When Linda Woolsey applied to work at the Marysville, Washington Coastal, we had found a keeper – especially when it comes to gardening. Linda is a Certified Professional Horticulturist and lifelong gardener who knows how to properly grow a tomato, produce the best cucumbers, transplant perennials, and loves to share her insights and expertise on topics like alternative gardening, vertical gardening, straw bale gardening, and container gardening.
We will be covering all of those topics in the next handful of weeks. But today we’re going to meet Linda and share some of her background.
“I grew up on a watermelon and cantaloupe farm in southeastern Utah,” Linda said when asked where she got her start in gardening. “I’ve enjoyed gardening all my life,” she further explained.
After retiring from a career working with senior citizen programs, Linda went back to school.
“At 67, I decided to become a full-time horticulture student, taking 16-17 credit hours for 12 straight months at Lake Washington Institute of Technology,” she said. “I worked hard, got straight A’s, and passed the test to add the title Certified Professional Horticulturalist after my name.”
Her husband Bob Stafford could not have been prouder. He had recently retired from a long career in the railroad industry that took him all over the United State and into British Columbia.
Spending much of her life in Utah, Linda had to make some adjustments to her own gardening when she moved to western Washington.
“The climate in Utah is great for tomatoes and watermelon,” Linda said about the move. “All you have to do is plant things that can endure cold winters or long growing seasons. The bonus in Utah is you get to control the water. Up here, in Washington, you have to work with the rain.”
As Linda explains it, the transition has given her more insights into growing and gardening in the wetter regions of the Northwest – insights that she plans to share with Coastal shoppers.
“I like to help people with their gardens,” she added. “It’s great to help people problem solve where to plant things, how to best utilize the space they have, and add the plants that will grow best. I can do that at Coastal.”
Get Your Garden (and Yard) Ready at Coastal
Your Northwest owned and operated Coastal has everything you need to get your yard and garden ready for the summer months ahead. That includes seeds, starts, soil, Miracle Gro, trellises, and gardening tools. Stop by today and tell us what you want to grow and we’ll show you how to make it happen.