It’s been a long winter. The ground is still frozen in places. Will we ever be able to plant our flowers and zucchini and potatoes?
We will. The time will come. And when it does, the Mat-Su Master Gardeners Association will be ready.
We spoke with Mat-Su Master Gardeners president Jenny Weaver to find out about the organization and about gardening in the Mat-Su.
Weaver says, the first thing to get straight is that the Master Gardeners is not an elitist band of experts. They don’t have their heads in the clouds looking down on us mere mortals. They don’t see themselves as experts. They are always learning. And they are likely to make fun of themselves when they get together.
You must take a class from the Cooperative Extension Service and pass a test to become a Master Gardener. The class meets online between December and February every year.
The Mat-Su Master Gardeners has about 80 members.
Weaver joined in 2022 after taking the Extension class and passing the test. She’s been president of the club for two years.
She’s been gardening at her home near Lazy Mountain for much longer, about 30 years. You might think she already knew it all before taking the class. Not so, she says. In fact, she says she learned how much she didn’t know.”
The learning continues. One of the lessons Weaver talks about is that Alaska is different. The Mat-Su area is different. Even your own neighborhood is going to have unique soil, unique light, unique weather. And each year is different.
Have you heard people say you should plant on Memorial Day every summer? Weaver doesn’t care so much for that advice. She would rather pay close attention to the soil and the weather.
That is especially true this year.
We had the strangest winter in Weaver’s memory. A deep freeze in the fall. The windstorms. It was a long, cold winter. Soil is still frozen four inches down in some places. It might take a while for it to warm up.
However, this is a heady time for gardeners in the Mat-Su. The last few years have seen new farms popping up. And more farms means gardeners get easier access to seeds and other resources. Weaver praised the local farming community for their generosity to gardeners.
And there’s a seed library in Sutton. The Recycling Center offers free pots to gardeners.
Weaver says it’s all part of a gardening renaissance. People are more concerned about food security.
The Master Gardeners meet the first Monday of the month at the Rebarchek Farm on the Alaska State Fairgrounds. The meetings are open to the public.
They plant and tend the flowers at the Palmer Veterans and Pioneer home. They host an annual plant sale at the Palmer Pavillion. This year, it’s on May 30. They will host the statewide Master Gardeners Conference next year.
Find out more about the Mat-Su Master Gardeners at matsumastergardeners.com.
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This Page Two article was reported by David Cheezem and produced by yours truly, Lee Henrikson.
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That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Wednesday May 6, 2026.
[Photo Credit: Jenny Weaver]