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Extension Master Gardener Program Accepting Applicants

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If you love gardening and sharing your knowledge with others, consider becoming a Master Gardener volunteer in collaboration with North Dakota State University Extension.

The NDSU Extension Master Gardener Program is a volunteer service organization that beautifies communities, educates the public about gardening, works with youth and encourages conservation of natural resources.

This year’s Master Gardener core course will run for 10 weeks beginning Jan. 18 and ending March 29, 2019. Classes will not be held on March 15.

The course will be offered online and in a traditional classroom setting. Students who live near Fargo can attend the live class every Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. on the NDSU campus. Synchronous classroom training will be held in Bismarck, Minot, Devils Lake and Grand Forks, N.D., if the demand is high enough.

The majority of students will take the class online.

“Online students have the option of participating in the live Friday afternoon class using webinar technology,” says Esther McGinnis, NDSU Extension horticulturist and Extension Master Gardener director. “Alternatively, students may watch recorded class videos on their computers at their own convenience. These online options allow students to continue taking the class even if they are wintering in another state.”

Course topics include annual and perennial flowers, tree selection and maintenance, soil health, composting, plant diseases and insects, vegetable and fruit production, and lawn maintenance. NDSU faculty and Extension personnel teach the classes.

Once participants complete the training, they are known as Master Gardener interns. They must volunteer 48 hours of time during a two-year period on horticultural projects in cooperation with NDSU Extension. After that, they will be certified as Master Gardeners.

Potential volunteer projects include answering gardening questions in the Extension office, organizing horticultural workshops, managing school and community gardens, designing and maintaining pollinator gardens, and providing horticultural therapy.

Tuition for the 2019 class is $225 plus an application fee of $35 for those wishing to become a certified Extension Master Gardener or $400 for the nonvolunteer option. Internet access, computer knowledge and an email account are required.

Twenty-seven North Dakota counties will be accepting a limited number of Master Gardener applications. The application deadline is Oct. 29.

Application forms and a list of counties that are accepting applications are available at http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/mastergardener/. For more information, contact your NDSU Extension county office or McGinnis at 701-231-7971 or esther.mcginnis@ndsu.edu.


NDSU Agriculture Communication – Oct. 2, 2018

Source:Esther McGinnis, 701-231-7406, esther.mcginnis@ndsu.edu
Editor:Kelli Anderson, 701-231-6136, kelli.c.anderson@ndsu.edu
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