From the Pine County Master Gardener's:
"Applications are now being accepted to become a Pine County Master Gardener.
This is an opportunity to take a basic horticulture course from horticulture experts from the University of Minnesota and to share one’s gardening knowledge and experience with Pine County residents. The deadline to apply is October 1.
Master Gardener Jennifer Eaves, Hinckley said that this program is a unique way
to meet people with an interest in gardening and to share research-based
information with the citizens of Pine County and Minnesota. Kim Metz, Rock
Creek added, “This program has made a huge difference in my life to have a local
gardening and information community.”
Individuals accepted for the program will start an internship that begins with a 48-
hour Master Gardener Core Course the second week of January 2022. There are
two ways to take the course. One is to take it online between January and May.
The other option is to take it in-person at eight sessions on Fridays and Saturdays
in January and early February at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum near Chanhassen. Or, it can be taken by a combination of these two options.
Following the core course, interns complete 50 hours of volunteer time in their first year and 25 hours in succeeding years by working with other local master gardeners and/or on their own on a variety of projects that inform the public about gardening and horticulture.
In Pine County, some of those projects include the Pine County Horticulture Day, community education classes, Pine City Community Garden, Hinckley School Garden, Junior Master Gardeners, Ask a Master Gardener booths at the Farmers’ Market, Grand Casino and County Fair; newspaper columns, Facebook posts and more. During the COVID pandemic this year, Pine County Master Gardeners have been growing giving vegetable gardens at home and in Pine City and Hinckley, growing plants to share and walk-by pollinator gardens.
After completing the first-year internship, an intern becomes certified as a University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener.
There is a fee for the core course. A partial scholarship is available.
To apply now and until October 1 st call or email Terry Salmela, Pine County Master
Gardener Coordinator at the Pine County Extension office at the Courthouse in Pine City at 800-657-38 13 Ext. #3 or 612-390-3149. His email is salme002@umn.edu."
