Catawba County – The Master Gardener course is an intensive gardening course for beginners and experienced gardeners. The daytime course is mostly comprised of field trips, hands-on activities, and learning by doing during the class time. The course is about active learning. It is supplemented by on-line reading assignments and quizzes for knowledge. The course is challenging but you will learn a ton, take your gardening skills to a new level, and have a lot of fun and enjoyment.

The Catawba County Master Gardener course will take place for 6 weeks in the spring and 6 weeks in the fall; Wednesdays from 9 AM to noon from mid March through April and again from late August to early October. The total course time in the classroom is 36 hours.

The Master Gardening course is a volunteer training course. Certification for the first year requires 40 hours of community service in gardening projects and outreach of your choice. We are happy to help you find opportunities to share your knowledge too. After the first year, the certification requirements are 20 hours of volunteer service annually. Don’t be intimidated by this requirement. It is usually not difficult to find opportunities and complete the hours in a season.

To reserve your seat in the course you will need to pre-pay the $100 fee which covers all expenses related to the course. Please call our office (828-465-8240) to make arrangements for either cash or check, or pay online at www.velocitypayment.com/client/catawba/coopext/index.htm