Improving our community through partnership and education — that is what Hall County Cooperative Extension does.

Many times I am asked, what does our local extension office do? In simple terms, Hall County Extension offices are an informal, educational destination full of UGA-based horticultural resources that range from home gardening, local farming, to master gardener training.

Through a network of different research-based resources, the extension offers the local community a place to visit to gain knowledge in all areas of horticulture and agriculture.

Hall County Extension Agent Michael Wheeler and myself (horticulture assistant) support and share our knowledge to the local homeowner, farmers and green industry business owners in the areas of soil quality, weed control and general horticulture problems like disease and insect control and plant identification.

Identifying a mystery plant or weed and problem-solving with a customer’s gardening dilemna is a huge part of what my job entails.

A typical day around the office for me is to answer client phone calls and assist walk-in visitors that have questions about their landscapes. Or receiving soil samples to send off for analyzing, and researching gardening questions to best assist the customer with a thorough researched-based answer.

Whether it is a call about when to prune a specific plant or how to get rid of a fungus or insect that is affecting their plant’s health, we are here to help.

The learning process never stops, and I am constantly adding more information into my knowledge base, which helps me to be more efficient in my job.

Hall County Extension also supports our growing Hall County Master Gardener program. This program trains people that are interested in learning more about gardening in general to support our office in the area of extension volunteering.

It is called the Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteer program and it is a 12-week horticultural course under the leadership of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.

Once these students are trained and have finished the required courses, they become extension volunteers that are invaluable for their assistance to our county office in helping to meet the public demand for gardening information.

Our local offices are staffed with enthusiastic master gardeners who volunteer their time in our office and other gardening projects and events around our community.

In 2011 alone, there were close to 150 active volunteers in our county that put in more than 18,000 hours of volunteer time.

A large part of what I do in extension office is to support this group and coordinate the classes each year for new intern master gardeners.

The reason this program is so popular is it gives people the chance to broaden their gardening knowledge in a fun atmosphere with others of the same interests.

Many people have this training as the first activity on their so-called "bucket list" once they have the time to take the classes.

Consider joining this group and becoming a Hall County Master Gardener. It is a wonderful way to learn and grow in gardening knowledge and in life.

Here is a humorous, but truthful explanation of a prospective master gardener:

It is said you should be a master gardener when ...

You rejoice in rain.

You have pride in how bad your hands look.

You have a decorative compost container on your kitchen counter.

Soil tests actually mean something.

You would rather shop at a plant nursery than a clothing store.

You look for public gardens whenever you go on vacation.

And you definitely know you should be a master gardener when you want to be surrounded by terrific people who share your passion.

If you are interested in getting information about our next upcoming master gardener training program, please contact me at
wcannon@hallcounty.org or call 770-535-8293. Classes will begin in early January.

The Hall County Extension office is here and can meet your gardening and agricultural needs. Extension agents can connect you with research and resources from the University of Georgia and other trusted sources.

Customers can also have their questions answered via email by sending them to mastergardener@hall county.org or give us a call at 770-535-8293.

We are located at 734 East Crescent Drive in Gainesville. The extension office is also on Facebook and the Master Gardener website is hcmgs.com.

Got a question? We are only a phone call, email or visit away.

Wanda Cannon serves as Master Gardener coordinator and horticulture assistant for the Hall County Extension office. Phone: 770-535-8293. Her column appears biweekly and on gainesvilletimes.com/life.