Become a Master Gardener Volunteer!!

Onslow County Master Gardener Volunteer Class Starts June 8

Rebecca researches and answers questions for a client.

The Onslow County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension is offering a Master Gardener Volunteer class starting June 8.  The Master Gardener Volunteer Program is a joint endeavor of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service and volunteers who wish to learn how to be better gardeners and help other gardeners by sharing their knowledge.  The program is designed to recruit and train volunteers to help meet the educational needs of the citizens of Onslow County.

Class participants learn about a wide variety of gardening subjects including vegetables, fruits, lawn grasses, shrubs, flowers and trees.  The training focuses on developing diagnostic skills for insects and diseases of plants.  Classes are also given on landscaping for water quality, soils, composting, propagation, wildlife control and much, much more!

Teri harvests lettuce at the Tarawa Terrace Community Garden. 

Master Gardeners receive 40 hours of training and after graduation they provide 40 hours of volunteer work in the community.  Master Gardeners are involved in a range of community projects including: answering homeowner inquires at the Extension Office and Farmer’s Market, mailing out information bulletins to homeowners, conducting plant clinics, working with school children on special horticultural projects, talking to garden clubs, working on community beautification projects and developing the new Discovery Gardens of Onslow.

The 2015 Master Gardener course will begin June 8 and run through August 10.  Classes will usually be taught Monday and Wednesday mornings from 9:00 am until noon with the occasional field trip being held outside normal class hours.  Cost for the course is $100, which includes a comprehensive Master Gardener Manual.

If you are interested in the 2015 course, please call the North Carolina Cooperative Extension - Onslow County Center at (910) 455-5873, and request an application.  Space in the class is limited.

Tom works in the Discovery Gardens.