Iowa Ag Connection - Core Training Course Brings Gardeners to Ames

Iowa Ag News Headlines

Core Training Course Brings Gardeners to Ames
Iowa Ag Connection - 08/29/2016

Over 300 Master Gardener trainees will gather on the Iowa State University campus in October for the program's annual training class. The course, which will be held on Oct. 8 and 22, provides a full day of hands-on learning and is part of the 40 hours of training gardeners receive through the Iowa Master Gardener program.

Master Gardeners class on campusThe class is held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. in Troxel Hall, Horticulture Hall and Bessey Hall on the Iowa State campus in Ames.

Presentations will be given by Iowa State University faculty, staff and graduate students on a variety of topics, including botany, soil pH, compost, entomology and diagnosing plant diseases. There will also be a tour of the ISU Department of Horticulture greenhouse.

"Participants will enjoy hands-on demonstrations of identifying insects and plant diseases," said Susan DeBlieck, program assistant for the Master Gardener program with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. "Class participants will tour the Iowa State campus horticulture greenhouses and there will be a workshop on how to perfect their garden compost and how to test soil."

Applications for the Master Gardener program are available until Sept. 1. After the trainees complete the 40-hour training classes in November, their volunteering in the community begins as master gardener interns. Once the 40-hour internship is complete, they become active Master Gardeners who garden and volunteer in their own community.

There is also a Professional Horticulture Trainee Certification available to those interested in the Master Gardener training but not the required volunteer community service hours. The cost of the 40-hour training course is $550. For information about the ProHort training please contact Margaret Murphy at (712) 472-2576 or mmurphy@iastate.edu.

Other Iowa Headlines