Harold Watters is the Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agent for Champaign County, and has responsibilities for Horticulture and the Master Gardener Program. Contact Harold at 937 484-1526 or watters.35@osu.edu.

We also have an email for the Champaign Master Gardeners: champaign-mg@cfaes.osu.edu

We'll check this regularly during the growing season starting the first week of May!

To see some regional information on home horticulture and Master Gardener events - check our new West Central Ohio Extension Hort blog: http://westohiohort.blogspot.com/

To find a world of information at your fingertips, see the Ohio State University Master Gardener Website: http://mastergardener.osu.edu.

Gardeners are always asking me "how much rain did we get?", so I joined a national network of weather reporters. Our rainfall information from our site here at the Community Center in Urbana should be available every morning by 8AM on the CoCoRaHS website: http://www.cocorahs.org/state.aspx?state=oh, then click on the map on Champaign County.

To reach the Master Gardener Volunteers staffing the Horticulture Hotline call 937 484-1526 on Wednesday afternoons starting the first week in May and running through the end of September.

In addition to the Hotline, the Master Gardeners also educate the public with classes at the Library and have several volunteer projects throughout the county. For those who attend activities at the Champaign County Community Center you'll also see the perennial plantings around the front entrance, installed and maintained by the Master Gardeners.

We do have a range of ages and backgrounds in our group, but all are very enthusiastic about their garden. And they love to share what they know. If you have an interest in gardening and helping fellow homeowners with their problems call our office to talk about joining the program.

This is the graduation picture of the 2008 MGV class held in conjunction with Shelby and Miami County.

All About the Master Gardener Program in Champaign County  
 

For an interesting article on "Permaculture" and how this fits in with your gardening planning read this from Candis Haley: How you can solve world problems in your backyard?

Upcoming Program Information     
 

We will be recruiting for new Master Gardeners for Champaign County starting in December. Call in now with your contact information if you have an interest.

We expeect to hold a training session on Wednesdays February thru early April...just before the growing season.

The Master Gardener program here in Champaign County operates a Horticulture Hotline from May through September taking questions about gardens, lawns, fruit trees even about insects and diseases. They give production information as well as solve problems for homeowners – while always using research-based information from university faculty and researchers.

 Connections to Web Sites

• Ohio Integrated Pest Management 
• Pesticide Education Programs, The Ohio State University 
• Integrated Pest Management Links - Farming the Net 
• VegNet    

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Keith L. Smith, Director, Ohio State University Extension.
TDD # 1 (800) 589-8292 (Ohio only) or (614) 292-1868