You may be thinking to yourself, “I would like to know more about gardening” but you are really not into YouTube or Google. So where do you look for authentic, non-biased gardening information? North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center, is offering “Extension Gardening Series,” a series of seven gardening workshops.
This series will start Oct. 3rd and end Nov. 21st, and includes “Growing Vegetables from Seed,” “Easy to Grow Fruits and Berries,” “Sustainable Vegetable Gardening,” and “Organic Pest Management.” Are you interested in native plants for the yard? Then the next two classes - “Native Perennials for Living Landscapes” and “Native Trees and Shrubs for Living Landscapes” will interest you. The last class offered will be “Sustainable Lawns and Lawn Alternatives.”
Classes are free and will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursdays, at the Extension office, 455 Caton Road, Lumberton. If you attend five of the seven classes in this series, you will be eligible to sign up for the Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Training, which will take place on Thursday mornings, starting Feb. 27 and run through April 24.
Who are the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteers? Let me introduce you, just in case you may not be familiar with them. The 2023 State Master Gardeners annual report states this group had 3970 volunteers who served 225,136 hours, directly reaching almost 280,934 North Carolinians. They are present in 84 of the 101 Extension centers throughout the state.
They work directly with their local county Extension office to provide unbiased, research-based education to local residents through demonstrations, presentations, lectures, seminars, and educational booths at community events. Their efforts enhance local food security through sustainable home vegetable gardening; beautify yards and neighborhoods while protecting water quality and conserving natural resources; and create habitats for pollinators, birds, and wildlife.
They connect children and families with nature; cultivate environmental stewardship; and promote health and well-being, better nutrition, and increased physical activity through gardening. Attending numerous trainings in horticulture and their willingness to educate others is what sets Master Gardener Volunteers apart from other home gardeners. Do you want to learn more about caring for many different types of plants? Are you eager to participate in a practical and intense training program? Do you look forward to sharing your knowledge with others in the community? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you need to inquire about the Extension Master Gardener Volunteer program.
For more information, specific class dates, or to register for classes, contact Mack Johnson, Extension Horticultural Agent, at 910-671-3276, by email at [email protected] , or visit our website at http://robeson.ces.ncsu.edu/. NC State University and N.C. A&T State University are collectively committed to positive action to secure equal opportunity and prohibit discrimination and harassment regardless of age, color, disability, family and marital status, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, political beliefs, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, and veteran status. NC State, N.C. A&T, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.
About North Carolina Cooperative Extension
North Carolina Cooperative Extension is a strategic partnership of NC State Extension, The Cooperative Extension Program at N.C. A&T State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA), and local government partners statewide. Extension delivers research-based education and technology from NC State and N.C. A&T that enriches the lives, land, and economy of North Carolinians. Extension professionals in all 100 counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee provide educational programs specializing in agriculture, youth, communities, health, and the environment.
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