Some people teach by word; some teach by showing others what to do; and some teach by doing it themselves.
Duane Hatch, retired USU Extension horticulturist, teaches by doing.Hatch became a household name over the years, dispensing advice to professional and gentleman farmers alike. He taught classes and gave demonstrations. He appeared on radio and television shows.
For years, he wrote a gardening column that appeared in the Deseret News.
He was my mentor, colleague and friend. It was a privilege to work with him.
Soon after Hatch retired 11 years ago, he and his wife, Rose Marie, served a mission for the LDS Church in Spain. When they returned, they settled down in Oregon.
Their retirement there didn't last long. They went on a second mission, this time for LDS Humanitarian Services. The couple helped train missionaries serving in Third World countries to teach people how to grow better gardens.
"I always like to show by doing," Hatch remarked. "Everywhere I have lived I have had a 'Hatch Patch' garden."
As a USU Extension horticulturist, he had gardens at the Utah State Fairpark, his home and elsewhere. He planted gardens in Oregon.
While serving a Humanitarian Services mission, he established a vegetable garden in far-off Mongolia. He also established a garden in the Brigham Young Historical Park in downtown Salt Lake City.
"There is no way to learn like doing it yourself," he said. "I want to know that what I teach people will work for them no matter what their soil is like or what they are trying to grow."
Successful gardens are not accidents. Hatch continually preaches that you need to select the right variety of plants for your area.
"Simply too many old, inferior varieties are being grown out there," he said. "Get a list from the (USU) extension services or from knowledgeable gardeners of varieties that will grow and do well in your area."
He is always trying new varieties to improve his gardens. He learned well from Alvin Hamson, his professor and co-worker.
(Hamson, now retired, was formerly the vegetable specialist for USU Extension. He tested many different varieties for Utah residents.)
Hatch considers himself fortunate to live near the test garden for Territorial Seed Co. in Oregon. "They test every variety they include in their catalog to make certain the crops will do well for their customers in the Northwest," he said. "These varieties have to do well with a shorter growing season, so many of them also do well in Utah climates. Always look for (varieties) that have been shown to do well in your area."
Hatch also advocates proper fertilization. "You can't grow good vegetables without the right nutrients," he said. "Broadcast fertilizer before tilling, or better still, band the fertilizer to the side and slightly deeper than the seeds or transplants you're putting in. Banding is best because it puts nutrients where vegetables absorb them but not the weeds."
Hatch suggests that you fertilize vegetables at planting and every four to six weeks during the growing season. "You cannot grow tender, sweet vegetables without the right nutrients when the plant needs them," he said.
Hatch prefers drip irrigation, where possible. "It saves water, is easy to set up, and, best of all, it puts the water where the plants need it. You do not get water on the leaves, so it reduces problems with fungal diseases. Best of all, you are not watering the weeds so they do not grow."
As an LDS Humanitarian Services missionary, Hatch spent time in Mongolia. "The government decreed all citizens should grow gardens, so we spent three months there showing gardening techniques. It was a real eye-opener to try to garden without all the conveniences we are used to having. Finding fertilizers, irrigation equipment or anything else was almost impossible. Even if we found the items, they were too expensive for the Mongolians."
He also arranged for the distribution of thousands of donated seed packets to Thailand, Kosovo, Laos, Ghana, Russia and other countries.
Hatch is leaving Salt Lake City for a second time to return to Oregon.
What does he plan to do?
"I still have a weekly call-in radio program that I will do from home every Saturday. I also plan to take care of the 'Hatch Patch' at the Lane County Fairgrounds. That way I can teach people how to garden better. I will probably teach some classes and give some talks. I may even find time to relax."
Does he plan any changes in his life in Oregon?
"I hope to avoid one thing when I return. I was taking care of 60 apple and pear trees before I came here as a missionary. I couldn't stand to see them go to waste.
"Someone else will have to do it, because that is a little more produce than my wife and I need."