In January of 2023, a new master gardener class was conducted at the Hopkins County Extension Office.  In order to become a certified master gardener volunteer, gardeners must undergo a minimum 12 week training, which consists of 24 hours of core subject courses including: Cooperative Extension/Volunteerism, Botany, Soils, Plant Pathology, Entomology, and Pesticides/Pesticides Safety/Environmental Issues.  Optional classes such as Annuals and Perennials, Home Vegetable Gardening, Composting, and more were also offered.  

The master gardener training concluded in April 2023, and fifteen gardeners completed their coursework and passed their final exam.  At the end of the training, the new class of master gardeners were given a survey regarding the master gardener program.  100% of those who took the survey stated that they had learned more about horticulture and other related topics after taking the master gardener training.  100% of the students felt more confident about horticulture and other related topics after taking the master gardener training.  93% of those who took the survey also stated that they either adopted or planned to adopt gardening practices from the master gardener training in their own gardens.  Finally, 100% of the survey participants stated that they would recommend the Kentucky Extension Master Gardener program to others in the community.  Having completed the training, these fifteen potential master gardeners will complete 40 hours of volunteer service their first year to finish their master gardener certification.