Master Gardener Extension Volunteers Class of 2014

Recently, the Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Class of 2014 completed their 4 week training course at.  Paulding County trained 6 new interns who are already out making their mark in our community through their volunteer service.  Our new interns include Susan Breen, Carolyn Bruce, Vannetta Iddrisu, Jan Moore, Caterina O’Sullivan, and Phil Williams.  

Topics of the training course included basic botany, soil science, plant insects and diseases, lawn care, fruit culture, urban trees, vegetable gardening, butterfly gardening, landscaping and leadership.  Each participant in the class received a Master Gardener Handbook for Georgia, along with several gardening reference books to help them as they embark on the community service portion of their Master Gardener  Extension Volunteer commitment.

So just what is a Master Gardener Extension Volunteer?  The Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Program is a volunteer training program offered through county offices of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. Through this program, individuals are trained and certified in horticulture and related areas through forty hours of gardening education curriculum.  These individuals return 50 hours of volunteer service through their expertise and services, under the direction of their Cooperative Extension Agent, to help educate others through horticultural projects that benefit the community. Master Gardeners bring the latest horticultural information and practices from the world of research to their communities’ landscapes and gardens.  Certification as a Master Gardener is valid for one year and recertification is encouraged through the ongoing contribution of volunteer hours.  Master Gardeners who continue to participate in the program return at least 25 hours of service along with continuing education each year.  Many do much more than 25 hours.  

In 2013, Paulding County had 32 certified Master Gardeners who contributed a total of 2980 volunteer hours.  Several of these Master Gardeners donated more than 100 hours of their time in 2013 to Paulding County Extension programming!  Statewide there are more than 2000 active Master Gardeners in 73 counties.  Master Gardeners use their title only when performing unpaid volunteer work.  They are not a workforce for beautification projects.  They are primarily educators who organize and facilitate gardening programs and projects.  However, they can often be found digging in the dirt!

Master Gardener Extension Volunteers have talents and resources that are critical to a successful outreach program.  They help homeowners by making research-based recommendations to solve and prevent gardening problems.  They do not attempt to handle commercial horticulture problems.  They do help protect our environment and encourage a sense of community through gardening projects.  Master Gardener Extension Volunteers also develop communication, management and leadership skills through their outreach programming.  

You can see and feel the great work of Master Gardeners all around Paulding County:  They teach gardening classes year round for our community, work with 4-H and local schools to provide gardening opportunities for youth, maintain demonstration gardens, donating fresh produce to Helping Hands Food Bank every year during the growing season and much more!Several volunteers will be found each week this summer the Master Gardener Demonstration Gardens at the Paulding County Extension Office in Dallas.  These volunteers will provide timely information on vegetable gardening, teach interested folks about how to plant and harvest vegetables, and how to prevent gardening problems.  Come by and ask them a question and then thank them for their generous service to our wonderful community!