Master Gardeners Leanne Hogie and Anne Gehrig deliver tools to Rachael Fox, Hood River County Library executive director. Gardening tools are available for loan as part of the library’s Library of Things.
Master Gardeners Leanne Hogie and Anne Gehrig deliver tools to Rachael Fox, Hood River County Library executive director. Gardening tools are available for loan as part of the library’s Library of Things.
HOOD RIVER — Maybe you’re new to gardening and don’t have a lot of tools. Maybe you want to try out a specific tool before you buy it. Or maybe you need a special tool for a certain job, but you’d use it so rarely it’s not worth the storage space required to keep it.
If so, you’ll want to “check out” the new gardening tools Central Gorge Master Gardeners have added to the Library of Things at the Hood River County Library.
The program has been at least two years in the making. Local Master Gardeners Leanne Hogie and Anne Gehrig said the idea came from diversity, equity and inclusion work done during COVID — for example, how to remove obstacles new gardeners may face. It additionally complements OSU Extension Seed to Supper classes, which teach beginning gardeners how to grow their own food.
A barrel holds the gardening tools available for checkout at the Hood River County Library, courtesy of the Central Gorge Master Gardeners.
Trisha Walker photo
“We want to help make gardening more accessible to people,” Hogie said. “And there are some tools you don’t use very often, so why have them at home?”
“A lot of people don’t have the tools they need, and if you have a condo or a rental, or don’t have the income or are new to gardening, you don’t know what you need. So now, you can try before you buy,” said Gehrig.
Because the Hood River County Library already has a Library of Things, the Master Gardeners saw it as a natural place to house the program.
“It’s so wonderful the library has a Library of Things that we could slide into — they’re capable of coding, and we don’t have the volunteers to do that,” Hogie said. And it’s a nice tie-in to the group’s Water Wise demonstration garden, located outside of the library at 502 State St., another collaboration between the Master Gardeners and the library.
Right now, there are 17 tools available for loan, but there are already plans to add more as demand is assessed. “We will add on as necessary; some tools are more popular, so we’ll have more than one,” said Gehrig. “This is a learning experience — maybe we need more of something at a particular time or in a particular season.”
Master Gardeners Leanne Hogie and Anne Gehrig with tools from Hood River Supply.
Lou Gehrig photo
There are some constraints on what tools the Master Gardeners can offer (nothing too sharp, nothing electric) at the library due to liability issues. They must also consider storage because space is limited.
As such, they have put a lot of thought into what tools should be offered, as starting a garden can take many. “You can amass quite a bit of money in tools, and it adds up,” Gehrig said. “And a lot of those hang around in the garage and shed.”
“We didn’t want tools you use everyday — you need (to own) those,” said Hogie. “So we have items you need occasionally, to do pruning or rake up leaves.
“It’s interesting to see what gets checked out,” she added, saying that Master Gardeners will either buy new tools or donate used tools if demand requires.
Everyone is invited to come into the library and check out a tool or two. “We want people to come in and try it,” Gehrig said. “It’s there, and it’s exciting that it’s there.”
Master Gardeners Leanne Hogie and Anne Gehrig with tools from Hood River Supply, now on loan at the Hood River County Library.
Lou Gehrig photo
OSU Extension Service Master Garden Program Outreach Coordinator Megan Wickersham said the new tool library is another way Master Gardeners can assist the public.
Each week, Master Gardener volunteers are available to answer gardening questions at one of their plant clinics — Mondays from 1-4 and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon at the extension office; or Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (first Saturday at Walmart, second and fourth Saturdays at Hood River Supply and third Saturdays at Tum-A-Lum). Questions can also be emailed to hood.osumastergardener@gmail.com.
The group hosts its first Garden Gathering this Saturday, June 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at four different Hood River County gardens — the Water Wise garden mentioned above, as well as the Learning Garden on the OSU Extension Service grounds, the Parkdale Memorial Garden at the intersection of Dee Highway and Baseline Road, and the FISH Food Bank garden at Spirit of Grace Church, 1140 Tucker Road.
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