MR. GOOD GARDEN -- FINDS TV FERTILE GROUND

While Sherinksi is skilled in many types of gardening, he admits an affinity for trees.

Joe Sherinski gives a speech on garden pests during last Monday's gathering of Single Together at New McKendree Methodist Church in Jackson.

Sherinski does much public speaking -- he says he's good at it.

When Joe Sherinski was born in New Jersey 46 years ago, little did he realize he'd one day be a local television celebrity. People know him as Mr. Good Garden -- the gardening expert for KFVS-TV, but he just considers himself a regular Joe.

"I'm just terribly lucky," Sherinski says. "I'm just an ordinary guy who loves gardening."

He hasn't always realized he wanted a job in television. In fact, he hasn't always wanted to be involved in horticulture.

Sherinksi came to realize this as a young man in the Army. He had joined the military after a brief stint at the University of Colorado in Bolder.

"At first, I kind of wanted to be a mathematician or a chemist, something like that," Sherinski said. "But I didn't really know what I wanted to do."

He'd always had a love of trees and landscaping, so when he got out of the military, he went to Fort Collins, Colo., at Colorado State University to finish his degree in landscape horticulture. He had little idea how far it would take him.

"I had no idea," he says, chuckling.

Upon graduation in 1977, Sherinski knew he wanted to leave Colorado's dry climate behind. It limits most vegetation and he wanted to live in a place with more moisture.

He sent out resumes all over the country. And though he also got interested replies from Illinois, Minnesota, Florida and New York, among others, he chose to work for a nursery in Sedgewickville.

"It felt more friendly to me," he said. "The entire area felt so friendly."

He took a job at Klein & Son, a nursery which allowed him to live in a house trailer on the nursery. Shortly after, he and his wife, Melanie, bought a house in Jackson and have lived there ever since.

He likes living in Jackson, especially the people who live there.

"Say what you want about people, most people are decent and nice," he said. "I think I would want most of the people I've met as friends."

Sherinski worked in Sedgewickville until 1983, when he went to work at Accu-Spray, now Sunny Hill, working there for 10 years. Then, in 1993, he got a job at Cape Garden Supply.

Two years he decided to work for himself and he says he's never been happier.

But it was while he was working at Accu-Spray that he met Mike Beecher, news director of KFVS.

"I was designing a landscape for him," he said. "And I'm a talker. During the course of the selling, Mike told me, `You know, you'd be good on television.'"

Sherinski said he never expected that Beecher would walk into Cape Garden Supply nearly seven years later and ask him if he remembered their conversation and if he was still interested.

Beecher explained that KFVS was starting a Saturday morning news show and he felt a gardening segment would be perfect.

And who better than Joe Sherinski to do it?

The gardening segments would need to be seasonal, light and topical and he warned the good-natured Sherinski that it shouldn't be a lot of jokes.

"I love jokes," he says, laughing.

So Sherinski agreed to do it and KFVS's Mr. Good Garden has been on television every Saturday morning since and he loves doing it.

"Of course I like it," he said. "I get a great kick out of it."

KFVS has established Sherinski as a gardening expert, often using him for live coverage when weather affects area gardens.

He is, in fact, a certified nurseryman and master gardener. He explains that the state master gardener program required that he spend 30 hours in course work and 30 hours involved in community service.

Sherinski's community service mostly took the form of public speaking, which may have helped him prepare for his television gig.

"I'm sort of good at it. I also enjoy educating the public as to the joy of gardening."

The Missouri Master Gardeners Program provides many invaluable programs to the area. The program provides a speakers bureau, a telephone hotline and gardening projects that have help beautified the community.

"We perform a community service by helping out the extension agencies that are already over worked," he said.

He reiterates that his television career is all luck.

"Mike Beecher could have had anyone do his landscape, he just happened to choose me."

Now that he's Mr. Good Garden, he says that people recognize him everywhere. Unlike many swelled heads in Hollywood, Sherinsky doesn't mind the fame.

"I find it thoroughly enjoyable," he said.

Recently, while shopping at a grocery store, an employee looked at Sherinski and exclaimed, "You're Mr. Good Garden!"

Later, while he was shopping, he heard a voice come over the loudspeaker: "Mr. Good Garden is in aisle seven for anyone who wants to meet him."

Sherinsky finds it flattering when people ask for his autograph, but admits it bewilders him.

"That anyone would want my autograph blows my mind," he said.

The television public may be seeing more of Mr. Good Garden. He says there has been talk of half-hour specials and possibly even syndication.

"Not a lot of talk," he admits, "but I don't see why it shouldn't happen."

Editor's Note: If anyone is interested in the master gardener program or gardening in general, phone the Agricultural Extension office at 243-3581.