Catalyst Park community garden beds

WSU Mason County Master Gardeners are starting the 2023 season at their Catalyst Park garden, at the corner of 8th Street and Harvard Avenue in Shelton. This multipurpose space serves as a demonstration garden and houses a community garden, a greenhouse and a food bank garden that donates 2,000 to 3,000 pounds of produce to The Saints’ Pantry Food Bank every year.

This past winter, Master Gardeners worked hard to improve the community garden beds. The area now showcases a variety of raised-bed gardening methods. A new, more efficient irrigation system also is being installed to reduce costs and educate visitors about water conservation.

Community gardeners are able to pay a small annual fee to rent a 4-foot by 8-foot bed, a 2-foot by 6-foot stock tank bed or an Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible bed. Gardeners get access to a ready-to-plant garden space, irrigation, time to chat with Master Gardeners, and free monthly educational workshops on topics such as building healthy soil, vertical and square-foot gardening, companion planting, pest management and seed saving.

If you are interested in becoming involved at Catalyst Park or getting involved with the Mason County Master Gardener Program, stop by the WSU Mason County Extension Office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday at 303 N. 4th St. in Shelton or contact Program Coordinator Tessa Halloran, at 360-427-9670 ext. 682 or [email protected].

For more information about WSU Extension Mason County and its programs, go to extension.wsu.edu/mason.Applications for community garden beds are due April 3 and are available at the Extension Office, through the program coordinator, or on the WSU Extension Mason County website.

■ Tessa Halloran is the WSU Extension Mason County Small Farms & Master Gardener Program Coordinator