Volunteers sought for Dougherty Master Gardener program

ALBANY — The Dougherty County Extension Office is looking for interested candidates who would like the opportunity to become Master Gardener Extension Volunteers and serve their communities with other garden enthusiasts.

Classes will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m.-noon Feb. 11-April 08, at the Dougherty County Extension Office located at 125 Pine Ave., Suite 100 in Albany.

Th deadline to apply is Dec. 20

The Master Gardener Extension Volunteer program is designed to train volunteers to assist UGA Cooperative Extension agents in providing unbiased, research-based horticulture education to the public. The prospective master gardener agrees to volunteer a minimum of 50 hours, within a year following the completion of training, in exchange for 42 hours of horticultural training by extension professionals.

Activities in a volunteer program may include, but are not limited to, native plants, gardening, landscape designs, plant clinics, newsletters, news articles, community gardens, beautification projects, civic or garden club presentations, youth programs, homeowner visits and phone consultations from home or the Extension Office and information booths, at fairs and festivals.

Topics of discussion will range from ornamental and landscape plants, turf management, vegetable gardening, organic gardening to basic entomology, weeds, diseases and insect pests of ornamentals and vegetables and their integrated pest management.

The cost of the program is $200, which includes a Master Gardener textbook, a name badge, one-year membership in the Georgia Master Gardener Association, and all other training materials and supplies.

Special Photo: UGA/CAES