Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County is offering the Master Gardener Training Program this fall.
You don’t need to be a resident of Niagara County to participate in this program.
These classes provide participants with basic training in a variety of horticultural subjects using class lectures, group discussion questions, quizzes and hands-on activities in our greenhouse and on our grounds.
All classes will be held at the Lockport office in the Large Meeting Room of the 4-H Training Center, 4487 Lake Avenue, Lockport, except for field trips, which will be held at local parks.
Class topics will include soils and fertilizers, tree identification, plant propagation, diagnosing plant problems, annual and perennial flowers, vegetable gardening, pruning, organic gardening, entomology, plant pathology, backyard fruit growing and honeybees and their importance to gardening.
The required textbooks are free and are available by downloading from the Internet. A complete syllabus with the order of topics, directions for obtaining the required textbooks, assigned readings and discussion questions will be e-mailed to participants in early October.
Classes start on Oct. 29, so you should register as soon as possible so that you can do reading before the first class.
The cost for the entire course is $280. Cooperative Extension would like students to pay the tuition fee by Oct. 15. 
After completion of the training and passing the examination, class participants become Master Gardeners. They then have the option of becoming Certified Master Gardeners by volunteering 40 hours of time to the program. Opportunities include helping in the office, in the greenhouse, at public events like the Niagara County Fair or garden walks, or by participating in other gardening/horticulture opportunities that arise.
There are 13 required Saturday classes, plus two snow/make-up dates. Click here to go to the page where you can access the table of dates and tentative topics.
You can learn more by taking a look at frequently asked questions.
For more information or to register for the 2011 Cornell Master Gardener Program, please contact Dr. Sandra Lee Graczyk, Certified Master Gardener and course host, at master.gardener.program@verizon.net or at 716-834-5368.
