Around the time when Groundhog Day rolls around, gardeners get that look in their eyes: How long until it’s time to play in the dirt again?
Gardeners can dig into their favorite pastime even before spring starts, by joining the Master Gardener Program, sponsored by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in several communities in the Panhandle. The program allows gardening enthusiasts to gain knowledge directly from experts, while providing service back to the community.
UNL Extension will offer Master Gardener training beginning in February for 2013 volunteers. Anyone who is interested in plants and is willing to volunteer is encouraged to participate.
A series of six weekly training sessions for beginning Master Gardeners will take place Tuesday evenings from 5:30-8 p.m., beginning Feb. 12 in Alliance (Box Butte County Extension Office) and Scottsbluff (Panhandle Research and Extension Center), and Feb. 19 in Sidney (Western Nebraska Community College).
These sessions will cover basic horticultural information. They will be offered via the internet, with local UNL Extension educators at each site to help answer questions. The topics are:
• Feb. 12: Adaptive and Native Plants
• Feb. 19: Drought Recovery and Water Wise
• Feb. 26: Soils and Soil Management
• March 5: Lawn Disease and Insect Control
• March 12: Container Gardening and Extension Master Gardener Orientation
• March 19: Household Insects and Bedbugs
(At the Sidney location, the sessions start Feb. 19.)
For advanced master gardeners, four daytime sessions are planned from Feb. 25 through March 21. Dates and topics include Feb. 25 (Trees), March 4 (Principles of Waterwise Landscapes), March 11 (Waterwise Landscape Design), and March 21 (Landscapes and Turf). The sessions will take place from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Panhandle Center. The topics are advanced, but the sessions are open to everyone.
The cost for participants is $30 for either advanced or beginner sessions. The cost to attend both advanced and beginner sessions is $45. Individual sessions are $10. Participants can also purchase an optional Master Gardener Handbook as a reference.
Anyone who wants to participate or who has questions should respond by Feb. 8, by contacting local Extension Educators: Jim Schild, Scotts Bluff County, 308-632-1480; Karen DeBoer, Cheyenne-Kimball-Banner Counties, 308-254-4455; or John Thomas, Box Butte County, 308-762-5616.
In exchange for training, master gardeners volunteer 40 hours back to local communities.
Schild explained the advanced training program’s focus on water-wise landscapes: “We felt that with the drought of last year and the potential for this year, there are a number of problems that are specific to drought on turf and trees, and we will cover those.”