Meet a Reno County Master Gardener

Horticulturalist Hulsey

Julia Hulsey, Master Gardener 2015, grew up in the country east of Salina in New Cambria until she was 12, then the family moved to Hutchinson. There was a family garden with onions, lettuce and tomatoes that Julia helped with but she wasn’t personally engaged at the time. Instead, she recalls, “I made mud pies and my brother had to eat them. I probably got in trouble but it didn’t stop me.” And lilac leaves made wonderful sandwiches. Even today soaked soil gives Julia joy: “I like to get my clothes wet and squeeze my toes in the mud; on a hot day it is so nice!” Recalling her outdoor playground, Julia adds, “A wheat field was my back yard. We played in it day after day after day.” The memory also reminds her of the black walnut tree that provided delicious bounty. 

Potatoes are a favorite of Julia’s because she likes to grow them and eat them. But a moment later tomatoes are her favorite, too, and asparagus is amazing because she grows it from seed. As to flowers, “tulips are gorgeous,” she responds. Plans of doubling the size of the garden this year include introducing peanuts, expecting success in the sandy soil. When asked about surprises in her gardening, Julia answers, “Watermelon! I didn’t know I could grow watermelon. We were eating them until October.” 

If you want to learn about growing, harvesting and using grapes, then talk to Julia. I learned from her that Kansas used to produce the second most grapes in the nation for making wine until Carrie Nation began her campaign against liquor. Julia and her husband, Ron, started their present half acre of grapes in 2007. She’s made jam and juice, not just wine, out of their productive crop. “They have a vibrant flavor that you won’t find with grapes in the store,” Julia claims.

When asked of her least favorite garden pest or Garden Enemy #1, Julia blurts out, “MICE!” Last year they got in the greenhouse and ate 300 tomatoes. “I can take insects,” Julia states, “but not mice.” 

It’s clear that Julia loves gardening. “It’s calming. It’s exercise, helps the mind and my spirituality. It’s a privilege. It makes me feel good to be out and enjoy the outdoors. I even go out in bad weather, I just put on a jacket. Gardening gives me a chance to say thank you to the Creator. Maybe I’ll get to be a gardener in the Garden of Eden.”

Julia’s already involved with Master Gardener volunteering at the community garden at HCC and with the Garden of Good at the prison. Julia explains, “I like doing the community garden as a way of giving back,” and as to working with the prisoners she says, “You hear their stories and you need to help them too.”

When asked if she misses her job as the Reno County Health Department’s director, she doesn’t skip a beat. As her face lights up and her smile widens, she proclaims, “Not a bit! I miss nursing but not my job. Now I’m nursing plants. I’ve been waiting for this.” Submitted by playinthedirt