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Registration opened for master gardeners class in Walworth County

ELKHORN — Denise Woods knew exactly what to do with the little money her father left when he passed away years ago—take gardening classes and volunteer in Walworth County.

Woods’ father was a volunteer at a master gardener program in Ohio, a program also found in Wisconsin that focuses on gardening techniques and volunteer service. In memory of her father, Woods enrolled in a class through the UW Extension and now is part of a local group working to educate residents and bring more green to their communities.

“A lot of people are just passionate about gardening,” said Woods, now a program coordinator at the Walworth County Master Gardeners program.

Participants enroll in a 12-session class taught by a UW Extension horticulture educator. Then they are required to devote 24 hours of community service each year alongside 10 hours of personal education.

Volunteers regularly go beyond the minimum number of hours, said Chrissy Regester, horticulture educator for the UW Extension in Walworth County.

Just this year, Master Gardeners’ 69 Walworth County members spent about 400 hours in community education and more than 2,400 hours gardening at public areas.

Volunteers work with five libraries, three town halls, 10 schools, one animal shelter, one post office and about a dozen parks. They work on projects such as planting trees and flowers near public buildings or teaching children about works. Volunteers can come up with their own projects, too.

“One of those projects involves vermiculture—growing worms—in some of the Lake Geneva schools,” Woods said. “The kids are learning what to feed to the worms and how much it can be fed. And some of the leftovers of their lunch and from Badger High School is fed to the worms and is composted.”

The Master Gardeners program runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on most Thursdays from the end of January until the end of May. Tuition is $200 for the 12-session course.

“It’s hands-on fun, and we try to make it as interactive as we can,” Regester said. “It becomes more of a gardening community than anything.”

Projects vary, Regester said.

“You can do physical jobs in planting plants and trees, or you can go the route of answering questions for the public,” she said.

Earlier this fall, volunteers planted nearly 500 flower bulbs at the Elkhorn Veterans Park, which now boasts a new memorial for Walworth County veterans.

“Anybody is welcome,” Regester said. “The only requirement is that you’re over 18. Usually in the class, it’s from one end of the spectrum to the other. There are people who have never gardened in their lives to people who have been gardening for years. We strive to accommodate everybody’s learning abilities.”