Wood County Master Gardeners Judy Benedetti, center, and Velda Settle, right, participate in the 2025 Wood County Master Gardener Spring Seminar and Plant Sale. The 10-week fall training course starts Sept. 16. (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG — The Wood County Extension Master Gardeners will begin its annual training course Sept. 16.

The 10-week training course costs $100 with the registration fee to cover the cost of speakers and a West Virginia Extension Master Gardener’s Manual.

Classes will be held 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays at Emmanuel Baptist Church, 1710 23rd St., Parkersburg. The course offered by the WVU Extension Service covers topics including botany, plant identification, plant nutrition, soil fertility and nutrient management, insect and plant disease management, weed control, horticultural practices, food crops and diagnosing plant health problems.

To register, contact the Wood County Extension Office at 304-424-1960 or email J.J. Barrett at jj.barrett@mail.wvu.edu. The class is limited to 20 people.

“The Master Gardener Program is a great way to enhance your gardening knowledge not only for personal use, but also to enable a person to assist their community through Master Gardener programs,” Wood County Master Gardener President Joyce McDougal said.

Master Gardeners are volunteers trained in small-scale food production, horticulture and gardening. Volunteers, in turn, share their knowledge with the community.

After completing the initial training course, participants must complete volunteer hours on community projects to become a certified Master Gardener. Master Gardeners undertake community-based projects such as the Wood County Library Arboretum, Armstrong

Garden in Williamstown, community gardens, Spring Educational Seminar, Friday’s in the Garden, Summer Adventurer Program and a garden at Henderson Hall.

Volunteers are trained in the latest university-researched gardening information in exchange for their efforts to share the valuable information they had learned with other gardeners in the community.

“The classes were fantastic and packed full of useful information about soils, identifying pests, vegetable gardening and other topics with great speakers,” Master Gardener Marsha Campbell said.

Campbell is active in the group and works on various projects including the Friday’s in the Garden education series every winter in February at the South Parkersburg Baptist Church.

“I have learned so much and made some great new friends. I try to share what I have learned with others as a certified Master Gardener” she said.