Kay County OSU Extension graduates new Master Gardeners

NEWKIRK — Potential new Master Gardeners from across Kay County took a 100-question exam on Nov. 14 to prove they had a green thumb and they passed with merit. 

“The course was just wonderful, I learned so much and met so many nice people”, said Diann Decker.

Over the past few months, this group of lifelong learners have met weekly 11 times at Pioneer Technology Center to learn from Oklahoma State University Extension Professors and Specialist on gardening related subjects. 

Subjects include vegetable gardening, plant disease diagnostics, fruit and nut tree management, insect identification, and annual and perennial flowers. What can sometimes seem like an overwhelming amount of information is broken up into one-day courses. 

“Anyone interested in gardening or plants should take the training if they can”, said Jere Fleming of Morrison, “I really enjoyed it, and the speakers from Oklahoma State University are super knowledgeable.”

After course completion, graduates join the Kay County Master Gardener organization that volunteer in Kay County communities. 

Kay County Master Gardeners amassed over 700 volunteer and continuing education hours in Kay County in 2020 even with the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to volunteer work, Master Gardeners have access to classes and training through OSU to continue their education even after their graduation. 

We are looking at scheduling another class for fall 2024. If you are interested in taking the Master Gardener Training, please contact the Kay County OSU Extension office at 580-362-3194.