A limited number of places are open for the Oregon State University Master Gardener online course (Option One), which runs 12 weeks, from Sept. 7 to Dec. 14. Participants can earn a certificate of home horticulture in the online course and are not required to volunteer.

Cost is $490, and space is limited to 75 individuals.

Option Two offers training to become a certified Master Gardener and to earn the Master Gardener badge. In addition to the basic training course, participants are required to put in 40 to 70 hours of volunteer work at their local OSU Extension office. The course begins January 2010 and costs $390. Registration for Option Two will open in late fall for the course, which begins in January 2010.

"Certified OSU Master Gardeners are highly trained volunteers who share the art and science of sustainable gardening and OSU resources in home horticulture with the citizens of Oregon," said Gail Langellotto, OSU Extension urban and community horticulture specialist and statewide coordinator of the Master Gardener program. More than 3,500 people across the state have become Master Gardeners through the OSU program.

Registration for either option can be made online at: http://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/mastergardener

The Master Gardener online course is offered by the OSU Extended Campus (E-campus) and Extension Service.