The Kaua‘i Master Gardener program is part of the University of Hawai‘i College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources Cooperative Extension Service. The program trains gardeners who then help other gardeners in the community with garden advice and education. The
The Kaua‘i Master Gardener program is part of the University of Hawai‘i College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources Cooperative Extension Service. The program trains gardeners who then help other gardeners in the community with garden advice and education.
The Master Gardener training consists of science-based information from extension faculty and horticulture professionals. The participants receive about 40 hours of class training and volunteer 40 hours of service within one year with the Master Gardener program to become certified Master Gardeners.
One of the most effective means of providing volunteer service has been the assistance with school gardens to help the young gardeners learn through hands-on experience. The school students are eager to learn and discover new things in the garden. They watch their plants grow, learn to eat vegetables that they grow themselves, and learn about wigglers and crawlers in the environment. The Kaua‘i Master Gardeners helped to establish a couple of school gardens on Kaua‘i and plan to help with community gardens as well.
The Master Gardeners also provide garden information at the Kaua‘i Community College Farmers Market on the first and third Saturdays of the month. Some of the Master Gardeners will be conducting informal garden classes in May on gardening and growing bananas. In addition, some Master Gardeners will present garden information to Kaua‘i’s senior citizens.
The Kaua‘i Master Gardeners will share their garden information with upcoming articles on gardening and some of the more common pest problems encountered on Kaua‘i. Several Master Gardeners have been growing flowers, fruits, and vegetables and are willing to share what they learned both in the classroom and in the garden.
The Kaua‘i Master Gardeners will be at the CTAHR Garden Fair on Saturday at Kaua‘i Community College and will be selling University of Hawai‘i CTAHR seeds and share garden advice with anyone who stops by. They also plan to be at the Kaua‘i Farm Bureau Fair in August with their herb seedlings again.
The 2010 Kaua‘i Master Gardeners training course will be on Tuesday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon at Kaua‘i Community College for 14 Tuesdays from May 18 to Aug. 17. Topics include horticulture, insects, plant diseases, fruits, vegetables, and landscaping. If you would like an application for the Kaua‘i Master Gardener training course or have a garden question, call Richard at 274-3475. You may also stop by the Cooperative Extension Service office in the State Office Building in Lihu‘e, room 210.
• Richard Ebesu is the University of Hawai‘i’s Cooperative Extension Service agent for Kaua‘i. He can be reached at 274-3475.
