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I’ve been a Master Gardener for 11 years; I’ve been a DG member for 7. During that time I’ve read many posts on Dave’s Garden regarding exactly what a Master Gardener is. I believe there are a lot of misconceptions about the Master Gardener program. I'm going to clue you in on who they are and what they do.
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Since being certified as a Master Gardener in 1997 I’ve met hundreds of gardeners, many of them Master Gardeners so I think I have a pretty good idea of what exactly makes these folks “tick”.
Here on DG and elsewhere I’ve heard folks refer to Master Gardeners as “know it alls”, “uppity”, “they talk down to me”, “ they think they are better than me”, and so forth. I want to proclaim that these statements couldn’t be farther from the truth. Needless to say as in any national organization there are a few bad apples. The majority of Master Gardeners are friendly, generous, helpful and passionate about gardening.
We never stop learning, and believe me we don’t think we know more than anyone else about horticulture. I want to familiarize you with the program and what a MG does to receive that title and how they use the knowledge gleaned to aid their community.
The Master Gardener program was started back in the 1970’s; it was established to aid the local extension offices to serve the public in the area of horticulture.
All of the 50 states have Master Gardener programs and they are organized by county. The requirements vary slightly from state to state, but the majority of programs are very similar. Most of the information that I’m providing is based on the Michigan program under the auspices of Michigan State University.
 In my county there are 2 Master Gardener classes held each year. Each is 14 weeks long and each session lasts for 3 hours. The subjects covered are Soil Science, Plant Science, Lawn Care, Flowers, Woody Ornamentals, Small Fruit culture, Indoor Plants, Tree Fruit culture, Vegetable culture, Integrated Pest Management, Household Insects, Diagnostics, Composting, Volunteering and Community Service. The classes are taught by Extension agents, college professors or Advanced Master Gardeners who are proficient in a particular area. Each student is provided with a handbook (which weighs about 20 pounds). There is a weekly quiz where a grade of 70% or better is required to pass. At the end of the course a final exam is given, again a grade of 70% or better is required. 
Upon completion each student must complete 40 hours of community service within 1 year in order to be certified as a Master Gardener. After the first year each Master Gardener must complete 15 hours of community service and 5 hours of education hours in order to remain certified.
The education hours consist of programs, lectures or horticultural classes held by various organizations.
There is also an Advanced Master Gardener designation which consists of a MG completing 65 hours of community service and 30 educational hours within 5 years of completing the initial training.
I think most MG’s think of the community service as a fun event rather than a chore. At our county Master Gardener banquet this year I received my 2500 hour service pin. I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every single hour of my volunteer time.
Probably the most rewarding community service programs consist of working with kids. Schools, Junior Master Gardener programs and 4-H groups are just a few examples.
We answer questions at State and County fairs, Farmer's Markets, and various flower and garden shows.
Most counties have a horticultural hot line where residents can call in with their home and garden questions. These calls are answered by MG’s. If the problem can’t be resolved over the phone diagnostic services are available. Gardeners bring in a plant or insect sample and MG’s will diagnose the problem. They have a ton of reference books and data bases from which to search for an answer. If the problem can’t be resolved locally the sample is sent to the state university where a solution will be sent to the homeowner in a week or 2.
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Master Gardeners answer questions and give demostrations
It’s not all work either there are state, national, and international Master Gardeners get togethers where you can socialize and attend seminars conducted by national and international experts.
Master Gardeners are often called upon to test new plant varieties and garden products. Companies value the opinions of Master Gardeners because they will get a true representation of their products before offering them to the public.
Most counties have Master Gardener Associations which are separate from, but affiliated with the county extension service.
These associations elect officers, operate according to by laws and are registered as non-profit groups. They raise funds for community programs and assist extension in many ways. They also hold banquets, bar-b-q's and such events in order for the group to socialize.
They like to travel, anywhere from a one day trip to a local botanical garden or nursery to an international location such as England or France.
A Master Gardener Field Trip
I’m proud to be a Master Gardener and when my time comes to leave this earth, as they lower me into the ground I hope to have soil under my fingernails.
Next time you run into a Master Gardener thank him or her and ask if you can do anything to help.
 | Paul Rodman has been gardening for over 40 years. He is an Advanced Master Gardener, and American Rose Society Consulting Rosarian. He is currently president of the Western Wayne County Master Gardener Association in Wayne County, Michigan.
Rodman is the garden columnist for The News Herald newspaper, in Southgate, Michigan. He has also written for the OrganicGardening.com web site.
He has lectured on various gardening topics throughout southeastern Michigan.
His favorite pastime is teaching children about gardening. For the past several years he has conducted classes for second grade students teaching them about subjects ranging from vermi-composting to propagation.
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Subject: MG's in Oregon
Posted by jangoodwin (from Lake Oswego, OR) on March 31, 2008 at 11:23 AM:Hi Paul:
Thanks for the article. Here in Oregon, we pay $295 for 66 hours of classroom time and do 50 hours of volunteer work. To keep our certification, we have to register annually for classes and community volunteer time. No better way to keep current on just about all aspects of life in the garden. MG is hugely enriching, personally, and for community involvement. All the things that seem so daunting when you first consider enrollment, i.e., can I study? can I sit in a classroom all day?,
do I have the time or interest to volunteer?, just fade away when you absorb the information discussed.
MG's are a generous league, and gladly share their garden interests and experiences. I am often reminded that my best garden tips have come from an MG's experience rather than my local nursery
staff. I have certainly learned to be an efficient, thrifty gardner, from the lectures on composting,
additives, pesticides, etc. My garden is now a natural, beautiful thing, without the annual trip to nursery supply for all those items that I never needed.
I would encourage anyone considering the program to jump in and enjoy!
...
Subject: thank you for sharing
Posted by rubyw (from Crozet, VA) on March 31, 2008 at 10:08 AM:Thank you so much for sharing this information with us Paul. I have only been gardening to any extent for about three years now. While reading this I realized that becoming a Master Gardener might be something I will begin taking a look at. Before now, I have never given any thought to the idea. You make it sound like something I would enjoy getting involved with.
Ruby ...
Subject: WV MGs
Posted by MrsFroggies (from Berkeley Springs, WV) on March 31, 2008 at 8:26 AM:Way to go on your article! I have been a WVU certified MG going on 3 years now and I am always learning something new, whether it be what weeds are bad weeds or good, how to prune grapevines correctly or how to keep tools sharp. Although volunteer and educational hours vary from program to program, since the MG program I am affiliated with is close to three other states, we offer an educational op every month so people can come and get their hours in, in addition to caring for a number of community gardens to get the volunteer hours in. It is interesting to see what other MG programs are doing, too, so that ours might find something new to try. Thank you for your article outlining the program and hopefully by this years' class (we do one a year) we'll have our newly updated 20 pound manual ready! Find our program at [HYPERLINK@www.morgancounty-wv.org] or [HYPERLINK@www.myspace.com] ! ... Posted by dbelcher (from Florence, SC) on April 1, 2008 at 6:49 PM: Thank you so much for this wonderful aritcle describing the Master Gardener program. I have been a Master Gardener since 2003 and have enjoyed every minute. Our association provides an annual Workshop and Plant Sale in March for the public. The plants are cuttings from our own gardens which we propagate in a greenhouse loaned to us by our County Extension. This is quite a privilege as the extension does experimentation on crops of various types throughout the year. In the last several years our plant sale has included about 1000 annuals, perennials, tropicals and shrubs of different types. We also maintain the gardens on the Extension property. There are perennial, herb and vegetable gardens on the property. In the past years we have landscaped a Habitat Home and we also provid information at our local Farmers Market in the spring and fall, judge the 4-H tomato contest and the flower competition at our regional fair and many other volunteer projects. You are right that there may be one sour note in an organization, but most all MG's are more than willing to offer any help they can to the comminuty. Once again, Thank You, Linda B from SC ...
Subject: Fun being a MG
Posted by happgarden (from Kansas City, MO) on March 27, 2008 at 8:46 PM:I wish all of you that have had a bad experience could come join our MG group.
The one thing I have learned being a MG is how little I really know and how much knowledge is out there. ...
Subject: Searching for my niche
Posted by wannadanc (from Olympia, WA) on March 27, 2008 at 8:27 AM:Becoming a Master Gardener was not a straight ahead path, nor has it been a bountiful harvest. The first year my application was turned down, but no one would ever explain why. I pulled myself together to try again and made it into the fold the second year.
Classes were interesting, instructors were knowledgeable, and community service was the carrot. It was then that I really got confused. My ideal (at the time) was to work in the community gardens; but somehow all the little plots were already claimed by friends and groups of friends.
I found a temporary niche of sorts in the native plant salvage projects; but that sense of belonging, of finding my home, of being a useful member just never happened. I am not sure what there is about me that made this not work. It can't be the program. It obviously works well for legions of folks.
So, I read w/ interest when articles about MG appear....and wonder, even yet, why it didn't work for me? I have even considered an adjacent county where folks seem more approachable. Interesting. ... Posted by ardesia (from Saint Helena Island, SC) on March 27, 2008 at 6:09 PM: Shame on the powers that be in that program for not being more inclusive. Embracing the interns is a most important part of the program. That is what keeps things rolling along. ...
Subject: March 15 Master Gardener Day
Posted by bugme (from Barnesville, GA) on March 27, 2008 at 6:46 AM:Excellent article Paul, I'm still an intern working toward certification. The learning process is more complex than I realized going in and it really made me feel like I was "starting from scratch" (un-learning lots of info). Our particular class was the first one at the UGA Griffin, Ga. campus and comprised mostly of retirees.
Gov. Sonny Perdue declared March 15 as MG day in Georgia to honor the thousands of hours volunteered.
Keep on diggin!!
Sharon ... Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on March 27, 2008 at 7:27 AM: Very interesting. ... Posted by sallyg (from Millersville, MD) on March 27, 2008 at 7:34 AM: very nice-my friend in Maryland said this program is almost exactly like that, down to the twenty-pound handbook! ... Posted by Seandor (from Springfield, MA) on March 27, 2008 at 9:59 AM: I can hardly wait until I have enough free time to enter the MG course :-) Too bad they aren't offered on-line. :-) ... Posted by jasmerr (from Merrimac, WI) on March 27, 2008 at 11:07 AM: Thanks for the article, Paul. I often to hesitate to let people know I am a Master Gardener, because they then think I know everything. I'm learning just like everyone else, and I'm glad to search for any answers I don't know! ... Posted by robcorreia (from San Diego, CA) on March 27, 2008 at 12:29 PM: I always wondered what a MG was, thanks for the great article! ... Posted by ardesia (from Saint Helena Island, SC) on March 27, 2008 at 6:06 PM: Super article. I am printing it out and will post it in our MG office. ... Posted by NatureWalker (from Binghamton, Twilight, NY) on March 28, 2008 at 6:39 PM: Seandor form Springfield, MA wrote:
| Quoted: | | Too bad they aren't offered on-line. |
Then you'd never know the joy of digging holes with a spade or shovel till you feel like a marshmallow, lifting 'small' trees, watering, pulling bags of sand, compost, manure, peat moss, fertilizer bags, bags of Lime, bags of rocks for landscaping .... etc..
You'd also not feel the salty sweat rolling down your off your forehead & into your eyes (ouch that stinging sensation,) down your back & into your pants until you feel like you'd rather be hosed down clothes & all or far away in a pool somewhere.
And you'd never know what it feels like coming home at the end of the day feeling so tired you can't even eat, too tired to want to take a bath (almost) & when you have to go to church on Sundays - falling asleep in the pew.
The Farmers Daughter.
~* Robin... Posted by avianut (from Omaha, NE) on March 31, 2008 at 8:50 AM: A nice article. However, at least here in Douglas County, NE, I would add that the classes are not free (around $200, I think). In addition, you are REQUIRED to do 40 hrs of volunteer work the first year, and for each hour you do not do, you must pay the County $10. . Here in Douglas County, NE, we are actually required to do 40 hrs of volunteer work EVERY year, on projects specified by the MG group (not just any volunteer garden project) My 86 yr old mother became very ill the year after I started the program, and I had to (and still am) caring for her in my home. I wish I had saved the 'termination' letter I recieved from MG, so that I could quote it. Whether intended or not, it was worded rudely enough to keep me away from the group permanently. All of the people I met there were very nice, I just want to say every group has its weak points. ... Posted by jasmerr (from Merrimac, WI) on March 31, 2008 at 9:18 AM: avianut - I'm sorry to hear you were treated badly. It obviously was the person, or persons, behind the letter and they shouldn't be allowed to participate with the program.
When I took the class (three or four years ago) the cost was $80; I believe it has gone up, but is still much less than the $200 Douglas County, Nebraska charges. We don't have to put in nearly as many volunteer hours as most states; only 24 volunteer hours and 10 continuing education hours yearly.
... Posted by ardesia (from Saint Helena Island, SC) on March 31, 2008 at 9:40 AM: Here in SC it also costs more than $200 to take the classes. So many of the states have tight budgets and no longer support the program financially so the tuition must cover the costs involved in teaching it such as the meeting facilities, speakers and materials. The new manual here has over 800 pages and the printing costs alone are enormous.
Due to moves, I have been closely involved in 3 separate MG programs and it has been my experience that every program, even within the same state, is very different.
Shame about rude people tho..... ... Posted by bugme (from Barnesville, GA) on March 31, 2008 at 2:26 PM: Wow, guess I got a bargain for $100. We are required to volunteer 25 hours the first year to the MG program wherever they need you and 25 hours in your own county. After that, it is 25 hours annually.
Naturewalker, your "joys" of MGardening is hilarious!!
... Posted by NatureWalker (from Binghamton, Twilight, NY) on April 1, 2008 at 11:24 AM: Yes, ~ bugme ~ it made a lot of sense when I wrote it. I was trying to be informative with a little dry humor. But it looks like it's kind of sarcastic. However I kept looking around to see if my pedicote was showing or something like that; but then I realized that I wear pants mostly these days. And sometimes even my coveralls! ~ yeah; I have 3 pair left that are 30 years old!!
☼ ~ smile ~ :^)
~* Robin ...
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