Master Gardener Class Cancelled on January 16

Because of the snow and extreme cold on January 16, the Cabell County Master Gardener class on botany will not be held as scheduled.  Because this is a required class, it will be made up at at future date.  As you are aware, when Cabell County Schools close there will be no Master Gardener class that day.
If you would like to get a preview of the botany class please go to the information page for that class - Botany where you can watch the videos, download the handouts and take some practice quizzes.
The updated class schedule is available on our Education page.

2018 Master Gardener Class Forming

Do you love gardening and sharing your experience with others? Even if you are not a Cabell County resident, you can become a Master Gardener through the Cabell County Master Gardener Association classes that are beginning soon.

Master Gardeners are volunteers trained by agents of the WVU Cooperative Extension Service and local experts to provide practical home and garden education. They answer questions at the WSAZ Home & Garden Show, volunteer at horticultural events like Huntington in Bloom, and help manage school and community gardens.

The 2018 Master Gardener classes begin on Tuesday, January 9 th , at Enslow Park Presbyterian Church in Huntington, WV. Classes are from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. each Tuesday through May 15 th . Class size is limited.

The Master Gardener class consists of 16 weeks of classroom work and hands-on activities. Instructors provide an overview of major horticultural topics, environmentally sound gardening practices, food safety, and issues affecting West Virginia residents and homeowners. Class topics include insect management, container gardening, soils and fertilizers, composting, organic gardening, and many others.

Upon completion of classroom work, graduates volunteer 40 hours on designated projects to complete the requirements for earning the Master Gardener title.  A fee of $110 must be paid at the start of class. This fee will cover the comprehensive West Virginia Master Gardener Handbook, handouts, name badge, and other supplies.

For more information or to register for the class, call Pauline Tiller at the WVU Extension Service - Cabell County at (304) 526-8458, or you can also sign up for the classes using the online form.

MG Class Field Trip

The current Master Gardener class has just completed their certification exam and is planning their field trip for Thursday, April 21.  Not only are members of the class invited but any Master Gardener is invited to join them.  This is a great way to get to know the members of the current class of Master Gardeners.
They are meeting with Putnam County Extension Agent, Dr. Chuck Talbott at West Teays Elementary at 4 pm to tour the school garden.  From there, the group will go to Dr. Talbott's farm around 5 pm.
If you need additional information, see Park Ferguson at the April 12 CCMGA meeting.

2016 Master Gardener Classes Continue

The 2016 class for new Master Gardeners is going along very smoothly.  Debbie Martin, Jane Wilson and Connie Berk have made the class run smoothly with a group of engaging speakers.  Debbie, Jane and Connie are pleased to report that 17 new Master Gardeners are in the class and are moving through the content well.  In addition, many of our current CCMGA members have been coming to assist, earning volunteer service credits or to engage in the lesson, earning education hours.  It is wonderful to see our experienced Master Gardeners forming bonds with the new group.  I know that everyone is excited to see this many new Master Gardeners for our group.  Any current CCMGA members are invited to come meet the new members and join in any of the upcoming classes.  The class schedule is available on the Education tab of our website.
At the January 26 session on Basic Botany our group's photographer, Victor Simpson, took some shots of the class learning about the structures of plants.  Many thanks to Victor!

2016 Master Gardener Class

The first meeting of the 2016 Master Gardener class met last night at Enslow Park Presbyterian Church.  Debbie, Jane & Connie have done great work in assembling an interesting and informative slate of classes to move the MGITs toward completing the requirements for certification.  The 14 members of the class are eager to get started in the process and have a varied set of gardening interests.

If you are available on one or more of the class nights, please consider coming to the church and joining the group.  The class on Tuesday, January 12 promises to be an excellent class with Myra Simmons sharing her wealth of knowledge on perennials.  Myra is always a very engaging presenter.

You can use the Master Gardener classes to earn either education or volunteer service credits.  Having current CCMGA members available can be an important show of support for them in as they are in the process of certification.  Please make certain to invite them to come to our first meeting of 2016 at 11 am on February 20 (weather permitting) at Enslow Park Presbyterian Church where Lori Bowling will share more information on deer and drought resistant gardening.

2016 Plans & Updates

As we prepare for 2016, I wanted to express my best holiday wishes and to give you updates on a few CCMGA matters.

Revised By-Laws

During the December business meeting, the proposed revisions to the CCMGA by-laws were approved by unanimous vote of the members present.  These revisions are a result of WVMG’s increased service and education requirements for new and recertifying members.  The revised by-laws are posted to our website in the “About CCMGA” section.

MGIT Class

Debbie Martin and Jane Wilson have done a great job of putting a Master Gardener class together.  The classes will meet in the Fellowship Hall of Enslow Park Presbyterian Church on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 – 9:30 pm beginning on January 5.  Jane and Debbie want to welcome any member who is available for one or more classes to come to assist or to earn education hours.  This is a great opportunity to earn service or education hours,.  A copy of the class schedule is posted to our website.  Please email me (beckelhimer@gmail.com) if you would like to sign up to volunteer for one or more classes.

2016 Meeting Schedule

The meeting schedule for 2016 has been finalized with a great lineup of educational speakers. A copy of our meeting schedule is posted in the “About CCMGA” section of our website.

2016 Dues

Please remember that your 2016 dues can now be paid to our treasurer, Debbie Martin.  If you have not already done so, please send your $16 membership dues to CCMGA, PO Box 7661, Huntington, WV 25578-7661.

Website Updates

The “Recipes” section of our website has been replaced with a “Gardening Education” page for the MGITs as well as current members.  Presenters at the Master Gardener class as well as monthly Master Gardener meetings can have materials such as handouts or links posted to the site.  Please take a look at the new section of our site and let me know what you think.

The 2015 minutes, treasurer’s reports and meeting schedules will soon be moved to an “Archives” page where the documents will still be available to members but will make way for 2016’s information.

I will look forward to seeing everyone at our February 20^th meeting or better yet, at one of the upcoming MGIT classes.

CCMGA July Update

Hello Cabell County Master Gardeners and friends,

I hope that everyone has been able to get out and enjoy their gardens now that the monsoons of the past few weeks have (hopefully) passed.

I just want to pass a few reminders along to you as we move from July into August.

Picnic

Our annual picnic is scheduled for 3 pm on August 29 in Shelter #1 at Barboursville Park.  We will recognize the newly certified master gardeners with a presentation of certificates and their WVMG name badge.  We will have a brief business meeting while our meal is being prepared.  The evening’s activity will be geocaching with Brian Cordle.  Brian will take us on a GPS scavenger hunt around the park and introduce us to geocaching as a great way to get outdoors and enjoy nature.  If you would like to engage in this activity please wear shoes that are appropriate for walking around the park.

If you are planning to come to the meeting, please contact Jane Wilson (jackjanewilson@gmail.com or 304- 416-1740) and let her know what side dish, condiments, lettuce, tomato, onions or dessert you would like to bring to the picnic to share.  In your message to Jane please let her know how many will be in your group.  This picnic is a family event so please bring guests just let Jane know how many so she can plan for the food.  CCMGA will provide the meat, breads, cheese, soft drinks and the paper products.

Name Badges

Outgoing treasurer, Greg Norris, will be ordering name badges for recently certified Master Gardeners.  Anyone who needs a new name badge should contact Greg (wvframer@ntelos.net) by August 8. 

State Fair

The State Fair of West Virginia will be held at Fairlea, WV from August 14-23.  If you are planning to go to the fair, you may want to stop by the WVMGA demonstration garden since our group made a contribution to expand this display.  You can also volunteer hours by working at the demonstration garden.  A posting on our website gives more information on signing up to volunteer.

International Master Gardener Conference

The International Master Gardener Conference is scheduled for September 22-25 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  More links to the conference and more information is on our website.

2016 MGIT Class

The class for new Master Gardeners is now being planned and should be starting in January 2016.  Debbie Martin and Jane Wilson are working to plan for instructors to present required and elective sessions for the MGITs.  Anyone who would like to assist them should contact Debbie (MartinPTA@aol.com) or Jane (jackjanewilson@gmail.com). 

If you know anyone who would like to consider becoming a Master Gardener and would like more information, please direct them to our website (www.cabellcountymastergardeners.com) where they will see a link near the top of the page that says “Sign up to get more information on becoming a Master Gardener”.

Upcoming 2015 Meetings

Our next regular meeting is at 6:30 on October 13 at Enslow Park Presbyterian Church where Mary Beckelhimer will tell us about the Botany of Witchcraft.  On November 10, Tim Hardesty and Joe Browning of the Ohio Valley Camera Club will give us tips on taking better photos of our gardens.  Our Christmas party will be on Saturday, December 5 with wreath making and holiday cheer.  The December meeting will be at the Boyd County Extension Office with Lori Bowling. The meeting schedule is posted to the “About CCMGA” page of our website.

2016 Meetings

The CCMGA Executive Committee is looking at potential meeting dates and topics.  If you know of a good presentation or, better yet, if you are willing to present a session yourself, please let me know (beckelhimer@gmail.com) and we would love to continue the education programs at our 2016 meetings.

Website

Please continue to watch our website (www.cabellcountymastergardeners.com), especially our Events page where announcements are posted.  Our calendar also identified many educational and service opportunities.  The most recent treasurer reports and meeting minutes are also posted to the “About CCMGA” section. I am thinking of ways to make our website more useful, informative and user friendly.  Please give me any feedback or suggestions that you have.

Enjoy the rest of your summer. I will look forward to seeing everyone at the picnic.  Please feel free to contact me at any time.

Steve Beckelhimer, President 2015-2016

Cabell County Master Gardener Association, Inc.

beckelhimer@gmail.com