Westmoreland course on gardening on a budget set to expand from New Kensington to Delmont

From soil testing to seed-saving, members of the Penn State Extension Master Gardener program are preparing to guide Westmoreland County residents through the process of growing their own vegetables.

Spaces are limited for the free six-week Seed to Supper course at the Delmont Public Library beginning March 20. The Delmont program is new this year, following the course set by a New Kensington program.

Participants follow classroom instruction with hands-on experience planting seeds. The program has adopted a raised-bed garden at a New Kensington church; a planting area has yet to be pinned down for the Delmont sessions.

“Over the past two years, some of the participants have maintained the New Kensington garden throughout the summer,” said Westmoreland Master Gardener coordinator Mandy L. Smith. “They’ve been able to distribute produce around the neighborhood and given some to the (church) food pantry.

“It really became a community,” said New Kensington course instructor and master gardener Jeanine Mazak-Kahne. “It became more than just a series of classes. People shared their (gardening) successes and their struggles and we talked about what they learned.”

“A good percentage of participants have gardened before, but we definitely focus on gardening on a budget as well as using what you have on hand. If you only have a small space, we talk about container gardening,” Smith said.

Participants will receive seeds that were donated to the Penn State program, with the master gardener instructors also taking into account the types of plant. Last year, students also were given a weeding tool.

“We try to give them at least one garden tool, based on our budget,” Smith said.

Penn State Extension began rolling out Seed to Supper courses in 2020, based on a program in Oregon.

Smith said the program was piloted locally in New Kensington in part because its downtown has been a food desert since the closure of a Shop ‘n Save supermarket, also in 2020. She said local master gardeners want to provide outreach at a new weekly New Kensington farmers market that is expected to begin on April 19.

Master gardeners wanted to establish a second Seed to Supper site more centrally located in the county, Smith said. After one trial session last year at Greensburg’s First United Methodist Church, they’ve looked to the Delmont library, where they’ve held previous programs.

The two sites will allow participants to try their hand with different crops: earlier-growing lettuce and peas in Delmont; later tomatoes and peppers at New Kensington.

“Around here, you can plant peas probably in mid-April or even early April,” said Marilyn Reeder, a master gardener from Murrysville. She has helped to lead Seed to Supper sessions in New Kensington and Greensburg and will be among the instructors in Delmont.

To begin with, she said, “We teach them how heavy their soil is. You take a soil sample, add water and shake it up. As it settles, you can tell how dense your soil is.

“We talk about root systems. If you trample on your garden soil and you’re compressing it , it’s going to be harder for the plants to grow through it.”

Other topics in the course include planning and maintaining a garden, composting, harvesting crops and protecting them from pests and foraging wildlife. Reeder said including certain strong-scented plants amid vegetable crops can help discourage deer from feeding on them.

The New Kensington participants learned to plant seeds as well as seedlings, including strawberries and some herbs.

“It’s a very hands-on experience,” said Mazak-Kahne.

Course participants may have other gardening tips acquired from their family that they can share, Reeder is trying out a collapsible tower for growing tomatoes that she learned about from a student.

“There’s always continuous learning,” Smith said. “The biggest thing about gardening is it’s one big experiment. There are going to be failures and there are going to be successes.

“You have to do your research and see what works. Go to reliable resources, the Penn State Extension and universities, and learn from those experts, and know your soil and your climate zone.”

Participants should be able to commit to the Seed to Supper program across the growing season. Course sessions will be held on Thursdays, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in Delmont.

The course is free but is limited to a maximum of about 18 students per site and requires submission of an application.

“So far, we haven’t turned anybody away,” said Smith. She added, “We try to give precedence to those people who really do need to grow food on a budget.”

Those interested in attending Seed to Supper sessions may contact Smith at mls302@psu.edu or 724-837-1402.