RUMFORD – Although most people have recently put their vegetable gardens to bed for another year, it’s not too soon to think about the next growing season.
And to help gardeners become even more adept at growing everything from beans and lettuce to tomatoes and corn, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension is offering a 13-week Master Gardener Program in downtown Rumford.
If at least 15 people sign up by early December, the well-known gardening program that is frequently offered in the southern part of the Oxford County will be presented for the first time in the northern part.
“People from Rumford are interested,” Extension Service educator Barbara Murphy said Tuesday afternoon.
But 15 must sign up.
Cost for the program is $90. Some scholarship money is available through the Oxford County Extension Service.
The Master Gardener Program is part of a nationwide service organization made up of people who like to garden and who want to pass on what they learn to others in the community.
In exchange for the 40-plus hours of intensive horticultural training, participants are expected to volunteer 40 hours to a community project such as Plant a Row for the Hungry, teach gardening workshops or design an educational display.
Participants will learn about soil science, pest management and botany to help them successfully grow vegetables.
The weekly program will run from 6 to 9 p.m. each Tuesday, beginning Feb. 7, in the Rumford Municipal Building.
To register, inquire about scholarship opportunities or to get further information, people can call Murphy at (800) 287-1482.
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