Beginning in January, the Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) and the Heart of Virginia Master Gardeners (HOVMG) Association will offer their Master Gardener Volunteer Training Class in the conference room of the Prince Edward Extension Office. There will be an orientation Dec. 2 from 9 a.m.-noon. Registration ends Nov. 4. There is a place for anyone 18 years old or older with the basic requirements of an interest in horticulture, gardening and volunteerism. 

Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners work within their local communities to encourage and promote environmentally sound horticulture practices through sustainable landscape management education and training.  The HOVMG work in Prince Edward, Buckingham and Cumberland counties, but also has members from surrounding counties, including Appomattox, Nottoway and Charlotte.

Members of the last class (2015) worked to advertise, setup, provide demonstrations or spoke at various public programs offered by VCE and HOVMG. Everyone spent time preparing plants or answering gardening questions during the Heart of Virginia Festival plant sale. The list of VCE and HOVMG projects is long and can be seen in part at www.HOVMG.org.

Like the rest of VCE Master Gardeners, HOVMGs are a diverse group. The HOVMG consist of men and women, from the city, small towns and farms. They are made up of multiple ages and ethnic groups. They maintain large gardens and find container gardens physically challenging. They come from many different work, economic and educational backgrounds. Their differences are their primary assets. They make it possible to understand and fill needs in the community and the organization.

Interviews for the volunteer training class begin Nov. 7. A fee of $125 for learning materials and resources is due when you are accepted into the class. Please visit http://blogs.lt.vt.edu/mastergardener/ and click on “Prospective Mater Gardeners” for more information. For more information, contact Katy Overby at (434) 392-4246 or hawkthoks@vt.edu.