At the Brunner Farmhouse in Broomfield, Kara Kroupa is inspecting peppers as she discusses how to know when they're ready to be picked. She is a Master Gardener volunteer of three years and recently led a class on Vegetable Garden Basics.
Kroupa and a small group of community members gather around a pepper plant. The group isn't sure if they're looking at jalapeño or Anaheim peppers. They closely examined the chili, brought it up to their nose to sniff, and then Kroupa summoned the courage to take a bite.
“I may regret this,” says Kroupa. The mild spice did not hit her until a few seconds later. “So stressing the importance of labeling stuff in your garden…this is a great example.”
Kroupa is one of the more than 1,400 Master Gardener volunteers who have come through the Colorado State University Extension Master Gardener program. The program is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Since 1975, volunteers have spent time educating their communities, answering over hundreds of thousands of questions, and fostering curiosity.
Working alongside Kroupa is Shari Orr, a Master Gardener apprentice who is on her way to completing 50 hours of volunteer work. Orr has achieved this by managing informational tables at local events, leading courses such as the Vegetable Garden Basics, and replying to emails and voicemails left by those with gardening problems.
“The questions that we get asked really depend on the season,” said Orr, noting that in the spring, people want help planning their garden. “Later in the season, everyone is having problems with Japanese beetles.”
Orrs finds another teaching moment in one of the white raised beds in the garden after she spots Japanese beetles on the green leaves. Orr uses the opportunity to show newcomers an effective way to get rid of the pests. The group began knocking the scarabs off leaves and into a small paper cup containing dish soap diluted with water. This method, Orr stated, is how she and her neighbors get rid of the invasive species.
“We've actually seen through lots of studies that [beetle traps] actually attract the beetles and you get more,” said Orr. “My neighbors and I are hand picking the beetles or using approved pesticides, in some cases, to get rid of them.”
Much of the information shared by Master Gardeners is based on research and lessons learned at CSU’s Extension office. Throughout the class, Orr and Kroupa referred to these studies to back up their gardening recommendations.
When Orr started the program, she said she was looking for a volunteer opportunity that allowed her "to serve [her] local community, to learn something new, and to have some built in friends."
CSU's Master Gardener program checked all the boxes. As an added bonus, Orr has been growing more of her own food with a lot less work than before.
Gardening questions can be submitted through a link on CSU’s Master Gardener page. The next class of Master Gardeners is taking applications until September 2nd.