Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Master Gardeners Roni Dick of Adel and April Scrivener of Dallas Center stepped in to lend a hand to the Adel Rotary Club Tuesday by sprucing up the plantings at the Dallas County Courthouse.
The southeast corner of the courthouse square was much tidier thanks to their efforts and those of Scrivener’s granddaughter, 6-year-old Abby Freeman of Van Meter. The youngster did not seem to care for the smell of the chicken manure used to fertilize the plot but was otherwise a helpful player.
Scrivener said the ISU Master Gardener program and the Dallas County Master Gardeners group are always open to new members. Dallas County has about 30 active Master Gardeners who contributed nearly 1,400 volunteer hours and 260 educational hours in communities around the county every year.
She said service hours are spent helping in community gardens, helping local businesses and organizations map out landscaping plans, assisting students with science projects related to horticulture and similar projects, while educational hours go toward attending horticulture webinars and live presentations about how to support local food systems and rehab efforts of indigenous Iowa wild life and on ways to cope with invasive pests.
