By Jeff Burbrink
Extension Educator, Purdue Extension Elkhart County

Jeff Burbrink
Extension Educator, Purdue University Elkhart County

GOSHEN — I am excited to announce there will be a Purdue Extension Master Gardener class held in person in Elkhart County this fall.

Classes will be held Wednesdays, beginning Aug. 24 and running through Dec. 14. All programs begin at 1 p.m. and will end approximately 4:30 p.m. at the Purdue Extension Office on the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds, 17746 CR 34, Goshen.

We cover a wide variety of topics including soils, fertility, diseases, insects, weeds, animals, invasive species, pesticide safety and alternatives, trees, vegetables, flowers, lawns, indoor plants and fruit.

The Purdue Extension Master Gardener program’s main purpose is to train volunteers to assist Purdue Extension with consumer horticulture education in Indiana communities.

Extension Master Gardener volunteers are required to give a minimum of 40 hours back to the community after completing initial training and passing an exam. Volunteers completed 117,000 hours in 2021.

Most master gardeners stay involved in the program for years. Our local master gardeners created the Michiana Master Gardener Association in 1996, in part because they enjoy learning, and because they can work on big projects together, like our annual Garden Tour and Garden Expo. They are an amazingly talented and fun group of creative people.

Your application is due to our office by Aug. 15, either in person or by email. Once your application is approved, the extension office will send you a link, where you will register and pay for the program. An individual registration costs $194 and includes a print version of the Purdue EMG manual. The fee for two people sharing a print version of the manual is $294.

Refunds cannot be processed after Aug. 17.

Applications can be found at https://bit.ly/3kWqxOF or by contacting the Purdue Extension Office in Elkhart County at (574) 533-0554.