Two green thumbs, way up!

Margaret was interested in learning gardening, but didn't know how to get started. She read in the Lakes Area Senior Activity Center's newsletter last year that they were working on starting plants for their annual plant sale. Margaret signed up to volunteer and came in on the first morning to help where she could.

The plant sale volunteers were already started when Margaret arrived. They greeted her and took her into the area where she was going to be helping out. Everything was laid out on the work bench in the order it needed to be done. Seedling flats first, dirt mixed in a wheelbarrow and the packages of tomato seeds that were yet to be planted. Margaret volunteered to be the dirt packer so she could watch the whole process from start to finish. With everyone working together, having fun while volunteering, the end result was rows of planted tomatoes.

The second week, when Margaret came to volunteer, she was amazed at how the tomato plants were up already. She was curious about how they would be separated into individual pots and Rudy Hillig was more than happy to explain the process to her. Rudy is a wealth of knowledge and expertise when it comes to plants. He has assisted with the center's plant sale for the past three years.

Margaret was intrigued by the process and watched Rudy gently separate the young tomato plants. Each tomato was replanted into a pot of its own. Margaret began working on a flat of her own and in no time she had 20 tomato plants in new pots. Margaret volunteered planting other seeds for the plant sale, but her favorite was still the tomatoes that she had started. When it came time for the plant sale, the tomatoes Margaret had started from seed were over eight inches tall.

Margaret enjoyed meeting other volunteers, had fun learning how to grow plants and felt good about helping the senior center with a successful fundraiser.

The senior center plant sale this year will be from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 13-15.

DEANN BARRY is the Lakes Area Senior Activity Center director.