This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Master Gardener Program

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

A funny thing happened to me in early January. I called the Extension
Office to ask some details of the Master Gardener class to start later in
the month and the lady who answered said she didn't know if there were any
spots left, but would call me back. I wasn't ready to know if there were
spots, but I let it go.

After lunch,  the Extension Agent himself called me back:  "I've got good
news! I was able to get you a spot!!" 

Oh dear (or deer, perhaps <g>).

Well, I decided to take the spot. The classes started the last week in
January, for two 2-hour sessions a week all the way through March. It cost
me $85, which includes a rather large and pretty darned good manual, and I
definitely feel I've gotten my money's worth several times over already. I
have quite a few gardening books, and NONE of them address things to the
depth that these classes do. They're wonderful, especially perhaps for a
new gardener like me. 

I'll also be required to put in 50 hours of *internship* over the next year
which could be anything from answering questions at the Extension office,
to working in public areas helping keep their landscaping in good order.
I'm also meeting some really nice people, which is great since I'm new to
this area.

I'm sure each state's Master Gardener program is different from every
other's. The woman who sits next to me moved here from Connecticut and she
says theirs is even more extensive, with 6 hour classes (if I remember
right). 

But I'm VERY pleased with ours so far. I just wish I knew a year ago what I
know now. And we're not quite 1/2 through, nor have we gotten to vegetable
gardening yet. (And no, Sq Ft Gardening isn't one of the topics.)

If anyone's interested in their state's program, I'd definitely encourage
them to at least check it out.

One negative (IMO) is the default is chemical gardening (tho we do have one
segment on organic gardening). There's a letter to the editor bemoaning
that very fact in the current Organic Gardening magazine. But even so,
there's so much else I'm learning which isn't related to whether one uses
chemicals or not that this isn't that big an issue. (The good news, I
suppose, is that even these non-organic folks have gotten the word -- and
promote -- on the benefits of mulch and compost. <g>)

Patricia
who is learning amazing and incredibly useful things about all things
gardening
Zone 7b, West Georgia,


______________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, write to sqft-unsubscribe@listbot.com
______________________________________________________________________
Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index