The Master Gardeners have been informing Ballardites on safe, sound and sustainable urban gardening projects for the last four years with weekly clinics at the Ballard Farmers market and will celebrate their fifth season on Sunday, May 1st.

"I want to celebrate our fifth season on May Day and thank the market, the community and Ballard by asking, "what can we do for you?"," said clinic leader, Jeff Bidwell. "The market has gone out of its way to make room for us and we’re very grateful."

Part of Washington State University’s extension program, the Master Gardener Program started in King County in 1972 to address the need of home gardeners for horticultural information.  Today, the Master Gardener Program has grown to be one of the largest in the world and exists in all 50 states and many other countries.

Master Gardener volunteers are trained para-professionals who work in the community as urban gardening advisors and resources for home gardeners. Originally focused on diagnosing plant problems, the program now also offers proactive educational programs that address critical issues such as water quality protection and safer pest management practices.

"We are the garden guides," Bidwell said. "We show people what to plant and when and show them what’s good and what’s healthy."

Five years ago, the Ballard Farmers Market organizers gave Bidwell and his group donated space to serve as a resource to community gardeners.

“They see the value of what we bring, which is information,” said clinic co-leader, Sarah Makar. “WSU is the repository of a huge amount of great information. It’s our job to get the information out to the community."

Makar added that the Farmers Market is the perfect place to disseminate the information because ”people get inspired by the fresh produce and get caught up in eating local and wanting to grow their own stuff. We help them do that.”

To become a Master Gardener, one has to take three months of intensive training at the Center of Urban Agriculture and spend two years interning at clinics.

This year the Master Gardener's Sunday clinic group is the largest yet with 17 members.

Intern Mike Sharpe recently finished his training and said he joined the program because he always loved gardening but never found the time.

“I’ve loved gardening ever since I was a kid but over the years, due to school and work, I didn’t do it," Sharpe said. "When I retired I decided to start the Master Gardening class."

Shannon Dunn said she started gardening when she settled down in Ballard after having lived in New York city for over 30 years.

"I gradually started to do this gardening thing," she said. "I made all the classic mistakes, wasted a lot of money and started looking for information.”

Now, Dunn is able to share the information she has learned with hundreds of people who stroll through the Sunday Farmers Market.

The free Master Gardener clinics will start on May 1st at the Ballard Farmers Market and will run from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. every Sunday until September 25th.

"If you have a patch of grass in front of your house, dig it up and start a garden," Bidwell said. "And come see us for help."

Jeff Bidwell and his wife will start sharing their gardening expertise outside the clinic with a monthly column right at BallardNewsTribune.com. Start looking for the column titled Dishin the Dirt in mid-April.