By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Gardening. Not only can the activity bring a sense of calmness, it can also help beautify the area and be productive. If you did not grow up around gardening, the process of starting a garden or planting flowers may seem somewhat intimidating.
The Cottonwood District of the K-State Research and
Extension, which includes Barton and Ellis counties, provides an Extension
Master Gardeners program. Alicia Boor is an agriculture agent for the
Cottonwood District and said the training helps educate yourself and improve
your community.
"Trainees go through classes with our university experts on each individual subject matter," said Boor. "They'll be able to learn from them and have access to our experts. In return, you give back to your community through various volunteer options."
The training program begins Sept. 7 and meets online every
Thursday from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Once trained, master gardeners can share yard
and plant research to the public and volunteer to help many local organizations
like the Beautification Committee, the teaching garden at Barton County
Historical Society or the horticultural exhibits at the Barton County Fair.
In conjunction with the Beautification Committee, master gardeners are labeling more of the flowers that are planted throughout town, including the flowers planted in front of the Great Bend Public Library.
"We working toward a system to allow people to find out about the plant," said Boor. "They might see a plant and say 'I like this plant' and then they could scan a QR code and be able to see how to take care of it and where you would plant it. We're not completely there, but we're going towards there."
For more information about the EMP program offered by K-State, visit the following website: https://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/consumer-horticulture/master-gardener//. If you are interested in joining the EMP program, contact Jay Harris, EMG Coordinator by email: [email protected].