Master Gardener application deadline

This year’s gardening season may be winding down, but now is the time to apply for the 2019 UConn Extension Master Gardener Program. Classes will be held in Farmington, Bethel, Haddam, Brooklyn and Stamford. The deadline for applications is Tuesday, Oct. 9.

UConn Extension Master Gardeners have an interest in plants, gardening, people and the environment. Specifically, they are willing to share their knowledge, passion and enthusiasm with their communities, providing research-based information to homeowners, students, gardening communities and others. They receive horticultural training from UConn, and then share that knowledge with the public through community volunteering and educational outreach efforts. UConn Master Gardeners help with community and museum gardens, school gardens, backyard projects, houseplant questions and more.

The program is presented in a hybrid class format with three to four hours of online work before each of the 16 weekly classes, and then a half-day classroom session. Most classes run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. New this year is an evening session, from 5:30 – 9:30 p.m., which will be held in Farmington on Wednesdays.

The program consists of 16 class sessions (online course work and a half-day class each week) beginning the week of Jan. 7, 2019. Subject matter includes basic botany, plant pathology, soils, entomology, as well as lectures on different types of gardening plant groups, and pest management. Lectures and reading are combined with hands-on classroom and 60 hours of outreach experience during the summer.

The program fee is $450, and includes all needed course materials. Partial scholarships may be available, based on demonstrated financial need.

For more information, call UConn Extension at 860-4099053 or visit the UConn Extension Master Gardener website at: www.mastergardener.uconn.edu, where both the on-line and paper application can be found.