All the Dirt on Gardening

Master Gardener Certification Classes Cost $100 Start Sept 25 at 1, Muskogee County Extension Office, Muskogee Fairgrounds Information: Mandy Blocker, Extension Educator ag/4-H, 918-686-7200, mandy.blocker@okstate.edu Facebook: Muskogee County Master Gardeners If you like to work with garden plants and help people, becoming a master gardener might be just the thing for you. Master gardeners are trained volunteers who help the public with their gardening questions, work on community gardening projects, assist with hosting public classes and volunteer in the Muskogee County Extension Office. From the first class in September to the last class in December, participants receive in-depth training in gardening from Oklahoma State University Extension specialists. All classes will meet from 1 to 5 on Thursdays. The schedule of classes includes September - 25 Basic Botany taught by Mandy Blocker October 2 – Woody Ornamentals taught by Dr. Mike Schnelle October 9 – Plant Diseas...

Mandy Blocker and Mark Wilkerson With Oklahoma State University master gardener classes starting in late January, Mandy Blocker met with the director of the Parks and Recreation Department, Mark Wilkerson, to discuss how they can work together. “When the master gardener classes are completed in the spring, the members of the class need meaningful projects where they can earn the 40 volunteer hours required for certification,” Blocker said. “We are going to have a horticulture hotline at the Extension Office where they can volunteer, but some of them will want outdoor hours, too.” Blocker and Wilkerson met last week at the new “Papilion, a place for butterflies” in Honor Heights Park to discuss ways their two organizations could collaborate. They decided that the perfect solution would be to create a new community garden in Chandler Road Park. (The park is near York Street and Chandler Road, where Okmulgee Avenue jogs a bit and becomes Chandler.) “When that park was built, it was i...

The Oklahoma State University Master Gardener program is coming back to Muskogee in January or February 2013. The new Extension Educator, Mandy Blocker is taking names of the people in our community who would like to be on the email list to hear more about the program. Msukogee County OSU Extension Educator Mandy Blocker Blocker spoke at Muskogee Garden Club last week and said that there are three questions interested students should ask themselves: 1) Do you want to learn more about the culture and maintenance of many types of plants?; 2) Are you eager to participate in a practical and intense training program?; and, 3) Do you have enough time to attend the trainings and serve as a volunteer intern?   The Master Gardener program is a volunteer training program with the purpose of developing community volunteers. In most areas of the state (and around the country) Master Gardeners are a vital resource for their communities.   The program is designed for any...