PENN STATE MASTER GARDENER TRAINING OFFERED IN 2012

Penn State Master Gardener basic training will be held in the Capital area in Fall 2012. In Cumberland and Perry counties, applications for the program are being accepted now through May 31, 2012. To receive an application and additional information about the Cumberland and Perry program, please contact Annette MaCoy at 717-240-6500 or ahm11@psu.edu.

Informational meetings are scheduled for Thursday, May 10, 6:30 p.m., and Saturday, May 26, 10:00 a.m. at the Perry County Extension office, 8 South Carlisle Street, New Bloomfield; and Wednesday, May 23, 6:30 p.m.; Wednesday, June 6, 9:30 a.m.; and Wednesday, June 20, 6:30 p.m., at the Cumberland County Extension office, 310 Allen Road, Carlisle. You may attend any one of these sessions, and pre-registration is not required.

At this meeting, you will receive an introduction to Penn State Extension and the Penn State Master Gardener program in Cumberland and Perry counties. The information session lasts about one hour. If you wish to continue in the selection process, you will be asked to stay and take a multiple-choice test of your gardening knowledge.

The selection process also includes an individual interview in July. If accepted into the program, there is a fee of $200.00 to cover your Master Gardener manual, training expenses, and other program expenses. A payment plan is available. Once training begins, the fee is nonrefundable if you choose not to continue.

For Master Gardeners who successfully meet all of the requirements to receive certification, including the required 50 hours of volunteer service, within the allowed time, $50.00 of the training fee will be returned. Penn State programs are open to all, and scholarship assistance may be available in cases of financial or other hardship.

The basic training will be held on Wednesday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., beginning August 15 with orientation and ending on December 5 with the final exam. There is no class the week of Thanksgiving. Training topics covered include soils; botany; plant identification; insects; diseases; weeds; propagation; turf; planting and pruning; vegetables; integrated pest management; diagnosis; and native plants. Classes will be held at the Extension offices in Cumberland and Dauphin counties.

Following successful completion of training, Master Gardener apprentices begin participating in Extension-approved volunteer activities to meet the 50 hours of volunteer service required to receive certification. Our mission is education, and Penn State Master Gardeners in Cumberland and Perry counties volunteer for youth programs, horticulture therapy, demonstration gardens, community gardens, plant clinics, plant sales, gardening workshops, garden tours, and more.

For more information about the Penn State Master Gardener program in Cumberland and Perry counties, please visit our website http://extension.psu.edu/cumberland, e-mail ahm11@psu.edu, or call 717-240-6500.