Al recently completed the Denton County Master Gardener program where he logged a total of 70 classroom training hours covering plant anatomy, physiology, pathology, soil characteristics and chemistry, entomology, landscape design, and plant selection. Upon completion of an additional 70 hours of work in volunteer garden projects, Al will obtain the Master Gardener designation.
Al, along with Gary Janke, serve as the OTCG Soil Coordinators, also coordinate the Lamb of God Lutheran Church Garden of Eatin’ which donates 1500-2000 lbs. of produce to the CCA Pantry Annually.
“I love nature and the life sciences, the miracle of birth and life, seed germination and plant development being parallel in the plant world," Al says. "I see the incredible productivity of the soil, the plant response to preparation, planting, caring for, and the harvest of the crop. I love working with my hands outside. There is a lot of hard work involved, but to me it is therapy for the mind and soul. It is so peaceful and rewarding. And I enjoy fresh veggies.”
"I hope the gardeners participating in the OTCG this year enjoy their experience and do not become frustrated and discouraged if the garden doesn't produce as they expect. We have a very undeveloped piece of land that we will see develop into good garden soil, but this first year will be challenging and require a lot of patience and practice. Please ask questions and learn as much as possible from fellow gardeners and any other resource available. Even with my years of experience I still have failures and bug and disease problems that keep me going back to the books."
Al, thanks for the hard work you pour into making our garden a reality, and caring enough to learn, and share your knowledge!
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