Master gardeners help with yardwork

Brian Johnson/Herald Master Gardeners help decorate Tanya Kerrs' front lawn at 929 South Cedar. Kerr, who suffered serious head trauma from a car accident earlier this year, is no longer able to maintain the lawns upkeep. According to Kerrs' grandfather Dean Harth, Tanya is very thankful for what the gardeners are doing.

By Brian Johnson

Nevada Herald

Eight Master Gardeners picked up their shovels, hoes, cypress mulch and plants Thursday evening to help out their fellowman with a little lawnwork at 929 S. Cedar.

"This is great," said homeowner Pam Harth. "It's wonderful. I can't believe it." Pam's not the only one who likes what she sees.

According to her husband, Dean Harth, the house is for her granddaughter, Tanya Kerr, who suffered a serious head injury earlier this year in a car accident. Because of the injury, she can no longer take care of herself let alone do lawnwork. That's why the gardeners are here, to make the yard as maintenance free as possible.

The eight gardeners planted a variety of plants like maple trees, dwarf spruce and ground covers. They even fixed Kerr's bird bath which has seen better days.

Dean Harth says that even though Kerr can't understand what the volunteers are doing, if she could, she would thank them for all their work.

According to Master Gardener Pam Miller, she and the other seven volunteers took a class to become master gardeners.

When you become a Master Gardener, you are required to put in at least 30 hours of community service in the first year. But it doesn't stop there. To keep the title, you have to put in 20 hours or more every year after that, or lose the title of master gardener.

"This is our first project this year," Miller said. "When this house is finished off it might make their neighbors do something with their lawns." Even though some of the gardners have to be there to fulfill their community service, you couldn't tell from their actions.

Throughout the night the volunteers laughed and joked while fixing Tayna's front lawn. Even when they hit a snag everyone seemed cheerful.

"It would be nice to see how it looks in the fall," Miller said.

Ed Ortstadt, from Adrian, came a long distance to continue his community service. But that doesn't bother him. He says that he'll do it again.

"Oh yeah, I'll do it again," Ortstadt said. "I'll try to do something closer to my area though."

After the job was done and the gardeners left, Pam and Dean Harth sat on the front porch and looked at what the gardeners did.

"It's wonderful," Dean said. "It's wonderful."