PSU Extension Master Gardener training set

MONTROSE, Pa. — Do you enjoy gardening and sharing your knowledge? Well, now is your opportunity to become a Penn State Extension Master Gardener. Penn State Extension Master Gardeners are volunteers who support Penn State Cooperative Extension’s educational programs in consumer horticulture. They develop their horticultural expertise through participation in an educational training conducted by Penn State University faculty and Penn State Extension staff.

Master Gardener Basic Training classes in Susquehanna County will begin on Sept. 13 and will be held at the Penn State Extension Office at 88 Chenango Street in Montrose, Pa., every Thursday evening from 6 to 9 p.m. until early March 2019. The program provides interested volunteers with extensive training in horticulture and environmental stewardship. In return, newly certified Master Gardeners volunteer time helping Penn State Extension and its partners educate the community on home gardening and more.

The training will be held via Zoom technology with educators across the state. You will have access to each of these sessions and with each class room session at the Extension office there will be fun, hands on activities for learning. The cost of the training is $200 to cover the cost of training materials and expenses.

A few of the topics you will learn are: Botany, Plant Propagation, Plant Diseases, Soils, Entomology, Native Plants, IPM, Turfgrass, Vegetables, Plant ID and Diagnostics, Small Fruits, Tree Fruits, Herbaceous and Woody Plants, Pruning, Weeds, Invasive Species, Indoor Plants and other important topics.

Master Gardener trainees are required to participate in a minimum of forty hours of basic training, score 80 percent on the final exam, and fulfill 50 hours of volunteer service in order to obtain certification. To maintain certification for participation in the program in subsequent years, a Penn State Extension Master Gardener must commit to a minimum of twenty hours of volunteer service each additional year and complete ten hours of approved continuing education each year. Trainees may begin to volunteer as soon as training classes begin with supervision from certified Master Gardeners.

Currently, there are 45 Master Gardeners in Susquehanna County delivering educational programs which include Senior Citizens projects, Poison Prevention programs for first grade students and Harford Fair programming. Master Gardeners also partner with the Montrose Area Adult School to host several programs each year. There are also independent gardening classes, a helpline service and several demonstration gardens. And brand new this year — Junior Master Gardeners. This program offers educational instruction for children aged 9-13, interested in horticulture and the environment.

So, come and take part in the training and join this fun, educational group of gardeners.

If you’re interested in becoming a Master Gardener in Susquehanna County and want to fill out an application, please contact us at susquehannamg@psu.edu or call 570-666-9003 for more information and to be added to a list. We can accommodate 10 students, so call or email now.

— Penn State Extension, Susquehanna County