Two Somerset Women Among Newest Somerset County Master Gardener Intern Class

The 2019 graduating class of Master Gardeners: Front row: Christina Del Giorno of Basking Ridge, Diana Romero of Bound Brook, Corinne Egner of Princeton, Laureen MacEachern and Patricia Krossen of Basking Ridge Middle row: Amy Xiang of Somerset Back Row: Vanessa Sciorra of Neshanic Station, Janelle Kirk of Bridgewater, Lynne Adler of Branchburg, Kathleen Marschall of Hillsborough, Karen Davis of Somerset, Juliana Farrell of Hillsborough, Sandra Rhue of Bridgewater. (Photo: Rutgers Master Gardeners of Somerset County).

Two township women are among 12 newly minted interns of the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Somerset County program.

Amy Xiang and Karen Davis, both of Somerset, completed their six months of horticultural training, and graduated earlier this month.

The educational part of the curriculum focused on botany, soil, lawn care, pruning techniques, entomology, pest and disease control, landscape design, vegetable and herb gardening and the role the native plants play in the ecological system, according to a press release on the program. Classes were taught by Rutgers University affiliated county agents, scientists and industry professionals.

Following the training, the interns will be required to complete 100 volunteer hours, which include 50 hours at the Helpline. Located at the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Rutgers Cooperative Extension Offices, 310 Milltown Road in Bridgewater, the Helpline is a free resource for the public to get their gardening questions answered in person, via email or telephone. The Helpline is open March through October. Call 908-526-6293 press option four. http://somerset.njaes.rutgers.edu/garden/

Master Gardener volunteers are community educators and share reliable horticultural knowledge with the public through a variety of community programs and activities some of which are: participating at the 4H Fair, working at Snyder farms, gardening with populations with disabilities, creating and delivering horticultural presentations, consulting at community gardens and with the Seeds to Salad program, which involves growing gardens at two elementary schools.

The new season of the Rutgers Master Gardener Program of Somerset County begins in September at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) of Somerset County Office, located at 310 Milltown Rd. in Bridgewater. Classes will be held once a week on Tuesdays from 9:30 am to 1:00pm from mid-September through March. The program is open to all Somerset County residents.

The registration deadline is May 31, 2019. There is a $250 program fee, which covers a Master Gardener Handbook, soil test kit and 60+ hours of training. Those interested in joining the program can call 908-526-6293 for more information or visit http://somerset.njaes.rutgers.edu/garden

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