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Good Gardening: Become A Master Gardener

John Fischer
Deadly nightshade, a "bad weed."
Credit John Fischer
A tomato with blossom end rot.

Want to learn how to master all your garden problems?

Hi all, I'm Master Gardener John Fischer with KLCC's Good Gardening.

"Ohhh--- mister master gardener is soooo smart"

No- No, I've just taken a series of classes that help me explain…

"Help you tell me what to do, like you know everything!"

Well anybody can take the Master Gardener class.  Maybe you're interested?

"I could be a master gardener??"

Sure.  The OSU Lane County extension will be teaching the 11-week class starting in January, and applications are due by mid-November.

Despite 30 years as a gardener, I still learned a wheelbarrow full of new information when I took the class 20 years ago.

The weed identification class really helps when you are confused between good and bad sprouts in the spring.  The section on fruit trees has helped me expand my backyard orchard.  And while I don't use any synthetic pesticides, I learned the proper way to apply those products so that I can help guide people who do use chemicals.

The link to the application is below.

A big part of being a master gardener is education.  But not just your education, After finishing the class, you give back your knowledge by volunteering on the Master Gardener Hotline, at events around the county, and when your friends or neighbors have garden questions.

"Oh that reminds me.  Why are some of my tomatoes all black and mushy at the ends?"

That's blossom end rot, but were on the air right now- I'll talk about solutions when Good Gardening is done. "OK"

The class costs $230 if you do volunteer hours, twice as much if you don't. But I would advise you do the volunteer time because teaching is the best way to learn.

"What do I do about spiders?" Nothing.  They are good for your garden.

"Why are carrots so hard to sprout?"  They need damp soil for almost two weeks.

"Can we really grow Kiwi fruit here" Yes- our climate is perfect!

I'm Master Gardener John Fischer with KLCC's Good Gardening.

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/lane/become-master-gardener-volunteer