A new club in town is perfect for kids who like digging in
the dirt and helping others.
The Junior Master Gardener program, designed by Texas A&M
University’s Extension Service, has arrived in Georgia. Chapters
are sprouting up through the University of Georgia’s Extension
Service.
A Lot Like the Adult
Version
The program is modeled after the adult Master Gardener
program,
a volunteer training for people who love gardening and community
service. In the adult program, participants complete a
horticulture
training program and work as volunteers at a county Extension
office.
The Junior Master Gardener program is similar to 4-H. It
stresses
leadership and community service. Along the way, the students
also learn about gardening.
“The curriculum can easily be adapted for use as a club,
by parents who home school their children or by church
groups,”
said Krissy Slagle, a program assistant with the Georgia Master
Gardeners.
“The lessons in the manual are horticulture-based,”
Slagle said, “but they cover many other areas. For example,
one lesson teaches math skills using fruits and
vegetables.”
Students get a certificate for each completed chapter and must
complete eight chapters to become a certified Junior Master
Gardener.
Each chapter includes club work, homework and a community service
project.
Fayetteville and Newnan Clubs are
First
Two of the first clubs in Georgia are in Fayetteville and
Newnan.
The Newnan club is a pilot program started by Master Gardener
Heidi Roemer.
“I
started the club in February to fulfill my Master Gardener
volunteer
commitment,” she said. “I wanted to do something with
children, and Carolyn Fjeran of the Coweta County Extension
office
recommended the Junior Master Gardener program.”
Roemer coordinates her club with Summer Grove, a local
environmentally
friendly community. “The subdivision contains a
nature-friendly
golf course and bluebird houses throughout the
neighborhood,”
Roemer said.
Roemer and eight members have bimonthly club meetings.
“We’ve completed four chapters in the manual and are now
preparing our community service projects,” she said.
“We
plan to make pressed-flower bookmarks for a local convalescence
home and build a compost pile for the community.”
Suzanne Rocus runs the Fayette County club, along with the
local Extension Service program assistant and a handful of
volunteers.
The club started after Rocus won a program manual at a gardening
conference.
“Our Master Gardeners were interested in starting the
program, and our county agent supported the idea,” Rocus
said.
Rocus wanted to offer the program through the school system,
but with 13 elementary schools, it wasn’t feasible. She started
one chapter and has meetings twice a month at the county
Extension
office, averaging 18 students.
Learning About Community Service and
Gardening 
The children take the community service mission seriously.
They bagged tree seedlings to be donated at the annual Christmas
tree recycling event. And to show their appreciation to the
county
offices where they meet, the club planted flower boxes to
decorate
the building’s exterior. And in their current project, they plan
to grow vegetables for needy people.
The club recently competed in and won ribbons at the
Southeastern
Flower Show.
“The program’s not only about gardening,” Rocus
said.
“The manual is full of wonderful activities that cover
everything
from ecology to enriching reading skills. The kids recently made
apple sauce from fresh apples.”
Junior Master Garden clubs are each as unique as their
members.
“Most of the children in our club come from families that
enjoy gardening, and they all love to get dirty,” Rocus
said.
Roemer’s students, however, have the green thumbs in their
families. “Parents keep telling me not to send plants home
if I want them to live,” she said.
Roemer, who has completed her required Master Gardener
volunteer
hours, plans to extend her pilot chapter. “I’m going to
continue
the club another eight weeks,” she said. “I just love
it.”
Learn more about the Junior Master Gardener program at http://jmg.tamu.edu.
