As we welcome a New Year, many gardeners are gearing up for a fresh start in their gardens. Several learning opportunities for gardeners are available locally this year. Though the UH Master Gardener Volunteer Training Program will not be offered in 2019 and neither the Kona Outdoor Circle Education Center nor local nurseries are holding gardening education classes, other possibilities exist. The monthly gardening helpline article here in the paper is one good informational source.
The Kailua-Kona Public Library is also stepping up to fill some of the void.
The Community Seed Library, sponsored by the Friends of the Libraries, Kona (F.O.L.K.) has decided to offer some in-depth gardening workshops as part of their series of monthly gardening presentations. These workshops will be an hour and a half in length and will be conducted by instructors who are experienced teachers and well versed in their subject. Workshops will be followed by a half-hour question and answer period when needed.
The topics for this year’s workshops will include tree and shrub pruning, soil fertility, pest control and native plants. These workshops will be offered on Saturdays: Feb. 2, April 6, June 1 and Aug. 3, respectively. All will begin at 10 a.m. and end before noon. One hour classes in orchid care, culinary herbs, beneficial insects and invasive species as well as an annual seed exchange in October will also be included in the CSL offerings at the library.
If you cannot attend these workshops or classes, advice and help is available in several other places. The Kona Master Gardener helpline is staffed weekly with local UH certified Master Gardener graduates on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon. They are at the UH-CES in Kainaliu at 322-4893 or you can contact them with questions anytime at konamg@ctahr.hawaii.edu.
Several local nurseries have knowledgeable staff that can offer growing advice. Tropical Edibles Nursery in Captain Cook as well as Hawaii Gardens in Kona both stock edible and ornamental plants and can provide accurate information on caring for them.
If you are seeking help with installing a garden, landscaping your property or improving a farm, check out the consulting services of FarmWorks Hawaii at farmworkshawaii.com.
Though the internet can often provide a good source of information, some of it may not address the issues we face in our tropical climate. Of course, many good gardening books are available at your local library. Just know that help is available. You only need to access it.
Keep gardening,
Diana Duff