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MG Essex Home

Welcome to the home of the Master Gardeners of Essex County.

A unique group of trained volunteers who provide horticultual programs and services to enhance their communities in Essex County.

Operating under the aegis of the Master Gardeners of Essex County and the Cooperative Extension of Rutgers University, the Education Committee provides educational outreach throughout Essex County. It adopts as its mission the dissemination of research-based horticultural information to both children and adults in the hopes of developing groups of individuals skilled in the techiques which will lhelp us preserve our natural resources through good gardening practices.

Master Gardeners Education committee gets good grades!

This summer, the education committee scored high marks for themselves while educating ten students from Irvington high School. These students were awarded a New Jersey Department of Transportation grant as part of the Urban Gateway Enhancement Program. Irvington recycling coordinator Aubrey Malvasio garnered the grant for the teens who are part of Irvington High School 's "Green Effect Program". Included in the grant were 8 weeks of horticultural training by the Master Gardeners of Essex County. Every Tuesday and Friday these 10 enthusiastic teens arrived in Roseland ready to learn and ready to work. Work they did! They began with soil improvement and weeding and moved on to the additional areas of plant propagation, using the proper tools for each job, transplanting, proper watering, and, ultimately the initial phase of restoring Jonathan's garden. [Jonathan Forsell was the agricultural agent and the first moderator of the Master Gardeners of Essex County.] Students were also introduced to the green roof and the rain garden, both successful in an urban setting. Throughout each activity, the students were willing and cooperative participants. You can see some of their work along the drive to Garibaldi and in the herb garden. Their culminating activity was to learn to plant a tree properly in Jonathan's garden. Thanks to Tony O., Grounds Committee Chairperson, for his great instruction. The kids loved it and went back to their headquarters to tell everyone about it. Their new skills will be put to use when the students help to plant 10 street trees in Irvington, a project arranged by Tara Casella and Aubrey. Our County Exec, Joe D. Vincenzo, arrived on the scene to present the kids with certificates commending them for their participation in the program and commending the Master Gardeners along with them. News 12 New Jersey was also on the scene, so somewhere, some time we hit the airwaves.