SWIMGA hosted a Basic Master Gardening Class in January-April, 2024. Contact the Purdue Extension Office at 812-435-5287 if you are interested in future classes.
To become a certified Purdue Master Gardener, you must complete the 15-week training program. The class is offered by Purdue Extension and is taught by the County Extension Educator. Classes are generally 3 hours each week. Tuition is modest and covers the cost of materials.
Students who finish the training program and pass the final exam are Master Gardener interns. Once you complete the necessary requirements and are certified as a Purdue Master Gardener, you must maintain a minimum amount of volunteer and continuing education activity to be considered in active status and to maintain the Master Gardener title.
Here is a LINK to the SWIMGA membership form that Master Gardeners, including new ones, must fill out each year.
Southwestern Indiana Master Gardeners Association (SWIMGA) members are trained volunteers that participate in the community to teach the public more about growing plants. SWIMGA is administered through Purdue University and its Extension Services, which also sanctions Master Gardener programs throughout Indiana. For more information on our organization as well as how to become a member, here is our SWIMGA brochure (part 1 and part 2).
Activities include:
- Volunteering in a wide range of community garden projects
- Answering phone requests for horticultural information
- Educational seminars
- Running plant clinics and demonstrations
- Developing educational programs and activities
- Creating demonstration gardens
- Providing one-on-one gardening education