The county runs a program for Master Gardener Training every year. Feedback was received at our horticulture advisory committee that some members of the public were intimidated by the Master Gardener title and weren't able to volunteer. For this reason, they wanted a series that would walk them through many of the essential skills and knowledge for becoming a gardener. 

In response to this feedback, a 8 part series was developed. Programs were taught on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month for the first four months of the year. Programs included "Soil Fertility 101 (attendance 31)", "Garden Planning 101 (43)", "Ornamental plant selection and propagation (17)", "Starting your vegetable garden (70)", "To grow in the ground or in a container (30)", "The basics of plant diseases and insects (26)", "Composting and vermicomposting (23)", "Weed ID and management (32)", and "Harvesting and postharvest care of vegetables (21)". All eight programs were taught by the Boone County horticulture department, with help from the Boone County family and consumer science department with the final program. The total reach of the program was 292 attendees with the majority of these being homeowners and residents who live in apartments. Some farmers attended programs on soil fertility and composting. 

Evaluations were completed by attendees after 7 of 8 programs and were on a 1 (poor) to 5 (great) range. Evaluations were rated on the overall class, materials, content, faculty, facility, and overall benefit to attendee. Only overall class is shown here. The classes were rated "Soil Fertility 101 (5)", "Garden Planning 101 (4.9)", "Ornamental plant selection and propagation (unrated)", "Starting your vegetable garden (4.78)", "To grow in the ground or in a container (4.89)", "The basics of plant diseases and insects (4.94)", "Composting and vermicomposting (5)", "Weed ID and management (4.81)", and "Harvesting and postharvest care of vegetables (5)".