When Judy Meyer entered the working world as a young woman in Chicago, her options were limited.
“You could be a nurse, a teacher or a secretary. That was about it,” Meyer said.
She had never heard the word ‘horticulture’ before, referring to garden cultivation and management.
Years after moving to Seward, Meyer, now a retired nurse, found a love for gardening.
“If I had known about horticulture, I may have done that as a career,” she said.
Meyer has spent the past 22 years as a certified Master Gardener with the University of Nebraska – Lincoln Extension program.
The Seward County Master Gardeners spent a hot day May 12 cleaning up the flower beds at the fairgrounds as part of their commitment to beautifying the community’s public spaces.
In order to become a Master Gardener, one must complete 42 hours of training and volunteer 40 hours of plant-related work in their first year.
After that, they have to volunteer 30 hours a year and earn 15 hours of continuing education in order to maintain their certification.
Kim Doerr completed her certification in March and is already well on her way to completing her volunteer hours. She was part of the group of five women working at the fairgrounds last Thursday.
The group pulled weeds and spread mulch around the daylilies, mums and rosebushes near the welcome sign, snack shack and other areas of the fairgrounds.
Meyer said they try to choose plants that will bloom throughout the season, especially during the county fair in early August.
Cindy Snyder, now in her fifth year as a Master Gardener, said the group visits the fairgrounds about every two weeks, or as often as needed, to pull weeds, mulch and water plants.
“It’s supposed to be a really dry year this year, so we’re trying to preserve the soil moisture and prevent weeds because they really like the dry weather,” Snyder said.
The Master Gardeners are active in other parts of the county, as well.
They spent May 11 cleaning up beds at the Seward County Historical Society Museum in Goehner.
Years ago, they helped plant The Garden at the trailhead at Plum Creek Park.
Snyder said working with the garden areas can be relaxing as well as a service to the community.
“You get to be with a great group of ladies and take part in caring for creation,” she said.
Others who volunteered at the fairgrounds last week included longtime Master Gardeners Carol Dougherty of Seward and Marilyn Bechtel of Beaver Crossing.
Nebraska has more than 800 Master Gardeners across all 93 counties. Last year, they volunteered a collective 25,000 hours and reached more than 300,000 youth and adults with their activities.
