Although the north Olympic Peninsula enjoys relatively mild winters, our long cool springs, moderate summers, and early arrival of cooler fall temperatures make vegetable gardening a challenge for some. With a few tricks, however, local home gardeners can have a bountiful vegetable harvest.

Here’s a direct link to the Zoom presentation.

On Saturday, March 19, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon, Clallam County Master Gardeners Audreen Williams, Cindy Ericksen, and Bob Cain will teach local gardeners how to grow vegetables successfully on the North Olympic Peninsula. They will discuss how the local climate affects crop selection and gardening practices. They will outline where and when to plant a vegetable garden and how to provide optimal care. They will describe starting seeds indoors and the risks and benefits of doing so. They will outline what you can do to harvest vegetables from your garden in all four seasons.

Audreen Williams has been a Clallam County Master Gardener since 2012. Her favorite Master Gardener activities occur at the Fifth Street Community Garden in Port Angeles where she oversees the Master Gardener plots and blueberry patch, assists the 4-H Garden Club, and coordinates the Second Saturday Garden Walks. Audreen was the 2014 and 2019 Master Gardener of the Year. She has attained the Lifetime Achievement status with Clallam County Master Gardeners.

A nurse by profession, Cindy Ericksen has years of gardening experience. Since becoming a Master Gardener in 2006, she has grown and contributed thousands of healthy starts to the spring Master Gardener plant sale. She has been an avid supporter of the Master Gardener Youth Enrichment Program (YEP) in which Master Gardeners visit second grade classes throughout Clallam County to teach students about plants. Cindy has attained the Lifetime Achievement status with Clallam County Master Gardeners.

Bob Cain has more than 40 years of gardening experience in Scotland, Ireland, Colorado, and Washington. He joined Clallam County Master Gardeners in 2009 and is a frequent contributor to local newspaper gardening columns and radio programs. He was the Manager of the Woodcock Demonstration Garden for 7 years and has helped to raise thousands of pounds of produce for the Sequim Food Bank. Bob was the 2009 Master Gardener Intern of the Year, 2011 Master Gardener of the Year, and has attained the Lifetime Achievement status with Clallam County Master Gardeners.

Digging Deeper presentations are held on the first and third Saturdays of most months and cover basic gardening topics relevant to many home gardeners. Presentations are free and open to the public and are scheduled for 90-minutes to allow for demonstrations (or videos) and questions from viewers.