If you’re starting a home garden, make sure you add beans! Beans improve soil fertility, which helps crop diversity and sustainability in Hawai‘i. They’re highly nutritious—rich in protein, fiber, and the good carbohydrates. And beans don’t require much water or fertilizer, yet they’re fast-growing and produce heavy yields, especially if you’ve picked the right location.

For years, a dedicated group of volunteers called the Fruit Hui has maintained the research orchard at CTAHR’s Urban Garden Center in Pearl City. Harvesting over 200 pounds of fresh tropical fruit a week, the volunteers donate all excess fruit to the Hawaii Foodbank. The group of certified Master Gardener volunteers plans to continue to harvest weekly now that access to fresh food has become even more critical during the COVID-19 crisis.

Want to be a Master Gardener volunteer or know someone who does? The East Hawai‘i Master Gardeners are now accepting applications for the 2019 Master Gardener Volunteer Training Program. The course begins January 23 and runs through April, from 9 a.m. to noon every Wednesday morning at the Komohana Research Center.

CTAHR faculty and Master Gardeners helped Jefferson Elementary students with Project Lemon Tree, which established CO₂-reducing trees, an arbor, and student gardens on a campus site vandalized in 2016.

Volunteers from the East Hawaiʻi Island Master Gardener program will be at the Hilo Orchid Society Annual Show and Sale to answer questions and assist home gardeners with horticultural and gardening information on Friday, July 13, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Saturday, July 14, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.