AUGUSTA — University of Maine Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener Volunteers Program is taking applications in Kennebec, Franklin, and Waldo counties. Training begins Jan. 27, from 12:30 – 4 p.m., at the Kennebec County UMaine Extension office, 125 State St., Augusta.

Weekly classes continue through April.  

Trainees will receive more than 40 hours of instruction in the latest research-based information on vegetable and fruit production from Extension educators and industry experts. Participants must also pass a written exam and volunteer a minimum of 40 hours within the first year at approved projects to complete the course.

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

The $220 per person fee includes all materials; limited financial assistance is available. Apply online; review of applications begins Dec. 13 and continues until the class is full. 

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

University of Maine Cooperative Extension: 

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 the 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, according to the Extension, in a news release.

UMaine Extension also conducts an out-of-school youth educational program through 4-H.