ST. CLOUD, Minn. - Carl Hoffman retired last week after 20-plus years as Stearns County's Extension educator in horticulture.
The 74-year-old plans to devote his time to his vegetable and flower gardens at his Kimball home. He will also spend more time with Irene, his wife of 50 years.
Irene enjoys food preservation, he said. That's a good thing considering that Carl grows around 500 annuals, starting them under grow lights in the basement and transferring them to cold frames before planting. He tends a 50-foot by 75-foot garden and has 30 shrub- and 30 tea roses in a rose garden planted in memory of his mother-in-law, Arvilla Schuldt.
His interest in plants started at his family's farm near Clearwater. Carl's gardening interests began early on the family farm. Both is grandmother and mother were avid gardeners, he said. They stressed a clean garden devoid of weeds.
Carl was so interested in gardening as a boy that they gave him his own area in the garden. Carl was a closet horticulturist, he said.
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"It wasn't cool for a boy to do anything with horticulture," he said with a smile.
Carl attended District 79 rural school and, in ninth grade, came to Kimball for high school. He was encouraged by the school principal to try college and attended two years at St. Cloud State in a pre-professional program before transferring to the University of Minnesota. He graduated with a major in vocational agriculture specializing in horticulture.
He taught vocational agriculture in Medford for four years and was the science teacher in Frost for one year before moving back to Kimball where he became a biology, science and horticulture instructor for 31 years.
Carl was a summer assistant in horticulture at the Stearns County Extension office when he wasn't teaching. When he retired, Carl's Extension hours increased. He first worked 50 percent, then it was 60 percent until the position became a full-time job. County gardeners sough Carl's advice .
When he wasn't busy with Extension, Carl worked in his garden.
Carl calls himself a calendar planter. Cold season plants are planted around May 15 and the warm season ones around Memorial day.
He's received numerous horticulture questions during his two-decade Extension tenure. Questions range from pruning to transplanting rhubarb to pest and weed identification. He found two traits key for his job: It requires being diplomatic no matter what the question and the ability to switch from one thing to the next.
The couple cares for a medically fragile granddaughter who is a senior. They plan to enjoy her last year of high school before making plans for travel, he said.
