Growing Green Thumbs

Looking for a unique Christmas gift this year?

The Master Gardeners Association of Rogers County Serves and Educates.

Looking for a unique Christmas gift this year? The Master Gardeners Association of Rogers County (MGARC) offers a variety of tools and products, viewable on their website, perfect for that gardening guru on your list. Even raised-bed garden kits, either 4’x4’ or 4’x8’, are available and can be assembled by a Master Gardener and delivered within twenty miles of Claremore. Simply call John Haase at the MGARC to order.
Great gadgets aren’t all that the MGARC has to offer the public, though. Advice is ripe for the picking too! The MGARC is a non-profit affiliate of the OSU Extension, serving Rogers County via information and technical assistance in the areas of lawn, garden and landscape horticulture.
MGARC is comprised of a group of volunteers that undergo 60+ hours of training in a wide array of topics from vegetable gardening to insect and disease control. The training spans sixteen weeks. There is an enrollment fee required to register for the class, offered annually; however, the value of training far exceeds the price. Following training, the participant commits to volunteer with the MGARC for 50 hours. A class began at the end of November, but, space permitting, it is possible to join the training now in session.
The primary focus of the MGARC is to assist local homeowners with their gardening issues, answering questions based on science and non-biased opinion. “The Master Gardeners help the local community’s need to know non-biased advice in various areas of lawn, landscape and gardening,” explains Haase.  MGARC does this throughout the year at venues such as the Rogers County Home and Garden Show where they host a booth and plant sale in the spring. MGARC also works in conjunction with the Safenet fundraiser each year, stationing volunteers at each of the houses to showcase gardens and beds and answer questions. MGARC can also be found at other local vendor events as well as at the teaching garden at the Will Rogers Park which will soon be expanding. Monthly meetings are open to the public where a speaker presents on gardening topics.
If a speaker is needed for a civic group, MGARC, is glad to provide a volunteer. MGARC even presents and demonstrates, annually, to approximately 1,600 Rogers County students as part of its hands-on Master Gardeners in the Classroom program.
A commitment to gardening education is always in bloom, so call to learn more about the Master Gardeners today!