The Master Gardener Program will hold classes Feb. 6 and 20 and March 5 and 19 at the MSU Extension Office in Sidney. The Saturday classes will be from 8 a.m. until noon and will cover a variety of topics including soils, botany, vegetable gardening, perennial and annual flower gardening, and tree and lawn care and will cover some specific topics based on interests of the class such as canning and composting.
The Master Gardener Program began in 1972 when an extension agent in Washington state was overrun with home horticultural questions. The program was loosely based on 4-H classes, the idea being to train volunteers to answer those questions.
This is the fifth series of classes to take place in Richland County. The cost is $100, however, if attendants complete 20 hours of volunteer time, they will receive a $50 reimbursement. Past volunteer projects include work at the Arboretum at Hansen Park, building garden beds for the community garden, and helping out at the city parks. Local classes are Level 1 of the national program and those interested can go on to complete Level 2 and Level 3, which are a weekend series of classes at MSU Bozeman.
“Whether a person is experienced or not, everyone will get something out of these classes,” commented Richland County Extension Agent Tim Fine. “Topics aren’t going to be over anyone’s head but they’re not going to be boring either.”
To sign up or for more information, contact Fine at the Extension Office at 406-433-1206.
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