As springtime struggles to get a grip on Washington Parish, the local Master Gardeners are spreading the products of sunshine.

Besides offering vegetable, fruit and herb plants for sale outside area stores, the group is heading into schools throughout the parish to encourage excitement.

The Louisiana Master Gardeners program is a volunteer training program for those with an interest in gardening who would like to learn more and to give back to the community. It’s offered through LSU AgCenter’s Cooperative Extension Service.

One of the major objectives is to enhance the educational outreach of the Extension Service by training volunteers to answer horticultural questions at a local level.

While the Master Gardeners can regularly be seen planting flowers and even trees in public spaces, the group is also familiar in parish schools.

In order to encourage a love and understanding of gardening in students, the masters provide the materials and help the kids grow, tend and harvest school gardens.

That helps the students see where their food comes from, and it could encourage them to think more about what they eat and to have a greater love for the environment.

The group plans a demonstration at the Franklinton Branch Library April 15. For additional information, call 839-7805.

For additional information on the Master Gardeners, call Scotty May at 839-7855.