Ellen has been a champion of the Texas Master Gardener mission throughout her years of service. Ellen has consistently taken a leadership role within the organization. She served as president in 2014, during which time she developed a five-year plan for the organization. She has also planned and organized conferences, workshops, and other external events. Ellen has promoted the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Wood County Master Gardener (WCMG) program at local festivals and events so that we are seen as a county-wide asset.
With her background in education, training has been a key point in Ellen’s service. She has delivered courses for trainees in home vegetable gardening, greenhouse management, and Texas Superstars. She hosted the 2017 trainee class at her home with a tour of her greenhouse, compost bins, and gardens. She has also developed and delivered training to Master Gardeners on safe use of pesticides and garden journaling, among others. Ellen also has throughout the years designed, developed, and delivered training to residents of Wood County and neighboring counties. She pioneered a program in ‘Family Gardening’, targeted to children and their parents/grandparents, with weekly practical sessions covering topics such as rainwater harvesting, composting, and gardening in raised beds. Each week the participants received materials such as a rain barrel to help them implement the gardens at their home:
Ellen was a key speaker at the County Extension Agent’s ‘Lunch and Learn’ series, speaking on Integrated Pest Management. Ellen has also been a feature speaker at WCMG conferences, covering topics such as greenhouse management, vegetable gardening, and the lasagna method of building the soil. Additionally, she has written articles for the WCMG newsletter and local newspapers, covering topics such as pruning, growing grapes, tools in the garden, solarization, and more. Over the years, Ellen has applied her gardening skills to helping the community. She has consulted on many gardening projects, providing the latest science-based information to local gardeners. She has grown vegetable starts for distribution at WCMG events, such as conferences, farmers markets, and workshops. During the pandemic, she grew and distributed vegetables to local food banks, further demonstrating how WCMG can help support the community. She has shown what it is to be a Texas Master Gardener, not just in name but by her actions.