The Benton County Cooperative Extension Service and the Benton County Master Gardeners want to help you become Masters of your gardening hobby. What does it mean to be a Master Gardener?

Master Gardeners are members of the local community who receive specialized training in all areas of horticulture in exchange for volunteer service with gardening related projects that are designed to share gardening information with the general public.

The training course offers a minimum of 40 hours of intensive class room instruction which utilizes university professors, Cooperative Extension specialists, and horticultural professionals who cover a broad range of topics including: lawn care, ornamental trees and shrubs, insect, disease, and weed management; soils and plant nutrition, vegetable gardening; home fruit production; garden flowers; and water conservation. Volunteer service opportunities include working with school gardens, community gardens, community beautification projects, website development, public education and many more.

Whatever your garden related interest, from website development to historic garden restoration, as a Benton County Master Gardener, there are abundant opportunities to share your gardening talents with the community. Although some Master Gardeners are considered to be experts with years of gardening experience, others are in the process of learning gardening basics. All, however, are eager to learn more about gardening and share their passion with others.

To help you decide if you should apply to be a Master Gardener, ask yourself these questions:

· Do I want to learn more about the culture and maintenance of many types of plants?

· Am I eager to participate in a practical and intense training program?

· Do I look forward to sharing my knowledge with people in my community?

· Do I have enough time to attend training and to complete the volunteer service?

If you answered yes to these questions, the Master Gardener program could be for you. The training is offered during January on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will be conducted at the Bentonville Public Library. Contact the Benton County Extension office at (479) 271-1060 for more details or to obtain an application. Course enrollment is limited due to space and the application deadline is, November 15 each year, for enrollment for the following January's class.