Master Gardeners host ‘Open Garden’ in Brentwood-Darlington

INCLUDES IN-THE-GARDEN VIDEO | Take a look at what took place in this outer East Portland ‘super garden’ at their annual public event …

Scores of visitors come to tour the Multnomah County Master Gardener Association Demonstration Garden during their annual Open Garden.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

Back again this year, and bigger than ever, was the Multnomah County Master Gardener Association (MCMGA) Demonstration Garden Open Garden event at their campus in the Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood.

Take our brief video tour of this event, as it was unfolding:

The more than 150 folks who came took a self-guided tour of this one-acre educational garden, where MCMGA volunteers were stationed to answer questions about the many and varied kinds of agriculture taking place there.

Greeting visitors are MCMGA Demonstration Garden Co-Chair Linda Goldser, Garden Intern Sheena Raab, and Master Gardener Janet Jones.

“We were all very busy throughout the day, and the visitors and the volunteers all had smiles – so it was a success, in my opinion,” MCMGA Demonstration Garden Co-chair Linda Goldser told East Portland News afterwards.

Goldser reminisced how, back in 2017, this acre was simply a rocky meadow of grass and weeds. “We’ve made improvements every year; and with the help of our members and community volunteers we maintain the garden. So, we enjoy ‘showing it off’ to our many visitors.”

MCMGA member since 2011, Sally Campbell explains how their “Dry Farming Bed” produces crops without irrigation during the dry season.

In addition to teaching, the Multnomah County Master Gardener Association donates all the edibles produced at the garden to two local food pantries; that adds up to as much as 1,900 pounds of food, said Goldser.

“We’re part of the OSU Extension Master Gardener program, which trains volunteers to serve as community educators,” Goldser pointed out. “The Demonstration Garden is a fabulous place – it’s not only where volunteers can learn, but where the general public can work beside Master Gardeners – or simply come to visit and enjoy the garden.”

Guests learn a variety of gardening techniques from MCMGA volunteers, as they walk through this unique garden.

Find out more about the MCMGA by visiting their website: CLICK HERE.

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