This is an important year for me and my wife.  We made a 180-degree turn in our lives, leaving 15-year corporate careers, moved cross-country, and were fortunate enough to land here in Albany.  Our plan is to raise a family here, volunteer back to the community, and learn things that passed us by in our busy thirty-something lives.  That is why I joined the OSU Master Gardener program, and volunteer time to the OSU Linn County Master Gardener Demonstation Garden.

 When you walk into the garden you see why this is such an important place in our county. It's alive!  There are big projects, little trials, and demonstrations.  It is about small plots that tie together into a larger idea, like a neighborhood.  But best of all it is about the people. I gain wisdom and knowledge not only in the garden, but the community and its past.  It is the stories and experiences that bond us together.  For me, the volunteers and visitors make each trip worth it.  

 If you are interested in vegetable gardening techniques, espalier-pruned fruit trees, interesting native plantings, composting and vermiculture methods, hardscaping ideas, living walls, drip irrigation and water features, visit the Demonstration Garden.  All can be found at the garden, with warm faces behind them that make it all work.

 by Jim Lomax, Master Gardener