Do you, or do you have friends or family who share a strong interest in gardening, a desire to sharpen their gardening skills, and a willingness to share their knowledge with others? If so, they may want to consider becoming a Wood County Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener.

The Master Gardener Program is a volunteer program which provides an extensive course in horticulture in exchange for a donation of volunteer hours to share your gardening knowledge with others through OSU Extension-sponsored activities.

The Wood County Extension Master Gardener training program has been revamped and is now a cooperative effort between City of Bowling Green Parks and Recreation, Wood county Park District, and Ohio State University Extension Wood County.  Training will be held this year 2007 with the first class Saturday January 27th between 9 am and 4 pm and continuing every Thursday evening from 6:30 pm-9:30 pm through May. Class topics include botany, soils, plant diseases and insect pests, as well as the culture of the landscape, turf grass and vegetables. There is an enrollment fee of $150 to cover the cost of training materials, speakers and facilities, and for the Ohio State University mandatory volunteer criminal records check.

To become a certified Master Gardener, you must attend all the training sessions, pass examinations and volunteer 15 hours to Bowling Green Parks and Recreation, 15 hours to Wood county Park District, and 20 hours to the Wood County Master Gardener program or as approved by the Master Gardener committee.

To be a part of the 2007 class or if you have additional questions contact:

Craig Everett, Wood County Master Gardener Coordinator, 419-354-9050

email everett.33@cfaes.osu.edu

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