You don’t have to be an expert gardener to become a Master Gardener. All you need is a desire to learn and a desire to help others become better gardeners.
The Master Gardener program is an outreach program of the University of Wyoming Extension Service and is made up of volunteers who are enthusiastic about gardening, who want to learn more about growing plants, and who are willing to share their knowledge with others.
The Master Gardener program brings gardeners up-to-date horticultural information and gardening methods, reinforces previous knowledge, and teaches how to disseminate this information. In its simplest form, a Master Gardener is a volunteer trained by the County Extension Service to help other people in the community learn about gardening and the care of their landscape.
Persons qualify to become Master Gardeners by completing a 60 hour class room training session over the course of 10 weeks. Classes usually meet in the evenings, twice a week, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
Instruction is given in a wide variety of topics including:
- Basic Botany
- Soils and Soil Fertility
- Entomology (insects)
- Plant Pathology (plant diseases)
- Site Analysis and Landscape Design
- Trees and Shrubs
- Vegetables
- Water Conservation
- Perennials, to name a few areas of study.
Upon course completion, participants then serve as Master Gardener Interns under the supervision of the County Horticulturist and qualified Master Gardeners.
There are numerous and varied opportunities to satisfy the 40 hours of required volunteer time. Continuing education in your particular area of interest is strongly encouraged. Providing planting and care instructions and diagnosing plant problems are but a few of the services provided to other residents of Laramie County.
With completion of the 40 hours of volunteer service, interns are certified as Master Gardeners. To maintain Master Gardener status, a volunteer must complete 20 hours of continuing education and volunteer work annually.
If you would like to become a Laramie County Master Gardener, call the Laramie County Extension Office at 633-4383, and someone will contact you before the next class.
