THE ENTHUSIASTS

The combination of a family of gardeners, a long career in health care, and wanting to give back to the community can be credited for master gardener Lynda Bobinski’s love for gardening.

“It’s always been an interest through my family. Both my grandmothers and parents were gardeners, so I started off at a young age. Prior to retirement, I was a nurse manager and when you’re inside working long hours, you look forward to relaxation. It’s the relaxation that you get from doing what you need to support your own well-being, which for me was gardening,” says Bobinski, coordinator of the Thunder Bay Master Gardeners. “When you’re in health care you’re sort of a lifelong learner, so when you retire you think, what am I going to do now? I figured I’d take the gardening courses at Dalhousie and learned that to do that I had to join the Master Gardener group. I like that you’re providing a valuable service to our community as well.”

The Thunder Bay Master Gardeners group was formed in 1990, as part of the Master Gardeners of Ontario, a non-profit organization of experienced gardeners who share their expertise in horticulture with the public. Becoming qualified as a Master Gardener includes the completion of courses through Guelph or Dalhousie universities, or the online self-study program. Once the education is complete, it takes two years as Master Gardener-in-training to receive the qualification.

“One of the main things that I would say to anybody that wants to become a Master Gardener is to not worry about what you currently know or what you

“If you want to join our group and become a Master Gardener-intraining, contact us. We are very open to people attending our meetings to see what it’s like.”

may find out that you need to know. This is a very supportive group, and we are here to help,” she says. “If you want to join our group and become a Master Gardener-in-training, contact us. We are very open to people attending our meetings to see what it’s like.”

The Master Gardeners are quite active in the community and host many events throughout the year. These include their annual Look, Listen and Learn event held in June, various workshops, clinics, presentations, both Murillo and Hymers fall fairs, and online information sessions, which began during COVID. The group is thrilled to be able to offer events in person again and is optimistic that they can host their yearly Garden Tour held in conjunction with Thunder Bay Art Gallery. The local chapter ranges all the way from the Manitoba border to Hearst, with events held in other locations within the region as well.

The Master Gardeners are pleased to have noticed an influx of younger gardeners expressing interest and love to be able to impart their knowledge and help learners. They are active on their Facebook group and welcome any and all gardening questions including those on vegetables, flowers, native plants, invasive species, seeding, pruning, and more.

For more information, find @MasterGardenersThunderBay on Facebook, or visit their website at tbmastergardeners. homesteadcloud.com.