Master Gardeners Cultivate Connections

The Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Wyoming County recently welcomed eight new Master Gardener trainees for the 2024-2025 program year: Lydia Boyd, Ashley Catalano, Andrea Garey, Eric Lynch, Kathy Murdoch, Amy Sanders, Linda Sokoloski, and Robert Thorne. The trainees started the path toward becoming Certified Master Gardener volunteers with a class on Basic Botany earlier this month.

Maggy Hanlon, Barbara Harper, and Dottie Kupstas earned certificates and official Master Gardener name badges for completing all the requirements to become Certified Master Gardener volunteers, including successful completion of the Master Gardener Basic Training course, scoring an 80% or higher on the midterm and final exams, and contributing 50 hours of volunteer service.

Master Gardener volunteers served over 600 hours in Wyoming County during the 2023-2024 program year. Notable volunteer service projects include the Seed to Supper beginning vegetable gardening program, Think Spring! Gardening Seminar, the annual Community Seed Exchange, the Seed Library Project, and the Pollinator-Friendly Demonstration Garden and Exhibit at the Wyoming County Fair. Volunteers also completed over 200 hours of continuing education, a pillar of the Penn State Extension Master Gardener program.

Look for the following Master Gardener programs and projects in 2025:

• A pollinator-friendly habitat project in partnership with the Wyoming County Conservation District, funded by an Environmental Education grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
• The return of the Seed Library Project to the Tunkhannock Public Library.
• The annual Community Seed Exchange and lecture presentation at the Dietrich Theater.
• The second annual "Think Spring!" Gardening Seminar at Keystone College on Saturday, April 26.
• Small group programs at the Active Adult Centers in Falls and Tunkhannock.
• Presentations in partnership with Vosburg Neck State Park.
• Master Gardener information tables at community events, including River Day, the Tunkhannock Farmer's Market, and the Wyoming County Fair.

To contact the Master Gardeners, call 570-836-3196 or email wyomingmg@psu.edu. Follow the Master Gardeners of Wyoming County on Facebook at Facebook.