Gardening - Master Gardeners in Penobscot County
Enrollment for the 2013 Master Gardener Volunteer Training is open!
Thank you for your interest in the Master Gardener Volunteer training. Master Gardeners are truly special people dedicated to sharing their horticultural knowledge and skills with their community.
2013 Training Schedule
All classes will be held at the UMaine Extension office in Bangor on Tuesdays 5-8:15pm unless otherwise noted. Please check the dates and locations of the training. It is important that you’re able to attend at least 80% of all training sessions.
3/5 – Volunteerism & Seed Starting
3/12 – Botany
3/16* – Plant Propagation & Greenhouse Tour (9:00-noon, Deering Hall and Roger Clapp Greenhouse on the UMaine Orono Campus)
3/19 – Soils
3/26 – Maintenance, Care, and Selection of Woody Landscape Plants
4/2 – Principles of Landscape Design
4/9 – Pesticides
4/16 – Composting
4/23 – Insects and Insect Management in Ornamental Crops
4/30 – Ecology and Climate Change
5/7 – Disease and Disease Management in Ornamental Crops
5/14 – Annuals and Perennials for Maine
5/21 – Rain Gardens and Vegetative Buffers
5/28* – Introduction to Beekeeping & Final Exam (5:00-8:30, Rogers Farm)
Directions to Training Sites
Training Materials
We’re pleased to announce that the newly revised Maine Master Gardener Manual is now online. This resource is a collection of bulletins, chapters, and links that have been carefully selected to provide you with timely, in-depth, and applied information on a number of important horticultural topics. The online format will allow you to access new and updated materials long after your training. Much of this wonderful resource is accessible to the general public. Some sections are password protected to ensure access only by Maine Master Gardeners. Please contact Kate Garland if you have any concerns regarding your ability to access the online manual for the training.
How to Apply
Use our online form to apply. To request a printed application, please call 207-942-7396 and ask for Theresa or Kate. The application should be completed as soon as possible and no later than February 25th. You will hear from us around February 20 regarding whether you are in the class. We accept as many applicants as possible, but space is limited.
Fees
The fee for the course and materials is due at the first class meeting. PLEASE DO NOT SEND MONEY BEFORE THE CLASS BEGINS.
The Master Gardener Volunteers program is a statewide program and is one of the most popular and valued programs offered by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. This program is committed to offering high quality horticultural education to all interested Maine residents. To help us meet this goal and keep the program affordable, the program relies on tax dollars, donations, and program fees that until now have been the same for all applicants regardless of one’s household income.
County, state, and federal tax dollars and donations do not fully cover the true costs of offering this program. Consequently, we must charge a program fee that reflects each applicant’s income and ability to pay. We recognize that some individuals may not be able to pay the program fee attached to the annual household income scale. If this is the case, please select a lower household income category, or apply for a program scholarship with Kate Garland. Upon acceptance to the program, you will be asked to self-select the program fee below based on your annual household income; this information will be confidential:
| Annual household income | Program Fee |
| $40,000 or less | $110 |
| $40,001 – $70,000 | $220 |
| $70,001 or more | $330 |
To assist us in building the program scholarship fund that supports Maine residents of all incomes to participate in the program, we welcome tax-deductible donations.
For More Information
- E-mail katherine.garland@maine.edu or call 207-942-7396 or 1-800-287-1485 (in Maine)
- Master Gardener Program Policies and Additional Information
- 2013 statewide training schedule
If you are a person with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in this program, please call Kate Garland at 1-800-287-1485 at to discuss your needs. Receiving requests for accommodations at least seven days before the program provides a reasonable amount of time to meet the request, however all requests will be considered.
Photo by Charlie Green