How Does Your Garden Grow?

Gardening column branches out with new author

By Katherine Clarkson
Posted 11/14/19

Hello, before I begin I would like to thank Suzanne Larsen for her years of dedication and commitment to writing this gardening column. Over the years, I have had the privilege to get to know and …

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How Does Your Garden Grow?

Gardening column branches out with new author

Posted

Hello, before I begin I would like to thank Suzanne Larsen for her years of dedication and commitment to writing this gardening column. Over the years, I have had the privilege to get to know and develop a friendship with Suzanne. I am honored that she entrusted me with this column!

Now, you might wonder who I am and what my credentials are. I am also a Park County master gardener, an individual passionate about plants, education and a zealous cook! My name is Katherine Clarkson and I will continue to write “How Does Your Garden Grow.”

My love for gardening goes back to childhood, when I used to help my mother pull weeds and tend to her garden. I was in awe of the beauty of flowers and loved watching various plants mature — it was love at first sight! Throughout the years I enjoyed taking horticulture classes at the Buffalo Botanical Garden in New York. During those classes, I learned about the primary anatomy of plants, plant propagation and landscape design. When I moved to Wyoming, determined to be a master gardener, I registered for the classes, completed the program, finished my volunteer/continuing education hours and became an official master gardener within a year.

Having enthusiasm for education, I learn from my peers, publications and various classes. I also love teaching children the value of gardening. At Wapiti Elementary School, with the help of my community and students, we beautified the front flower bed at the school using the “lasagna” gardening technique. We have sunflowers that are 15 feet tall, and harvested, and cooked kale twice this year. We also grow microgreens year-round. But the most gratifying part is hearing a kindergarten student use words like germination and say kale chips are “the best chips in the world!”

With experience cooking professionally for over 20 years, I will write about different edible plants and how to integrate them with seasonal cooking. There are few things more gratifying than growing the vegetables you cook with. In addition, I will discuss different plants and their medicinal purposes. Nature provides answers to stress, colds and many other ailments, and I would love to share that knowledge with you.

I would love this to be an interactive column — please share with me your questions, expectations and suggestions. My email is katherineclarkson2@gmail.com.

Thank you, and I am looking forward to our marvelous journey together!

 

(Katherine Clarkson is the president of the Park County Master Gardeners. She lives in Wapiti.)

How Does Your Garden Grow

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