Veggies the focus of April gardening symposium
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 6 months, 2 weeks AGO
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | February 20, 2026 3:15 AM
MOSES LAKE — Vegetables will be the main topic of discussion at this year’s Eco-Gardening Symposium April 18.
“It’s for backyard gardeners, but also for people who intensively garden a small plot of land, either for sale at farmers markets or for helping out at food banks,” Hastings said.
The theme will be “From Seed to Table,” according to Sharon Hastings, who handles community outreach for the WSU Master Gardeners of Grant–Adams Counties. The symposium, now in its ninth year, is a joint effort of Master Gardeners and the Columbia Basin Conservation District.
“We have a program that will cover all kinds of aspects, from growing vegetables in containers versus a garden itself,” said Master Gardener Diane Escure. “(We’ll cover) the whole process from start to finish, from the beginning of planting seeds to taking care of the vegetables during the summer, how to winterize at the end of a season (and) how to how to do some canning as well.”
The opening keynote speaker will be Isaac Lnenicka, who farms a quarter-acre of vegetables in Soap Lake. He’ll discuss practical strategies for growing edible gardens in the Basin’s climate.
“He’s an intensive farmer … with lots of great stories,” Hastings said.
The closing speaker will be Judy Conlow, who will present “Lemurs and Wolves.”
“(It’s) about different aspects of pollination and different sources of pollination other than those that people think about (like) bees or perhaps moths,” said Master Gardener Diane Escure. “There are all kinds of ways to pollinate a garden for successful production.”
In between, there are eight breakout sessions, all geared toward folks who want to grow their own veggies. They’ll cover topics like irrigation, container gardening, pest management and food preservation.
“One (session) will be a panel discussion from some of our Master Gardeners and others who have been successfully growing vegetables and fruits for quite a long time,” Escure said. “(It’s called) ‘The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Vegetable Gardening.’”
Besides the sessions, attendees can expect a gardening raffle with prize baskets, a selection of 15-20 vendors offering plant sales, soil testing and other services. The Master Gardeners will hold a plant clinic as well, to answer questions about any aspect of gardening. Attendees will be sent home with a take-home packet of gardening resources.
There will be complimentary beverages and snacks, and box lunches will be available for $5.
The event is free, but because of space limitations, attendance is capped at 200 people, Hastings said. Anyone interested in attending can register at https://bit.ly/Eco-Symposium26.
“(When) food prices are very high, people become more interested in feeding their family from a garden,” Hastings said. “You can control what you’re feeding your family in terms of what’s in the soil and what’s been applied to the soil, and it just tastes so much, much better.”
Eco-Gardening Symposium: From Seed to Table
8:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m. April 18
Big Bend Community College ATEC Building
7611 Bolling St NE, Moses Lake
https://bit.ly/Eco-Symposium26
Isaac Lnenicka, shown here at the Moses Lake Farmers Market, will be the opening keynote speaker at the Eco-Gardening Symposium April 18.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.