KINGSTON, RI – June 3, 2021 – Do you have a sick plant, a weed you just can’t identify, a question about when to transplant your seedlings, or some other gardening question? The University of Rhode Island Master Gardeners now have another opportunity to provide answers to these and other questions.
The Master Gardeners and the URI Cooperative Extension created the Virtual Radio Hour to provide answers to questions about home and community gardens. On the first Saturday of every month at 10 a.m., a panel of expert gardeners meets for one hour via Webex to answer local gardening questions.
The program is an extension of the URI Master Gardener Hotline, which has been staffed with Master Gardeners for more than 20 years, to provide answers to gardening questions by phone and email.
“Amid the challenges posed by the pandemic this year, the URI Master Gardener program has expanded our public education offerings, making them more relevant and accessible to a wider Rhode Islander community,” said Francesca Gallo, program partner at URI Cooperative Extension . “While the Master Gardener Hotline remains one of our most important public resources, we hope that Virtual Radio Hour provides yet another platform for the public to get answers to a wide variety of gardening questions. Similar to the hotline, the Radio Hour participants will experience this personal connection with the master gardeners, but they can do this in community with others. “
Gardeners are invited to ask their questions in advance when registering for the monthly Virtual Radio Hour or to ask questions live in the event chat. Panelists will also answer questions that are frequently asked via the Master Gardener hotline and the URI Cooperative Extension social media.
Due to the bank holiday weekend on July 4th, the virtual radio hour in July will take place on July 10th.
To register for the Virtual Radio Hour, visit web.uri.edu/mastergardener/radiohour. Gardeners can also ask questions by phone or email via the Master Gardener hotline at (401) 874.4836 or via gardener@uri.edu.
