Backyard Gardening
Interested in Training for the Master Gardener Program?
By Debra Burrows
Penn State Extension Master Gardeners have been writing articles for the Backyard Gardening column in The Record for more than two years, and we’ve covered a lot of topics, from African violets to zinnias.
This week our focus is a little different. We will soon be recruiting a new group of people interested in training to become Master gardeners, so I thought it might be a good time to explain a little more about the Master Gardener program itself and the process of becoming a Master Gardener in Clinton County.
At the present time we have nineteen certified Master Gardeners and six apprentices in the county. They are a very active group and enjoy working together and sharing their knowledge.
Master Gardeners recently provided garden-related children’s activities, answered questions, and staffed a display about the Spongy moth (formerly Gypsy moth) at the Clinton County Fair.
They maintain demonstration gardens at the fairgrounds which include a pollinator garden filled with attractive native plants, as well as an entry garden filled with both natives and ornamentals. Master Gardeners hold an annual plant sale and are busy planning their next one which will be held on October 1, 2022 at the SPCA Pet Extravaganza at Riverview Park. It will feature spring-flowering bulbs, native trees, shrubs, perennials, and transplants from Master Gardeners’ private gardens, as well as garden themed gifts, books, and decorations. They will also give a workshop on planting garlic and have garlic cloves available for purchase just in time for planting, which should be done in October in our area.
Master Gardeners answer gardening questions from the public via phone at (570) 858-0198 and email at clintonmg@psu.edu. They hold gardening classes and workshops, write newspaper articles, help those interested in creating pollinator and wildlife gardens, make presentations to community groups, and much more. Becoming a Master Gardener is an opportunity to serve the community by sharing gardening knowledge and to get to know others who have similar gardening interests.
Each year, a basic training class is held in Clinton County to prepare interested applicants to become Master Gardeners. The class meets one evening per week from October through March and includes 60 hours of instruction in topics such as vegetables, native plants, pruning, soils and composting, pest management, plant propagation, turfgrass, tree fruits, botany, weeds and invasives, and more. The class makes use of webinars, hands-on activities, practice quizzes, and the Penn State Extension Master Gardener Manual which is packed with valuable information illustrated with color photos. Upon successful completion of the class, trainees move into the apprenticeship phase of their training.
Apprentices must complete a minimum of 50 hours of volunteer service working with and learning from certified Master Gardeners on a variety of projects designed to provide home gardening education, information, and resources to the public. At the present time, Clinton County has Master Gardeners from the Beech Creek, Mill Hall, Lock Haven, Hyner, Howard, Salona, Jersey Shore, and Lamar areas. They would like to add trainees from the Loganton and Renovo areas, as well as other parts of the county in coming years.
If you have an interest in gardening and would like to share it with others, we invite you to give us a call at 570 726-0022 and find out more about becoming a Master Gardener.
Debra Burrows has been a Master Gardener in Clinton County since 2008. She can be reached at clintonmg@psu.edu or through the Master Gardener hotline at (570) 858-0198.
