AUGUSTA — University of Maine Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteers program in Kennebec and Waldo counties is taking applications for the training program. The program begins November 19, 12:30 – 4 p.m., at the Kennebec County UMaine Extension office, 125 State St., Augusta. 

Weekly classes continue through Dec. 17 and resume Feb. 4 to March 25, 2019.

Trainees will receive over 40 hours of instruction in the latest research-based information on vegetable and fruit production from Extension educators and industry experts.

Participants also must pass a written exam and volunteer a minimum of 40 hours within the first year at approved projects in Kennebec or Waldo counties to complete the course.

Volunteer projects include demonstration gardens, school programs, Harvest for Hunger campaigns, newsletter articles, public talks and more.

The $220 fee includes all materials; limited financial assistance is available.

Apply online by November 12.

For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact 207.622.7546, 800.287.1481 (in Maine); email cfitzgerald@maine.edu. 

University of Maine Cooperative Extension:

As a trusted resource for over 100 years, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has supported UMaine's land and sea grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county. UMaine Extension helps support, sustain and grow the food-based economy. It is the only entity in our state that touches every aspect of the Maine Food System, where policy, research, production, processing, commerce, nutrition, and food security and safety are integral and interrelated. UMaine Extension also conducts the most successful out-of-school youth educational program in Maine through 4-H.

About the University of Maine:

The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state's land grant and sea grant university. As Maine's flagship public university, UMaine has a statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and community service. UMaine is among the most comprehensive higher education institutions in the Northeast and attracts students from Maine and 49 other states, and 62 countries. It currently enrolls 11,404 total undergraduate and graduate students who can directly participate in groundbreaking research working with world-class scholars. UMaine offers more than 100 degree programs through which students can earn graduate certificates, master's, doctoral or professional science master's degrees. The university promotes environmental stewardship, with substantial efforts campuswide aimed at conserving energy, recycling and adhering to green building standards in new construction. For more information about UMaine, visit umaine.edu.