FREEHOLD – The Monmouth County Master Gardener Program is accepting applications for 2009.  The deadline to apply is Jan. 1, 2009.

Master Gardeners are experts in all things related to home gardening in Monmouth County. After completing classroom and hands-on training, Master Gardeners share their knowledge with others by conducting garden lectures, demonstrations, school and community gardening projects, telephone diagnostic service for callers and research.

“Master Gardener trainees receive in-depth, hands-on training in horticulture from the best in the field – Rutgers faculty and Cooperative Extension Service professional staff,” said Diane Zahorsky, program coordinator and horticulturist for the Monmouth County’s Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service. “The program includes topics in plant biology, propagation, soil science and disease and pest control.”

Classroom sessions in 2009 will be held from February through May on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. At the conclusion of the classes, master gardener trainees are required to give 60 hours of hands-on volunteer time in horticultural projects and answering calls on the county’s “horticulture helpline.” Successful graduates of the training become certified Master Gardeners.

Those interested in the program should file an application no later than Jan. 1, 2009. There is a $250 fee to cover material and program costs.

 

Applications can be downloaded from the county’s Web site at www.visitmonmouth.com. Be sure to click on the Department link to the Rutgers Cooperative Extension page. Applications are also available from the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service at 4000 Kozloski Rd. in Freehold Township, or by calling (732) 431-7260.

 

“The Master Gardener program was initiated because agricultural agents were being inundated with calls from homeowners about gardening issues,” Zahorsky said. “State agriculture services traditionally supported commercial farming interests. The agricultural agents in Washington State recognized the shift and started this program in 1973.”

 

“Master Gardeners are terrific,” said Rick Royle, senior park manager for the county Park System. “They plant bulbs and perennials around the Thompson Park Headquarters and their pruning team keeps the park’s trees, shrubs and bushes healthy and in good shape. Like all the park volunteers, the Master Gardeners are part of an extended workforce that provides well-maintained parks for our residents and visitors.” 

 

The Master Gardener program, conducted throughout the United States and Canada, is a two-part educational effort, in which avid gardeners are provided many hours of intense home horticulture training, and in return they “pay back” local university extension agents through volunteerism.

 

In New Jersey, the program is a cooperative effort of Rutgers University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Brookdale Community College and the County Boards of Chosen Freeholders.

 

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