more and more people ask about container gardening. 

Other typical questions include: How do I maintain a healthy lawn? How do I test the pH of my soil, and why should I care? When is the best time best time to fertilize my lawn — spring or fall?

When asked for one piece of advice for a new gardener, Blauer encourages everyone to just put something in the ground. 

“Don’t be afraid to just jump in,” she said. “The plant kingdom is very forgiving.”

They shared many ideas with anyone who stops to talk: Be an educated consumer. Go to a reputable nursery. Check out the incredible Fairfax County resources, especially those at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria.

Camden Kohls, 5, and her younger sister Elise waited patiently for their turn.

“There are holes in the leaves of our tomato and butternut squash plants. Why?” Kohls asked. She had some ideas of her own.

“Caterpillars might have chomped on the leaves, or bird noses picking at them,” Kohls hypothesized. 

Blauer asked her some clarifying questions, and then suggested Kohls bring them a piece of the leaf and branch to identify the problem.

“Looking at it is much better,” she said. “And if we cannot identify the problem, we’ll send it to our lab.”

The Fairfax County Master Gardeners' diagnostic laboratory is another free service for Fairfax County gardeners. It operates year-round and is staffed by senior Master Gardeners who have many years of experience in solving plant, pest and disease problems.

Master Gardeners man a table at Oakton Library every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May through September. To find a full schedule of Master Gardeners' plant clinics, click here.