Have you considered becoming a Penn State Extension Master Gardener but don’t know where to begin? Attend the open house at the Penn State Extension Office, 101 Motor Pool Way, from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 30 to learn more about this exciting opportunity to serve the Butler County community.

Master Gardeners are volunteers who have a keen interest in gardening, helping others, and a desire to learn new gardening techniques. According to the Penn State Extension 2016-2017 Master Gardener Report, 2,774 active Penn State Extension Master Gardener volunteers completed 200,812 volunteer hours for a value of $4,819,488.

The Butler County Master Gardener Program was founded in 1991. We boast 78 active Master Gardeners who completed 3,367 volunteer hours in 2016-2017. We answered 251 Garden Hotline questions, gave 30 educational outreach presentations, published 18 gardening articles and maintained five county certified pollinator gardens and 1,00 square feet of demonstration gardens.

The Penn State Extension Master Gardener Program, coordinated by Penn State Cooperative Extension, provides horticultural training to interested individuals in exchange for a commitment of volunteer time. A Master Gardener completes a minimum of 40 classroom hours in subjects such as entomology, botany, soil science, pesticide safety, plant propagation, and communication skills. This training is provided by Extension and non-Extension professionals with extensive knowledge and experience.

To be considered for the Master Gardener training program, an application and interview is required. Once accepted into the training program, the Master Gardener apprentice pays a nominal fee of $200 for program materials and manual.

This year’s training begins Oct, 4 and continues Thursdays from 6 to 8:45 p.m. through Feb. 27. Classes will be held at the Butler County Extension office.

Apprentices are assigned a mentor to help them gain experience in existing projects. All Master Gardeners must complete the required class work, score a passing grade on a written examination administered by Penn State Cooperative Extension, and fulfill 50 volunteer hours to obtain certification. Many Master Gardeners continue with the volunteer program for years.

Master Gardeners engage in a wide variety of services to the Butler community, such as answering home gardening questions that are phoned into the Garden Hotline; organizing and staffing the May Market at Alameda Park; conducting local informational seminars; maintaining pollinator demonstration gardens; and communicating with the public through newspaper articles and speakers’ bureau.

Master Gardeners have a monthly education and business meeting that supports ongoing continuing education and group problem solving. Every two years, the Master Gardener program coordinates a statewide Master Gardener conference; this year’s conference was held at Seven Springs Mountain Resort. In 2019, Pennsylvania is hosting the International Master Gardener Conference, which is an exciting honor.

The Penn State Master Gardener volunteer program supports the outreach mission of Penn State Extension by utilizing unbiased research-based information to educate the public and our communities on best practices in sustainable horticulture and environmental stewardship. We welcome everyone with an interest in educating the public and serving the community to join us in reaching our goal.

Butler County Master Gardeners can be contacted through the Butler County Extension Office at 724-287-4761 or you can submit your question along with your name, address and telephone number to Master Gardener, c/o Penn State Cooperative Extension, 101 Motor Pool Way, Butler, PA 16001. Email inquiries can be sent to ButlerExt@psu.edu.

To learn more about the program, visit the Master Gardener website at https://extension.psu.edu/programs/master-gardener.

We look forward to meeting you Aug. 30.

Julia Habsburg has been a Penn State Extension Master Gardener Butler County since 1998. Lisa Marie Bernardo has been a Penn State Extension Master Gardener in Butler County since 2003.