The University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Somerset County announces its Master Gardener Course for 2012.

Are you a gardening enthusiast? Would you like to share your gardening knowledge with your community? If  so, you may want to consider joining the Somerset / Franklin County Master Gardeners.

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension is pleased to again offer its popular Master Gardener program in the winter/spring of 2012. Participants in the Master Gardener program will receive fifteen 3-hour training sessions on gardening starting January 23, 2012. After successful completion of the training program, each Master Gardener will volunteer 40 hours to a community gardening project, such as planting and maintaining a vegetable variety trial, designing and creating a mobile display to be used at fairs and other public functions, or answering public calls and requests for gardening information. The 2012 program will focus on fruits and vegetables.

The fee is on a sliding scale determined by household income. Scholarships are available. The program will be held on Monday evenings from 6pm to 9pm beginning January 23 at the UMaine Extension Somerset County office on Norridgewock  Avenue in Skowhegan. For more information or to request an application, please call the UMaine Extension Somerset County Office at 474-9622 or 1-800-287-1495.

Master Gardener Application [Word]

Payment information [Word]

Master Gardener Scholarship Request Form [Word]

Applications are due on December 31, 2011.

If you are a person with a disability and will need any accommodations to participate in this program, please call Tom Goodspeed at the UMaine Extension Somerset County office at 1-800-287-1495 or TDD: 1-800-287-8957 to discuss your needs. Receiving requests for accommodation at least 10 days before the program provides a reasonable amount of time to meet the request, however all requests will be accepted.