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

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 vegetable gardening practices. They will outline where and when to plant a vegetable garden and care for it optimally. They will describe starting seeds indoors to get a jump on the growing season. They will discuss how to extend the growing period so that your garden produces vegetables in all four seasons.

Audreen Williams has been a Clallam County Master Gardener since 2012. Her favorite Master Gardener activities occur at the 5th 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. Williams was the 2014 and 2019 Master Gardener of the Year. She has attained the Lifetime Achievement status with Clallam County Master Gardeners.

Cindy Ericksen, a nurse by profession, has many years of gardening experience. Since becoming a Master Gardener in 2006, she has grown and contributed thousands of vegetable starts to the 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. Ericksen 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. Cain was the 2009 Master Gardener Intern of the Year and the 2011 Master Gardener of the Year. Cain has attained the Lifetime Achievement status with Clallam County Master Gardeners.

This presentation is part of the Clallam County Master Gardener’s Digging Deeper educational series. Digging Deeper presentations are free and open to the public. They are held from 10:30 am to 12 noon on the first and third Saturdays of most months and cover basic gardening topics relevant to most home gardeners. Sessions are scheduled for 90-minutes to allow for demonstrations (or videos) and questions from viewers.

“Getting Your Vegetable Garden Going” will be held live via ZOOM at https://wsu.zoom.us/j/92007991742?pwd=OWxtbmNBditKd3ordjA2WEFyME9PUT09. To join by phone: 253 215 8782; Meeting ID: 920 0799 1742; Passcode: 709395.

You also can link to the presentation through the Clallam County Master Gardener Calendar at https://extension.wsu.edu/clallam/master-gardener-calendar/

For more information about “Getting Your Vegetable Garden Going” or the Digging Deeper series call 360-477-0116.

To learn about other Clallam County Master Gardener events, please visit https://extension.wsu.edu/clallam/mg/educational-activities/