Become a Hempstead County Master Gardener
The Hempstead County Cooperative Extension Service is accepting applications to join Hempstead County Master Gardeners and will offer two training options for new Master Gardener volunteers this fall starting in October.
In-person training will be held at the Hempstead County Extension Office and will consist of 5 consecutive Wednesdays (October 23, October 30, November 6, November 13 and Nov. 20 from 8 a.m. – 4:30) during which participants will hear educational presentations from our University of Arkansas specialists via Zoom.
The second option is a self-guided online training to begin on October 2 and ending December 9. A computer is needed to take this class; a tablet or mobile device won’t suffice.
For those who are interested in taking the training to become a Master Gardener, stop by and pick up an application at our office at 1800 E. 3rd St. (the former Farm Bureau office) in Hope or call the office at (870) 777-5771 with questions about the training or about the program.
The deadline to apply is Sept. 10. Cost of the in-person Zoom training is $100 and self-guided online training is $150 to be paid at the Hempstead County Extension office. This fee includes the Southeast Extension Gardener Handbook as well as a Hempstead County Master Gardener magnetic name tag.
As a Master Gardener, first-year members must contribute 40 volunteer working hours to projects and obtain 20 educational learning hours, and 20 working and learning hours each year thereafter. Master Gardener projects around the county include landscaping at Clinton Primary School, Piper’s Garden at UAHT, Williams Tavern at Historic Washington State Park, Denny’s Place at HAPS, the Hempstead County Extension office, among others. The Hempstead County Master Gardeners offer an annual educational seminar that attracts over 100 people annually as well as collaborate with school and Extension personnel to offer education at schools and to local youth.