• By Leslie Peck
• Posted Tuesday, December 13, 2016

New EMGVs Graduate from Training Course

Twenty-three students successfully completed and graduated from the Extension Master Gardener Volunteer training course this fall. Students wishing to become a certified Extension Master Gardener Volunteer (EMGV) must complete both a training course and a volunteer internship. One student reported, “I loved learning all of the material and learning about all of the things Forsyth Extension office offers and hosts.”

EMGV students completed 40 hours of coursework this fall. The EMGV course provides a broad overview of horticulture, including botany, vegetable gardening, landscaping, and managing plant pests and problems. This year’s class consisted of thirteen classes taught by NC Cooperative Extension Agents, a field trip to local historical garden sites, and a hands-on erosion control workday in Kernersville. At the end of the course, students gave short presentations on gardening and successfully passed the final exam.

Forsyth County Cooperative Extension hosted a graduation ceremony for the twenty-three students on Tuesday, November 29, 2016. The graduates will serve as EMGV interns for the next year while they complete the initial volunteer internship, composed of 40 hours of volunteer work. Extension Master Gardener Volunteer interns work alongside certified EMGVs to complete a variety of horticulture projects in Forsyth County.

EMGVs in Forsyth County work to support the consumer horticulture program at Forsyth County Cooperative Extension. EMGVs assist with educational programs for gardeners in the local community. Programs offered include a monthly adult education class held at the Arboretum at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons and the “Forks on Fridays” speaker series held at the Forsyth County Agriculture Building in Winston-Salem. In addition, EMGVs maintain a demonstration garden at the Forsyth County Agriculture Building. EMGVs also play an instrumental role in maintaining the Arboretum at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons.

For more information on the Extension Master Gardener Volunteer program in Forsyth County, please visit http://forsyth.cc/CES/LawnGarden/master_gardener.aspx or contact Leslie Peck, Consumer & Commercial Horticulture Agent at 336-703-2850 or lkpeck@ncsu.edu.