Wendy's WanderingsWendy Wilber

May 9, 2019

Spotlight on Sarasota

When you think of Sarasota you think of the beautiful beaches and lush tropical landscapes. Please also think of the amazing 150 Master Gardener volunteers (MGVs) there that share their passion of tropical landscaping, edible gardening, and community outreach with the residents of Sarasota County. The MGV group is led by Dr. Pat Williams and they are headquartered at the UF/IFAS Sarasota Extension Office off of Clark road. The demonstration gardens there are in the midst of a revamp and the group just invested in an irrigation retrofit and upgrade. This is in advance of new demonstration gardens for the whole Extension complex.

The Sarasota MGVs are very active in their community. They staff 14 plant clinics at libraries, farmers markets and retail garden centers across the county 6 days a week. This industrious group is involved in 35 of the 62 school gardens in the county. And their community outreach is not confined to gardens; they take to the airwaves on WKDW 97.5 FM twice a month with a live radio show that they produce and deliver to the listeners of Sarasota County. The radio show is rebroadcast six times a month and they plan to start using Facebook Live soon.

Like many Florida Master Gardener Volunteer programs, the Sarasota group holds a plant sale fundraiser. How they produce their plants is a little different. They have a partnership with the local community college and an area high school to utilize their plant propagation and growing areas.

The Sarasota MGVs have created an extensive operational structure beyond the executive committee and now have an active marketing and communications branch. Through this committee work plans have begun for fundraising to develop the new greenhouse and educational gardens with hopes of completion in five years.

Sarasota County is also looking to recruit and enlist younger volunteers. In the past two years, 10% of the MG classes have been of non-traditional age.

-- Wendy Wilber

Three men, flanked by two women on each side, standing in front of the Sarasota County seal; one man is holding a certificate

The Sarasota County Master Gardener Volunteers were recognized by the county commission recently for their work in the community. See a brief video on YouTube.
Left to right: Deb Walk, John Cugasi, Michael A. Moran (Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners Vice Chair), Dr. Pat Williams, and Dianne Brownell. Deb, John and Dianne are all members of the Sarasota County Master Gardener Class of 2019. Photo: Steve Dawson, Sarasota County Government.

 

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