Notebook Be a Master Gardener at last
That’s because the Friends of Gardens Manitoba (formerly the Friends of the Con- servatory at Assiniboine Park) and other dedicated gardeners around the province from Steinbach, Beausejour, Gimli and Bran- don banded together to convince Assiniboine Community College to reinstate the program and make certification available locally. Previ- ously, some gardeners had to go to Regina or Saskatoon to complete their certificates. Courses are being offered and have al-
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ready started for this spring in Steinbach, Brandon and Winnipeg. While certification can take five years, those who have gone through the program say it is well worth the time and effort. Core courses include Garden Fundamen-
tals, wherein students learn the science of gardening; Botanical Latin; Common Plant Diseases; Communications, to hone skills in giving talks; Identifying Insects in your Yard and Garden; Safe Use of Pesticides and Al- ternatives; Tree and Shrub ID; Master Gar- dener Theory; and Internship for Master Gardeners where you learn through hands-
ight now, Manitoba has only a hand- ful of Master Gardeners but all that should change now.
on experience by volunteering within the community. In Winnipeg, the courses started Septem-
ber 17 and are being delivered at the Ca- nadian Mennonite University. The courses are being presented by gardening luminar- ies such as Dr. Phillip Ronald, Warren Otto, Leanne LaBrash and Dr. Eva Pip. In Brandon, courses started October 1
and are being delivered at Assiniboine Com- munity College. Instructors include D. Phil- lip Ronald, Norah Tolmie, Dr. Katherine Buckley, and Leanne LaBrash. In Steinbach, courses start February 11 and
are being delivered at the Eastman Education Centre. Instructors include Dr. Phillip Ron- ald, Warren Otto and Dr. Carla Zeimer. Gardeners can enter the program at any
time. Simply register with Assiniboine Com- munity College, purchase the manual, and take one of the core courses when they are ready. Two of the core courses are prere- quisites (Garden Fundamentals and Botani- cal Latin) prior to registering for the other courses. Ontario has over 800 Master Gardeners
and Saskatchewan has about 700. We have some catching up to do. `
Gardening Saturday March 31 P
lan to attend the 5th Annual Gardening Saturday, March 31, at the Canadian Men- nonite University, 500 Shaftesbury Blvd. Winnipeg, hosted by the Friends of Gardens
Manitoba. This is now the largest indoor gardening tradeshow in Manitoba, featuring more than 80 exhibits, panel discussions, educational workshops, demonstrations, a food market, and more. Guest speakers include Sarah Coulber, a naturalist gardener from the Canadian Wildlife Federation, and June Flanagan, an Alberta writer and author of Edible Plants for Prairie Gardens. June is the 2012 guest editor of the Prairie Gardener an- nual. Admission to the tradeshow is only $5. Come and talk to the experts! Visit www.
gardensmanitoba.com for full details.
www.localgardener.net Foodie 2012 • 7
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