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NEWPORT — The Pend Oreille County Master Gardeners are $8,500 away from completing their project to expand and replace the “dilapidated” fence around the Demonstration Garden.
Through their annual plant sales, the MGs have raised about $9,000 and have recently received a $2,500 grant from the Kalispel Tribe of Indians for Demonstration Garden program support.
The garden project’s cost is $20,000, which includes $15,000 just to expand and replace the fence and an additional $5,000 to purchase soil, raised beds, hardscaping, drip irrigation supplies, signage and plants.
“We have applied for additional grant funding but are also looking to the local community for help,” Dixie Chichester, Master Gardener Foundation president, said in a Master Gardener press release.
Located on Circle Drive in Newport, the Demo Garden is open to the public from dawn to dusk daily during the growing season.
The MGs use the Demo Garden to teach gardening techniques to the community through public education classes, demonstrations and guided tours. Educational signs are posted throughout the Demo Garden, and the public is encouraged to visit it for free, self-guided tours. All produce grown in the Demo Garden is donated to the Newport Food Bank; over the last 10 years, the MGs have donated close to 1 ton of produce to help feed the community.
Donations can be mailed to the Washington State Master Gardener Foundation, Pend Oreille Chapter, Washington State University/Pend Oreille Extension Office, P.O. Box 5045, Newport, WA 99156.
The WSMGF’s Pend Oreille Chapter is a registered nonprofit, and donations may be tax-deductible.For more information about the Demo Garden, contact the MGs at [email protected].
