2011 Master Gardener Course offered

It is time to sign up for the awesome Master Gardener Course Training!

You can find an application and other information here.

• Application - Due Friday, January 7th, 2011, 4 P.M. - Sign up early!!!
• Press Release
• Flyer
• Schedule of Classes

In short, you will receive 12 weeks of training to help you understand horticulture, gardening, soils, plants, etc better. I hope you will join us as we have a fun time learning and supporting the community with our knowledge.

Master Gardener Class - Rescheduled

Thomas County Extension will offer a Master Gardener Class beginning in March 2010. All classes will be held at the Thomas County Extension Office, 227 West Jefferson Street. The class has been reschduled for March 2010 so there is more time to sign up if you missed the previous deadline!
The new deadline is Thursday, February 25, 2010.

Applications may be obtained at Thomas County Extension Office at 227 West Jefferson Street or by visiting our website www.thomascountyextension.com. You may download an application here.

The Georgia Master Gardener Program is a volunteer recruitment and training program of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. The main purpose is to train volunteers to provide unbiased, research-based, environmentally sound, horticulture information to the public. Those completing the course will have a much greater knowledge of horticultural practices and will be expected to share their knowledge by volunteering 50 hours back into the community.

Most potential Master Gardeners want to know what community service entails. Community service is any activity in which your newly acquired horticultural knowledge is shared with others. These activities may include advising other citizens with caring for their landscapes, writing horticultural newsletters, working with youth, assisting with beautification projects, judging school projects dealing with agriculture, or civic and garden club presentations.

Most classes will be taught by extension agents and specialists from the University of Georgia. The following classes will be taught:

Introduction to the Master Gardener Program
Soil and Plant Nutrition
Botany/Plant Physiology
Basic Entomology/Pathology
Weed ID and Control
Using the Pest Control Handbook
Vegetable and Herb Gardening
Insects and Diseases of Vegetables
Herbaceous Ornamentals
Selecting Woody Ornamentals
Trees
Maintenance of Woody Ornamentals
Turf Selection and Maintenance
Diseases of Turf and Ornamentals
Developing a Waterwise Landscape
Insects of Turf and Ornamentals
Composting and Mulching
Fruit Gardening
Structural and Household Pests
Nuisance Wildlife

Registration fee for this class is $125.00 which includes a copy of the Georgia Master Gardener Handbook. A minimum enrollment of 10 participants is required to conduct this training. Maximum enrollment is 20 participants. More details on the course will be given during sign-up and be posted on our blog and website.

The deadline to apply is Thursday, February 25, 2010. Applications may be obtained at Thomas County Extension Office at 227 West Jefferson Street or by visiting our website www.thomascountyextension.com. You may download an application here.

If you have any questions, please contact R.J. Byrne, Thomas County Extension Agent at 229.225.4130 or rjbyrne@uga.edu.

2010 Master Gardener Class Offered

Thomas County Extension will offer a Master Gardener Class beginning in March 2010. All classes will be held at the Thomas County Extension Office, 227 West Jefferson Street.

The Georgia Master Gardener Program is a volunteer recruitment and training program of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. The main purpose is to train volunteers to provide unbiased, research-based, environmentally sound, horticulture information to the public. Those completing the course will have a much greater knowledge of horticultural practices and will be expected to share their knowledge by volunteering 50 hours back into the community.

Most potential Master Gardeners want to know what community service entails. Community service is any activity in which your newly acquired horticultural knowledge is shared with others. These activities may include advising other citizens with caring for their landscapes, writing horticultural newsletters, working with youth, assisting with beautification projects, judging school projects dealing with agriculture, or civic and garden club presentations.

Most classes will be taught by extension agents and specialists from the University of Georgia. The following classes will be taught:

Introduction to the Master Gardener Program
Soil and Plant Nutrition
Botany/Plant Physiology
Basic Entomology/Pathology
Weed ID and Control
Using the Pest Control Handbook
Vegetable and Herb Gardening
Insects and Diseases of Vegetables
Herbaceous Ornamentals
Selecting Woody Ornamentals
Trees
Maintenance of Woody Ornamentals
Turf Selection and Maintenance
Diseases of Turf and Ornamentals
Developing a Waterwise Landscape
Insects of Turf and Ornamentals
Composting and Mulching
Fruit Gardening
Structural and Household Pests
Nuisance Wildlife

Registration fee for this class is $125.00 which includes a copy of the Georgia Master Gardener Handbook. A minimum enrollment of 10 participants is required to conduct this training. Maximum enrollment is 20 participants. More details on the course will be given during sign-up and be posted on our blog and website.

The deadline to apply is Thursday, February 25, 2009. Applications may be obtained at Thomas County Extension Office at 227 West Jefferson Street or by visiting our website www.thomascountyextension.com. You may download an application here. The class will run from late January to April 1st.


If you have any questions, please contact R.J. Byrne, Thomas County Extension Agent at 229.225.4130 or rjbyrne@uga.edu.

Thomas County Extension Prison Garden Project makes UGA's Homepage

UGA Thomas County Extension Agent R.J. Byrne makes the homepage of http://www.uga.edu/ with the news of the prison garden project at the Thomas County Prison.



The full story is online at http://www.uga.edu/. Thanks to the help of the Thomas County Master Gardeners this project has been a success. The story is archived under the UGA's Competing in a Global Economy - http://www.uga.edu/aboutUGA/compete-prison_garden.html

Thomas County Prison Vegetable Garden Project

Thomas County Extension Agent R.J. Byrne and Thomas County Prison Warden Robert Greer have started a vegetable garden at the Thomas County Prison.
Byrne and the Thomas County Master Gardeners will work with the Warden and the inmates to grow and harvest vegetables at the prison garden to reduce prison food costs and help teach inmates a new skill. Goals of this pilot project include helping to reduce food costs and expanding the size of the garden in future years.




Inmates grow their veggies in Thomasville

By Christian Jennings -

THOMASVILLE, GA (WALB) - Thomas county inmates have a new horticulture detail...their new vegetable garden on prison property off County Farm Road needs people to tend it.

That garden could end up saving tens of thousands of dollars in food costs.

It's not your typical garden. Here farmers are replaced with inmates and they're growing vegetables they'll eat at the prison dinner table.

"Today we're starting the planting," said RJ Byrne.

Thomas County extension agent RJ Byrne and Warden Robert Greer came up with the idea as a unique way to cope with rising food costs.

"On a weekly basis we spend about $5,000 for a week of food supply and of that probably $1000 or more in vegetables, in produce and we invested probably less than $1000 in this project," said Warden Greer.

Here's an example of how much the prison will save. One kernel of corn produces three ears of corn. And the warden only paid ten dollars for a four pound bag.

Now compare that with what you pay at the farmer's market. Here corn is two for a dollar.

"We're going to grow corn, squash, tomatoes, beans, peppers, okra, and cucumbers," said Byrne.

But the soon to be colorful, delicious vegetables will benefit more than just you, the taxpayer. They'll provide inmates with a new skill to take with them when they leave their cell.

"They're really interested in the garden and a lot of them are already volunteering to be on a permanent detail for this," said the Warden.

"It's going to save money and these guys are going to be able to watch these grow and eat the reward," said Byrne.

But until then, these inmates are just planting seeds of saving.

The inmate's garden is just a pilot project right now.

The warden and extension agents will show the garden and the cost savings to county commissioners soon and hope to expand the garden with their support.

Deciduous Tree ID in Winter

The University of Florida/IFAS – Leon Co Extension is offering a Tree ID Lab in Tallahassee, FL.

If you would like more info about the program you can call Genice Harris at 850-606-5202 or harrisg@leoncountyfl.gov by Mon 2 Feb, or you can also call the UGA Thomas County Extension Office, R.J. Byrne, at 229.225.4130 or uge4275@uga.edu

Due to the popularity of our annual late summer/early fall Tree ID Lab with foliated specimens, we’re offering for the 3rd year a similar program on identifying deciduous trees in winter, using twigs, buds, bark & form. The program will entail an indoor lab and field hike. Our goal is to teach you how to identify about 50 of N FL’s most prevalent deciduous species. We will use fresh specimens in our indoor lab. Bring a hand lens or magnifying glass.

Wednesday 4 February
9:00 – 12:00 am
Leon Extension AuditoriumTwig & Bud Indoor Lab

Monday 9 February
1:00 – 4:00 pm
Elinor-Klapp Phipps ParkBark & Form Field Hike

Free for UF Extension volunteers (Master Wildlife Conservationists and Master Gardeners)

$20 total for professionals (materials, CEUs, Certificate of Completion for attending all 6 hours of training)

$10 total for citizens (materials and Certificate of Completion for attending all 6 hours of training)

Contact Genice Harris at 850-606-5202 or harrisg@leoncountyfl.gov by Mon 2 Feb to register for either or both events, and for CEUs

Georgia Master Gardeners Winter Conference: Winter on the Flint

Winter on the Flint: The Quest for Sustainable Landscapes in a Changing World

Georgia Master Gardeners Winter Conference
Darton College in Albany, Georgia
February 6, 7 & 8, 2009

Speakers will include:

• Rick Darke, Author
• Jim Fowler, Naturalist
• Dr. Katherine Kirkland, Ph.D., M.S. Ecology
• Jason Powell, Owner of Petals from the Past
• Janisse Ray, Author, Naturalist, Activist
  
  Our GOLD sponsor is Wright Turf ~ www.wrightturf.com
  
  You can get more information and register for the conference at
  www.swgamastergardeners.com
  
  You can also contact
  Dougherty County Cooperative Extension Office
  125 Pine Ave., Suite 100, Albany, GA 31701
  (229) 436-7216 or uge4095@uga.edu
  Carla Heard (229) 734-5696
  Juby Phillips (229) 888-0864

Master Gardener Class Offered - Deadline Extended!

New Deadline - December 9th, 2008
Info below and Registration form here.

Thomas County Extension will offer a Master Gardener Class beginning Tuesday, January 20, 2009. The course is open to residents of Thomas, Brooks, Colquitt, Mitchell, and Grady Counties. All classes will be held at the Thomas County Extension Office, 227 West Jefferson Street. The classes will be held on January 20th , 22nd, 23rd, and starting January 26th, every Monday and Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. for 10 weeks, ending on Wednesday April 1st.

The Georgia Master Gardener Program is a volunteer recruitment and training program of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. The main purpose is to train volunteers to provide unbiased, research-based, environmentally sound, horticulture information to the public. Those completing the course will have a much greater knowledge of horticultural practices and will be expected to share their knowledge by volunteering 50 hours back into the community.

Most potential Master Gardeners want to know what community service entails. Community service is any activity in which your newly acquired horticultural knowledge is shared with others. These activities may include advising other citizens with caring for their landscapes, writing horticultural newsletters, working with youth, assisting with beautification projects, judging school projects dealing with agriculture, or civic and garden club presentations.

Most classes will be taught by extension agents and specialists from the University of Georgia. The following classes will be taught:

Introduction to the Master Gardener Program

Soil and Plant Nutrition

Botany/Plant Physiology

Basic Entomology/Pathology

Weed ID and Control

Using the Pest Control Handbook

Vegetable and Herb Gardening

Insects and Diseases of Vegetables

Herbaceous Ornamentals

Selecting Woody Ornamentals

Trees

Maintenance of Woody Ornamentals

Turf Selection and Maintenance

Diseases of Turf and Ornamentals

Developing a Waterwise Landscape

Insects of Turf and Ornamentals

Composting and Mulching

Fruit Gardening

Structural and Household Pests

Nuisance Wildlife

Registration fee for this class is $125.00 which includes a copy of the Georgia Master Gardener Handbook. A minimum enrollment of 10 participants is required to conduct this training. Maximum enrollment is 25 participants.

The deadline to apply is Tuesday, December 2, 2009. Applications may be obtained at Thomas County Extension Office at 227 West Jefferson Street or by visiting our website www.thomascountyextension.com. If you have any questions, please contact R.J. Byrne, Thomas County Extension Agent at 229.225.4130 or rjbyrne@uga.edu.