Extension Master Gardener Volunteers Coming to Stokes County!

I am pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for the gardening community of Stokes County. The Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program is coming to Stokes County in 2013.

A Brief History

From 1914 until after World War II, the main audience for the Cooperative Extension program was the American farm family. But the explosive growth of the American suburbs in the 1950s and 1960s fueled unprecedented interest in lawns, ornamental gardens, and small-scale vegetable crops. Local county extension offices in booming areas began to be overwhelmed with questions pouring in from suburban homeowners.

To meet this challenge, the effort that would become the first Master Gardener program was launched in 1973 by Washington State’s Cooperative Extension Service. Among the approaches considered was the concept of recruiting and training volunteers to serve the urban audience. This appeared to be the most feasible option as it would allow Area Agents David Gibby and Bill Scheer to be proactive in fulfilling educational needs.

A small cadre of volunteers underwent formal training to handle typical inquiries about lawn care, flower and vegetable gardens, pesticides, the environment and more. The volunteer force quickly proved its worth to the extension program as they did indeed afford local extension agents more time to focus on educational programs and the more technical horticulture questions.

The Master Gardener concept soon spread, eventually taking root in all fifty states. Today, thousands of certified Master Gardener volunteers throughout the nation work alongside Cooperative Extension staff to reach out to the public through workshops, publications, demonstration gardens, plant clinics, telephone hotlines and other projects.

To help you decide if you should apply to become a Master Gardener Volunteer, ask yourself these questions:

• Do I want to learn more about the culture of many types of plants?
• Am I eager to participate in a practical and intense training program?
• Do I look forward to sharing knowledge with people in my community?
• Do I have enough time to attend training sessions and to serve as a volunteer?

If you answered yes to these questions, the Extension Master Gardener Program could be for you!

What do I do next?

• Attend the planning / informational meeting at the Stokes Cooperative Extension office on Tuesday, December 4 at 7:00 PM

What will it cost?

• There is no cost to attend the informational meeting. The cost of the Extension Master Gardener Program will be $100 per person

What will I get?

• The Extension Master Gardener Training Manual, filled with the best, first rate, up to the minute horticulture information

• 16 weeks of intensive horticulture training

• The opportunity to participate in lots of fun activities such as –

• Create and maintain a demonstration garden
• Garden with the elderly and handicapped
• Work at county fairs and plant clinics
• Conduct school gardening program
• Give talks to groups interested in horticulture
• Work on special events projects (Arbor Day, Wake Up to Agriculture, Environmental Field Days)
• Plan and complete community beautification projects
• Photograph Master Gardener activities
• Judge school science fair
• Establish and maintain community gardens

I hope to see you at our informational meeting on December 4 at 7:00 pm!

-Randy Fulk, Horticulture Extension Agent- Stokes County