Master gardeners
While gardening remains the most popular hobby in America, mastering the intricacies of soil pH, fertilizers, plant hardiness, and pest eradication takes a great deal more than a green thumb. To be a URI Master Gardener, it takes 16 weeks of classroom training, weekly quizzes, garden tours, 50 hours of volunteer work, and plenty of get-your-hands-dirty gardening fun.
Established in 1977, the URI Master Gardener Program has turned more than 500 enthusiastic home gardeners into knowledgeable experts who have donated nearly 200,000 hours of volunteer time answering questions called into the URI Gardening Hotline (1-800-448-1011) and designing and maintaining gardens at such places as the Bristol Veterans Home, the South Kingstown Senior Center, and the Rhode Island Statehouse.
URI will host the 2006 Northeast Regional Master Gardener Conference at the Hyatt Regency in Newport on June 5-8. While the conference is limited to certified Master Gardeners, the conference marketplace will be open to the public and will feature educational programs and dozens of vendors of high-quality horticultural products. For more information about the 2006 Northeast Regional Master Gardener Conference, visit passionforgardening.com.
By Todd McLeishPhotos Courtesy of URI’s Master Gardeners
