Class starts in January to train next master gardeners

If you are a gardener and interested in community service, there is an opportunity ahead.
Twenty-four seats are available for Mecklenburg County residents who want to train to become master gardeners. Twice-weekly classes start in January and continue through March. Tuition is $160.
Volunteers give 40 hours the first year and 30 after that. Working initially with a mentor, master gardeners share what they know on the master gardener hotline and at events and speaking engagements. They also create gardens, such as the veggie patches near Independence Park that's shown here.
“They have to be a lifelong learner, and they should be interested in research-based gardening information,” said Cathe Hawley, president of Mecklenburg Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, an association that now has 110 certified volunteers.
Hawley’s description of an ideal candidate might sound lofty, but being a master gardener is mostly connecting with other gardeners in the organization and the community. I still see members of my class (1998) at events all over town.
It is important to be interested in learning, as Hawley said. There’s always so much more to discover about the world of plants and what we can do to help it grow.
Apply by Nov. 24. Visit www.mastergardenersmecklenburg.org to download an application or call 704-336-4011.

Karen’s blog: homelifeclt.blogspot.com; on Twitter @sullivan_kms