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ENLARGE
Steve Renquist
Every year about this time OSU Extension advertises that the Master Gardener Program is getting ready for another class. Our registration takes place on the second Tuesday in November. This year the hour-long session will be at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 11 at the OSU Extension office at 1134 S.E. Douglas Ave., Roseburg.
When people begin to call in for information about the coming class, we almost always get a number who cannot join us from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each Tuesday from January through March. This year, however, we are offering an option for those of you who cannot join us during the work day or who just love to learn online.
OSU ecampus has created an online Master Gardener Program with all the topics you would study in our local county program. The course was created by our Oregon Master Gardener Coordinator, so topics will be relevant for Oregon gardeners. The course will include lectures, readings, discussion blogs, quizzes, and assignments. Registration for the online program is easy. Either call 800-667-1465 or go online to http://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/mastergardener. The next online program begins in January, so you will want to sign up for it soon. (The first online class, which began in September, filled up in one week.)
The online program will offer two options for students. Under the first option, the participant will receive a certificate of home horticulture upon successfully completing the $400 course. Those students will not become Master Gardeners because there is no volunteer activity. Under the second option, which costs $300, the participant will earn a Master Gardener badge at the completion of the online class and the 60 hours of volunteer practicum. Students will also have an opportunity to continue training with our local county program, depending on their schedules.
If you prefer a more hands-on training style, and are available during the day, you probably should join our regular class every Tuesday from January 6 to March 17 at the OSU Extension Office. Attendance costs $100. This year our training class will spend more time than ever before at our Discovery Garden and at our greenhouses near River Forks Park. We will be teaching classes at the garden in tree fruit production, plant propagation, weed control, seeding, and plant problem diagnostics. The garden is the best horticulture training site in the county for hands-on training because of the diversity of plant material and landscape designs. One additional benefit about attending our program in person is that you will find a lot of new friends in our organization. Our group attracts people who love to garden, love to cook and eat fresh foods, and who love to give back to our community with their volunteer time. If that description sounds like you, give us a call and join the Master Gardener Class of 2009.
When people begin to call in for information about the coming class, we almost always get a number who cannot join us from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each Tuesday from January through March. This year, however, we are offering an option for those of you who cannot join us during the work day or who just love to learn online.
OSU ecampus has created an online Master Gardener Program with all the topics you would study in our local county program. The course was created by our Oregon Master Gardener Coordinator, so topics will be relevant for Oregon gardeners. The course will include lectures, readings, discussion blogs, quizzes, and assignments. Registration for the online program is easy. Either call 800-667-1465 or go online to http://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/mastergardener. The next online program begins in January, so you will want to sign up for it soon. (The first online class, which began in September, filled up in one week.)
The online program will offer two options for students. Under the first option, the participant will receive a certificate of home horticulture upon successfully completing the $400 course. Those students will not become Master Gardeners because there is no volunteer activity. Under the second option, which costs $300, the participant will earn a Master Gardener badge at the completion of the online class and the 60 hours of volunteer practicum. Students will also have an opportunity to continue training with our local county program, depending on their schedules.
If you prefer a more hands-on training style, and are available during the day, you probably should join our regular class every Tuesday from January 6 to March 17 at the OSU Extension Office. Attendance costs $100. This year our training class will spend more time than ever before at our Discovery Garden and at our greenhouses near River Forks Park. We will be teaching classes at the garden in tree fruit production, plant propagation, weed control, seeding, and plant problem diagnostics. The garden is the best horticulture training site in the county for hands-on training because of the diversity of plant material and landscape designs. One additional benefit about attending our program in person is that you will find a lot of new friends in our organization. Our group attracts people who love to garden, love to cook and eat fresh foods, and who love to give back to our community with their volunteer time. If that description sounds like you, give us a call and join the Master Gardener Class of 2009.
Steve Renquist is the Horticulture Extension Agent for OSU Extension Service of Douglas County. Steve can be reached by email steve.renquist@oregonstate.edu or phone at 541-672-4461.
