Start the new year by sharpening your gardening skills.

The Chilton County Extension Office will host a master gardener volunteer program starting Jan. 23.

According to a press release from the Extension Office, the course will consist of 12 weeks and will be held on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Extension initiative is part of a nationwide education program designed to help teach interested gardeners tips and solutions for their home horticulture problems.

Attendees are not required to have professional gardening experience, just a willingness to learn about the procedures and grow their gardening knowledge.

One of the unique aspects of the class is that the master gardener interns will be expected to provide 50 hours of volunteer service to Extension and their communities upon completion of the course.

The only caveat is that the volunteer efforts must be related to gardening.

According to the release, examples of volunteer efforts include garden club programs, community garden projects, diagnosing plant problems or assisting the local Extension Office in some way.

A range of specialists from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and the local county Extension Office will teach the course.

Topics that will be covered during the 12 weeks include soils and plant nutrition, plant physiology, entomology, plant pathology, care of landscape plants, landscape design, plant selection, lawn care, weed identification, houseplants, vegetable gardening, home orchards and plant propagation.

An application form and fee must be provided to register for the course, which also has a limit of 20 people.

For more information about the class and where to find the application contact the Chilton County Extension Office at (205) 280-6268.

The Chilton County Extension Office is located at 504 First Ave., Suite A in Clanton.