By: Rachel Melvin, Queen Anne’s County Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator & Horticulture Educator

As a child, I was lucky enough to grow up in a rural setting. To many this rural setting could be very desolate and secluded, but to my brothers and I it was a child’s paradise. The closest child our age was at least a mile away, so we spent a majority of our time exploring the woods looking for snakes or in the tax ditches catching turtles or in the garden catching spiders. I can’t remember one summer spent indoors or without starting the school year without bumps or bruises. We did not grow up on a “farm” per se, but we always had a garden, chickens, and a few sheep. Our garden provided an abundance of fresh tasty veggies and our chickens gave us a daily supply of eggs. So, what’s the point of this short background story? It is estimated that the average consumer is now more than three generations removed from the farm or ranch. We are not aware of where our food comes from other than the store. But there is a light at the end of this dark tunnel. Why not learn to grow our own food? In our back yard, in the ground, in a raised bed or in a container are all great ways to get started. Not only will we be renewing the connection to growing our own food, but we will also be showing our children that carrots grow under the ground and watermelons grow on a vine. Even more exciting, we might even save a little money on the cost of food!

The University of Maryland Extension – Queen Anne’s Master Gardener Volunteers will be holding several Grow It Eat It classes throughout Queen Anne’s in March. The Grow It Eat It campaign is collaboration between the University of Maryland Extension Master Gardener Volunteers and the Home and Garden Information Center. This venture addresses the growing need of Marylanders to learn how to start and maintain successful food gardens. As part of Maryland’s Food Gardening Network, Queen Anne’s County Master Gardener Volunteers offer Beginner Vegetable Garden classes and workshops. All classes and workshops are free and open to the public and will be given by Master Gardener Volunteers across Queen Anne’s County at community locations and to groups upon request. Our vision is one million gardeners in the state producing their own affordable, healthy food.

March Class schedule:
• Tuesday, March 8, 2011 from 7 to 8 pm-Beyond Potatoes and Tomatoes: How to Grow and Eat lesser known Vegetables at the Kent County Extension Office in Chestertown, MD
• Wednesday, March 9, 2011 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm-Plant Choices, Planting & Garden Design at the Queen Anne’s County Free Public Library in Stevensville
• Thursday, March 10, 2011 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.- Basic Vegetable Gardening: 12 simple steps for starting a Vegetable Garden at the Sudlersville Memorial Library
• Wednesday, March 23, 2011 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.- Growing healthy habits for children at the Queen Anne’s County Free Public Library in Centreville

For more information contact Rachel Melvin, Horticulture Educator with University of Maryland Extension-Queen Anne’s County at (410)758-0166 or at rmelvin1@umd.edu . Also check out the Maryland Food Gardening Network-Grow It Eat It program at http://growit.umd.edu , for more tips on growing great gardens.

University of Maryland Extension programs are open to everyone without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, or disability