A new crop of Master Gardeners will begin training March 22 at the Thames Center on the Co-Lin Campus. Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the county Extension program reach a broader audience.

Selected volunteers are given 40 hours of intense horticulture training and in return the individual pays $100 for material costs plus donates 40 hours of their time to assist the MSU-Extension Service in Lincoln County with educational efforts in home horticulture.

Volunteers may contribute hours by staffing gardening events, teaching horticulture units at local schools, planting and maintaining demonstration areas or speaking to civic groups or garden clubs.

The training begins with the general concepts of plant science and builds on them for a well-rounded knowledge of horticulture and gardening. Volunteers will receive the most up-to-date information available for Mississippi soils; flowers, trees and shrubs; lawns; weeds; vegetables; plant propagation; fruits and nuts; diseases and insects.

Classes are from 1-4 pm every Tuesday and Thursday beginning March 22 and ending April 30.

Anyone interested in becoming a part of our new crop of 2018 Lincoln County Master Gardeners should contact the County Extension office at 601-835-3460.    

Rebecca Bates is an MSU Extension-Lincoln County agent, and can be reached at 601-835-3460 or by e-mail at rebecca.bates@msstate.edu.