“Let’s Grow Together” – Exciting News Coming to the Air!

Pretlow Library reached out to Norfolk Master Gardeners recently with a pretty cool proposal. They revamped their facilities after the pandemic and opened up a great new “maker space.” This collaborative workspace includes a sound booth for recording many different kinds of ventures. Pretlow offered us the chance to create a gardening podcast series using their equipment and we thought this was a great opportunity to explore gardening in a conversational way and air varied and diverse voices.

Tying in with our newsletter for the gardening public, our podcast series will also be titled “Let’s Grow Together.” The podcasts will cover a wide range of gardening news and issues in the coastal Virginia region. Topics will vary widely from promoting Norfolk Master Gardener events – including classes and plant sales, city events like tree giveaways, personal stories of gardening interest, ongoing projects, how-to talks, when-to talks, what-not-to-do talks… the list is endless.

Everyone has something they can add to the discussion and most talks will be about 20-30 minutes long. The podcast format is very forgiving and is a friendly environment. I encourage all Norfolk MGs to think about an interview topic they are passionate/knowledgeable about or that sparks joy. These podcasts are meant to share thoughts and ideas from all our members as well as from outside groups. 

If you are not comfortable talking to a crowd, or your mind goes blank when queried about a topic, or you think you don’t have anything important to say, think again. Everyone will know ahead of time the questions that will be asked and points of discussion. There will be some spontaneous talk but most will be planned, and the best part is that it’s all being recorded and can be re-recorded or edited for continuity and coherence in the final product. 

This project is in its infancy and surely will have some bumps in the road but I’ve found that the best meadows of solitude are often only found by way of a bumpy road.

The first guinea pig, er interviewee, will be our very own NMGA president, Will Redfern on what it means to be a Norfolk Master Gardener. Subsequent talks will cover things like what to do during the winter, the upcoming plant sale, and some of our neighboring garden groups.

Please jump in and suggest your own unique perspective on any gardening subject. We would love to hear from every one of you.

Podcast Host Chris Schweitzer can be reached at chris016@gmail.com or 703-408-5257.