Participants receive 40 hours of hands-on training taught by extension staff and specialists. Lawn care, perennial and annual flowers, vegetables, soils, ornamentals and plant diseases are among the topics covered. Following the training, which ends March 5, participants must volunteer 40 hours in horticulture-related activities to become certified Master Gardeners. Additional training and volunteer work are required to maintain the certification. The program's 26 participants meet as one group Tuesday afternoons at the correctional facility's visitor center.
Inmates participate in the live, two-way video program from the correctional facility.
Other class members participate from the ICN room at Rockwell City-Lytton High School. A field trip to ISU's Reiman Gardens is scheduled for participants who can attend. The facility has an apple orchard and vegetable and flower gardens. Inmates work to produce thousands of pounds of fruits and vegetables annually.