There is still time to enroll in the Jasper County University of Missouri Extension Missouri Master Gardener training program. Classes will meet Tuesday and Thursdays from 6–9 p.m. beginning March 5, and winding up April 9. Each session is designed to train volunteers in various aspects of horticulture. The Master Gardeners participate in a wide variety of community service projects and assist the University of Missouri Extension in providing unbiased, educational information to the public. There is a $200 training fee for the course.
The Extension Master Gardener Certification Training Course prepares volunteers to fulfill the mission of “Helping others learn to grow.” Subject matter includes technical horticultural information as well as public speaking, educational techniques, information sourcing, volunteer management, and project leadership.
Technical horticultural information includes topics such as home fruit production; woody ornamentals – establishment and care; home lawn and turf; soils and plant nutrition; plant diseases; insects, plant propagation; pest management; vegetables; pruning; and herbaceous perennial flowers.
To complete certification requirements, volunteers must contribute 30 hours of their time in MU Extension approved garden-related projects.
After completing the classroom training, the new Master Gardener Trainees use their skills learned in class to provide at least 30 hours of volunteer service to the University of Missouri Extension conducting horticulture education programs. Examples of programs conducted by Master Gardeners are answering garden questions from the public at extension events, working with community gardening projects, conducting demonstration gardens, working with youth gardening programs, conducting plant clinics, speaking to civic groups, and gardening programs for seniors. Once these 30 hours are registered, Master Gardener Trainees become Certified Master Gardeners.
If you would like to participate in the upcoming training, register online at https://extension2.missouri.edu/events/master-gardener-certification-training-jasper-county.
To register by phone, call the University of Missouri Extension Office in Jasper County at 417-358-2158 or visit our office at Jasper County Courthouse, Basement, 302 S. Main St., Carthage, MO 64836.
