Mat-Su Master Gardener Conference April 22

The Mat-Su Master Gardeners Association (MSMGA) will hold its annual Alaska State Master Gardener Conference Saturday, April 22, at the Palmer Depot. MSMGA intended to enhance and supplement the University of Alaska Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener Program. It also promotes dissemination of gardening information, available as a result of university study and experimentation, to Alaska citizens.

Hour or half-hour presentations on a variety of topics are on the day's schedule. Registration/check-in runs for the first half-hour beginning at 8 a.m. From there, covered topics will include: a brief introduction from Mat-Su Master Gardeners Conference Chair Lois Rockcastle ; Stephen Brown-UAF Cooperative Extension Service, welcome and master gardener/ cooperative extension service update; Marion Owen- author, gardener, photographer, and "feerless weeder". She will also provide the keynote presentation "Restarting my Plant-based Life".

Other morning presentations will come from: Craig Smith-USDA-NRCS, NRCS High Tunnel Program; Rob Brown-Flattop Farm, Grafting Tomatoes, Muskmelons, and Watermelons; Jan Newman-Grow Palmer Local Food for Everyone.

The conference will then break for lunch at noon provided by Turkey Red. Speakers pick back up at 1:15 p.m. with: Cindee Karns -Alaska Cold Climate Permaculture Institute, What the Heck is Permaculture?; Karen E. Ross-The Foundation for Functional Fermented Food, Fermenting Essentials; Ellen Vande Visse-​Mat-Su Borough Solid Waste Division, Let Worms Eat your Garbage; and Marion Owen-The Joy of Photography. Rockcastle will wrap things up with closing remarks.

For more information, visit http://www.matsumastergardeners.com/2017-mg-conference.html.