President’s Letter -- April 2026

MCMG President Linda Barrett

By MG Linda Barrett

Well, it’s officially spring with warmer weather and longer days beckoning us out into the garden. It’s also officially the beginning of our volunteer season and we have lots of activities to connect us with our community. I encourage you to consider volunteering at one of our 12 plant clinics, at community events throughout the county, or at one of our demonstration gardens. You might want to return to volunteer opportunities you’ve enjoyed in the past or explore a new volunteer opportunity … maybe you will discover a new favorite.

I look forward to seeing you sometime soon at our monthly MG meeting, a plant clinic, a demo garden, or talking with residents at a community event. 

 

Kind regards, 

Linda

Spring Sprouts Update

By MG David Colacicco

An MG prepares plants for sale in 2022.
Photo: Len Friedman

Spring Sprouts is just around the corner – a new event that will offer visitors to Derwood a Plant Sale, a Demo Garden Open House, and a Master Gardener Expo. As previously reported, the event will take place on Saturday, April 25 from 10 am-2 pm at the University of Maryland Extension Office Building in the Agricultural History Farm Park. The Plant Sale is intended to become an annual event to raise funds to support MCMG programs.

More than 600 plants encompassing 100 different varieties have been ordered. These include vegetables, tomatoes, herbs, many varieties of Maryland natives, as well as other perennials. A small selection of mixed annual flower baskets will also be available. The sale will open at 10 am for the general public. Master Gardeners will be able to purchase plants starting at noon. MGs are asked not to set aside any plants prior to that time. 

MGs are asked to park in the lower parking lot, or behind the Demo Garden. At least 35 MG volunteers are needed to facilitate the plant sale; use SignUp if you want to join in. Please contact MG Dave Colacicco if you have any questions. You can find his contact information in VMS.

Spring Plant Swap

By MG Anne Ruth

2025 Plant Swap attendees peruse the offerings.
Photo: Len Friedman

On Thursday, May 7, the Montgomery County Master Gardeners will be holding our annual Spring Plant Swap immediately following the monthly meeting at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. This year, we will be holding two types of plant swaps: the General Swap and the Pre-Arranged Swap.

The General Swap is the traditional plant swap offered in previous years. To prepare for this swap, please follow last year’s instructions. 

The Pre-Arranged Swap is a new feature this year. This swap is designed for MGs who are seeking specific items; who have ambitious gardening plans; and/or who have large items to donate but don’t want to bring them unless someone wants them. Instructions are as follows:

• In the Gardeners Connected group on Groups.io, post or email what you have to swap and what you want to swap for. You may list specific items (e.g., “purple coneflower,” “Sun Gold tomato”) or general ones (e.g., “plants for dry shade”). If an MG has something another MG wants, and wants something the same MG has, they can arrange a swap via personal email.

• On the day of the swap, please proceed to the Old Timers’ Building and park in the parking lot on the left side of the building. (See the location of the Old Timers’ Building on the Fairgrounds map.) You should plan to pick up and drop off your pre-arranged plant swaps at 9:00 am. The individual swaps will occur directly at the parked cars. Please keep a detailed list of your pre-arranged swaps and label the boxes/bags for each of your swaps. Please also make a small sign for your car with your name and a list of your swap partners so that you can easily find each other. 

• If someone does not show up for one of your pre-arranged swaps, you should either bring the unclaimed plants to the General Swap at 9:30 am or take the plants home with you. 

If you have any questions, please contact MGs Terri Valenti, Anne Ruth, or Blair Zucker. Their contact information is available on VMS. You can also post your questions to the Gardeners Connected group. We look forward to seeing you at the swap.

April 2026 MG Recognitions

By MG Linda Barrett

This month we pay special tribute to our MCMG Task Forces, and include a special note of appreciation for a long-time MG who is going on hiatus from the MCMG program.

Task Forces

The Tech Team includes MGs Chuck Dulaney, Sue DeGraba, Dick Evans, Tina Burke, and Gina Becker (pictured left to right below). We thank them for supporting our monthly MG meetings. On Zoom, they assist with displaying presentations, recording the meeting, admitting members, and posing questions from the chat to our guest speaker. And for live meetings at the Fairgrounds, the tech team must also tackle the recording of audio for announcements and guest presentations.

Social media guru MG Bev Carragher is busy posting MG events and gardening tips on several social media platforms. Bev would love to have you send her images from your garden, photos of MGs at work, and information about your MG event. Please send pictures and information to Bev and MG Len Friedman! You can find their contact information in VMS.

The Volunteer Management System (VMS) is managed by MG Katie McIe. There are about 500 people on VMS in four categories--active MGs, interns, on hiatus, and emeritus. Katie processes thousands of submissions for volunteer and continuing education hours and also provides data for state MG reports and years of service recognition. In addition, Katie helps with resetting passwords and troubleshooting the VMS.

Spring Sprouts is co-chaired by MGs Dave Colacicco and Joel Patton. The event will take place on Saturday April 25 at the Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood and will include a plant sale, Demo Garden tours, and MCMG educational tables.

The Website and Multi-media team consists of MGs Renu Murik and MG Interns Cheri Borsky and Larry Zarker. Cheri edits the MG monthly meeting recordings and posts them on the MCMG website. Renu and Larry are constantly updating the MCMG website.

The Intern survey and Intern Q&A mentoring were led by MG Intern Tracy Katoski and MG Dave Ottalini. They surveyed the 2025 interns about the MG intern class and volunteer experiences and then held a wonderful Q&A session for interns. 

Special appreciation

MG Carol Galati
Photo: MG Linda Barrett

Finally, we recognize MG Carol Galati, who is going on hiatus after 25 years of volunteer service with the Brookside Gardens Plant Clinic and the Urban Gardening table at the Silver Spring Freshfarm Market. We thank her for the passion and knowledge she has shared with the Montgomery County community for many years. 

A Closer Look at Loiederman School Farm

By MG Intern Pela Soto

Students fill raised beds at Loiederman School Farm. Photo: Hannah Sholder

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) launched the Resilience, Education, Action, Climate, Habitat (REACH) initiative in response to the MCPS Sustainability Policy adopted in July 2022. The REACH Hub and Farm at Loiederman Middle School in Aspen Hill is a pilot project of this initiative. The information about this project was provided by Kate Medina, Executive Director of the Charles Koiner Conservancy (CKC) for Urban Farming.

REACH Hub and Farm's two-mile radius.

The REACH Hub and Farm at Loiederman is a unique site where students, families, teachers, administrators, and the greater community work together under the direction of staff from the CKC to support a more equitable, sustainable, and accessible micro-food system. The REACH Hub and Farm at Loiederman has been thoughtfully designed to support food production and climate resiliency and to serve as an educational resource accessible to thousands of individuals from local schools and the greater community within a two-mile radius. The 20 public schools within this radius educate some 17,000 students, with a majority participating in the Free and Reduced Meals system (FARMS). The REACH Hub and Farm is also located within an Equity Focus Area (EFA), as defined by Montgomery Planning, and within a Low-Income and Low-Food-Access tract of the USDA Food Access Atlas.

The community programs offered at the REACH Hub and Farm at Loiederman include (1) Community Liaisons who help build partnerships; (2) Farm Volunteerships for neighbors who want to help in the gardens; (3) Farm Internships for high schoolers who want to learn about sustainable agriculture and food systems; (4) Farm Club for middle schoolers with an emphasis on art, cooking, and nutrition; (5) Care Farming for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to practice their motor skills and job readiness; and (6) Farm Markets featuring local vendors, food assistance services, workshops, concerts, and more for the public.

The Teaching Plot at Loiederman School Farm. Photo: Hannah Sholder

There are many volunteer opportunities at the REACH Hub and Farm at Loiederman that can be found on their website (although most do not qualify for MCMG volunteer hours). In addition, MGs may also want to attend one of their Urban Homesteading Workshops, some of which may qualify for MCMG continuing education credit; watch for opportunities on the MCMG Continuing Education listing (updated monthly) for approved events.