What Does Being a Master Gardener Mean?

   If you ask that question to the over 2,790 active Master Gardeners in the State of
Minnesota you would get 2,790 different answers. My answer to that question is - I get
to share my gardening passion with others and learn things about gardening I never
dreamed I would. There are also other answers to that question - I have met so many
people over the 20 + years I have been a Master Gardener, they have become lifelong
friends and I have been in so many different gardens over the years. We have toured
gardens all over the state and surrounding states. I have taken classes that I have been
really interested in and also ones that the subject was not my favorite, but boy did I
learn things from everyone I took. Would I do it all over again and the answer is
absolutely, positively, and emphatically YES!
  Master Gardeners are from all walks of life. We are eager to share research-based best
practices of gardening. We promote healthy landscapes, healthy foods and healthy lives
within our communities. Master Gardeners do many kinds of activities ranging from
speaking to 4-H Clubs to area service organizations. We teach youth and adult
gardening classes, we plant and maintain demonstration gardens and walk-by-learning
gardens. Education is our main goal with the research based information supplied to us
from the University of Minnesota.
  Applicants must be 18 years of age, pass a background check and review a safety of
minors training video. There are 2 parts to the program that interns are required to
complete. A 40-60 hour online training program referred to as the Core Course, is the
first part and then the intern must complete a minimum of 50 hours of volunteer work
the first year in the program. We want you to succeed so we help you through the first
year. We all did it and survived, it sounds unsurmountable, but it really is not.
Applications are due October 01 with the registration deadline of December 01. The
Core Course begins in January. The online application can be found here -
z.umn.edu/mg2023onlineapp. Come join us. We would love to have you become part of
our group. If you have any questions about the program, my email is
brow3298@umn.edu and my office number is 507-444-7687.
A big thank you goes out to all of you that stopped by our booth at the Steele County
Fair and answered our questions about vegetables! It was fun for us to interact with
young and old and have great conversations. We will be back next year with a new topic
for our Wheel and questions for you to answer!
  The winners of our door prize drawings are - The garden stone was won by Mary
Schwanke, The Master Gardener Plant Sale gift certificates were won by Cindy
Kolander, Barb Paulson and Linda Vaith. The Nagel gift certificates were won by Lisa
OIdenburg and Cathy Balzer. Thank you to all that entered our drawings and stopped by
to talk gardening!