Training begins in mid January at the Johnson County Extension office in Vienna. If you get excited about gardening and talking gardening then maybe Master Gardener Training is for you.

Master Gardeners are trained by University of Illinois Extension staff in many areas. The training is over 60 hours of intense horticulture education.

After training graduates are required to complete 60 hours of internship in their county to become a certified Master Gardener.

The internship includes such things as answering questions at a garden show or at the local extension office.

There are even opportunities to work with kids, senior groups or garden clubs to share your knowledge.

Of course no one is expected to know all the answers to garden questions. But with the training, a few references and some phone calls to experts most answers can be found.

So if you have a special garden interest with the desire to share your knowledge now is the time to sign up for training.

If day time classes do not fit your schedule then on-line training may be what you are looking for.

Of course there is an application process and a fee for the specialized training. Call the Williamson County office at 618-993-3304 to get an application and to find out more about the training.