The answer is yes. Ask the hungry people who received over 250,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables grown last year by Master Gardener Volunteers for food pantries across the state. Ask the people that learned from Master Gardener Volunteers how to grow healthy food in over 80 community gardens and 86 school gardens.

In the Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV) program, participants explore methods to improve soil, composting, pests, and the countless and evolving varieties of vegetables and fruits that may be grown successfully in Maine. MG Volunteers also gain a greater understanding of integrated pest management, pesticide use, pruning, and learn to identify the characteristics of high-performing productive gardens.

The MGV program leverages the talent of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension professors, and is something we should all be proud of. As graduates of the program, we are grateful for the knowledge shared and time invested by the following educators: Drs. David Hanley and Mark Hutton (vegetables and small fruits); Dr. Renae Moran (fruit trees); Professor Mark Hutchinson (composting); and the ever-capable Elizabeth Stanley who manages and organizes the logistics, is a walking gardening encyclopedia, and is the heart and soul of the Knox/Lincoln/Waldo program.

A handful of people can and do make our communities a little better. To find out more about the program visit the Maine Master Gardener Volunteers’ website at https://extension.umaine.edu/gardening/master-gardeners/.

The Knox/Lincoln/Waldo Counties MGV Class of 2016-17 includes: Claire Adams, Appleton; Bill Bausch, Damariscotta; Mary Davis, Belfast; Amy Fischer, Camden; Irene Gerny, Boothbay; Anne Goodale, Tenants Harbor; Jack Green, Union; Kent Harlow, Lincolnville; Karen Jordan, Spruce Head; Marianne McKinney, Belfast; Aimee Moffitt-Mercer, Monroe; Gail Presley, Rockland; Wendy Roberts, Cushing; Kim Sullivan, Belfast; Erika Taylor, Union; Christina Vincent, North Haven; and Gabrielle Wicklow, Camden.