THE URBAN POTAGER – A FIELD TO TABLE EXPERIENCE

ODETTE’S PASSION FOR HORTICULTURE BEGAN IN STE. ANNE DE BEAUPRE, QUEBEC.  WORKING ALONGSIDE HER FATHER IN THE FAMILY GARDEN INSPIRED HER TO STUDY PLANT SCIENCE AND ECOLOGY AT THE INSTITUT DE TECHNOLOGIE AGRICOLE.  AFTER GRADUATING IN 1980, SHE WORKED AT THE MONTREAL BOTANICAL GARDEN FOR FOUR YEARS BEFORE MOVING TO TORONTO WHERE SHE SERVED IN A YORK REGION MUNICIPALITY UNTIL HER RETIREMENT.  THROUGHOUT HER CAREER ODETTE SPECIALIZED IN SUSTAINABILITY AND COLD-CLIMATE PRODUCTION EXPERIMENTING WITH PLANT VARIETIES AND CULTIVATION TECHNIQUES.  SHE EARNED THE MASTER GARDENER DESIGNATION IN 2013.  SINCE RELOCATING TO OTTAWA TO BE CLOSER TO HER GRANDDAUGHTERS, ODETTE HAS SHARED HER KNOWLEDGE THROUGH PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS TO LOCAL GARDENING GROUPS, THE OTTAWA PUBLIC LIBRARY GARDENING PROGRAMS, THE OTTAWA HOME AND GARDEN SHOW AND OTHER COMMUNITY EVENTS.  SHE NOW COORDINATES THE MASTER GARDENERS OF OTTAWA-CARLETION AND CONTINUES TO SHARE HER EXPERTISE IN BOTH ENGLISH AND FRENCH.