Master Gardener Volunteer Training Offered

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2009

University of Illinois Extension will offer Master Gardener training at Dixon, Rock Island, Belvidere and Sycamore beginning in January, 2010. Volunteer Master Gardeners are a vital link in getting horticulture information to the public. They provide answers to a variety of home gardening questions and volunteer their services for community beautification plans, Junior Master Gardener program, gardening workshops and numerous other projects.

Master Gardener Trainees receive over 60 hours of in-depth training from University of Illinois educators and specialists. The classes contain unbiased, research-based practical information. Basic botany, vegetables, fruits, insects, diseases, soils, turfgrass and ornamentals such as trees and flowers are a sampling of the topics taught.

Master Gardeners are ordinary people with two special qualities – a love of gardening and nature, and the desire to share that knowledge with others. Applicants must fill out the application, sign the volunteer agreement form, submit a fee for training manuals and return all of this to the Extension office by early December. An internet training option is also available for those unable to attend in person.

Classes are offered one day a week for 12 weeks. Upon completion of the course, the intern is expected to volunteer 60 hours of service, mostly during week days, over a one or two year period.

"Helping others learn to grow" is the mission of the program. Anyone interested in learning more about the program and the specifics of the 2010 training schedule should contact the University of Illinois Extension Office in Mt. Carroll at 815-244-9444 or in Elizabeth at 815-858-2273.