A group of seven enthusiastic Stokes County gardeners began their journey to become certified Master Gardeners last week at the Stokes Cooperative Extension office in Danbury. The Master Gardener program is one of the Extension service’s most recognizable and visible educational programs, with local groups established in almost every county in every state.

The new trainees embarked on a rigorous, 16-week course that covers a diverse pallet of gardening topics such as plant propagation, soils, fertilizers, lawncare, houseplants and landscape design. The purpose of the Extension Master Gardener Volunteer program is to train local gardening enthusiasts to assist the public with expert garden advice and to assist the local Extension office with administering educational programs throughout the county.

Once the classroom training is complete, the volunteers will begin a year long process of contributing 40 hours of service in support of Extension programs or volunteer to serve the public with activities that fall within the scope of the Extension’s mission of helping people, businesses and communities solve problems, develop skills and build a better future.

The new Master Gardener interns are Alice Kiger, Edith Stewart, Katherine Gambill, Pat Jensen, Ken St. Clair, Rondalynn Chapman and Ann Badenoch Hayes.

For more information about the Master Gardener program and to register for the next class, contact Randy Fulk, Horticulture Agent, at 593-8179 or by e-mail at randy_fulk@ncsu.edu.