Rate your local Master Gardener Program

Hey, I voted,I'm not sure if we havean MG program,because I'm not sure! Any suggestions on how to find out? Thanks.

I voted other. I checked into this with our county agent last year. He said it's only given in a central location in the state every other year, if the interest is there. So, that pretty much leaves me out because that would mean driving at least 150 miles, one way, for each class. I have been wondering if he knows what he's talking about though, since I find it hard to believe that there's not enough people interested in this throughout the whole state.

We have a one man show here. Old farmer took the course many years ago. He now has a radio show, writes columns in 2 or 3 papers, has a hotline e-mail. Some other people are supposed to be MG but you never hear of them. I tried to take the course years ago, but at that time they didn't want to hear about me being against chemical gardening.
Now they are starting to go the other way. Oh well they will someday get it. Funny how we can out garden them with very little use of chemicals.
ßernie

We have many MGs here and I considered doing the program. However, I have found that in the main, when I have asked questions most of them turn to the books I have or give me poor advice. BUT not always--twice I have been given good advice from older, experienced people. However, please do not assume that I think one has to be old or experienced to be of great benefit--the young, well informed, eager gardener is a delight always and an inspiration! After all I knew a lot more when I was young--truly ,I'm not being sarcastic .

This message was edited Tuesday, Mar 25th 1:55 AM

The closest program I found to NYC is on Long Island, a drive of over two hours each way. Here's the link to the site, which gives the class topics for the program (it sounds great).

http://www.cce.cornell.edu/suffolk/Publications/MGnews.pdf

I'd love to take a course like this to build some practical skills. If I find one given in NYC, I'll definitly take it.

Adam

Completed the MG class through Iowa State University last Fall. The curriculum is well balanced. However, this is just a starting point (40 hours total training).

Your County Extension Service should have all the info to enroll as they are an arm of the state university.

The purpose of the MG program is to train you to educate your community on gardening and help people with their gardening needs on a volunteer basis.

To maintain the status you will be required to complete 40 hours of volunteer work in the first year (you are considered a MG Intern during that time)

Once that is done you need 6 hours of education and 6 hours of volunteering each year.

My volunteer hours are spend at Iowa State University one day per month. I docent in the Butterfly Wing at Reiman Gardens for a couple of hours and the rest of my time is spent helping out in the greenhouses. It is relaxing and enjoyable to do. One whole day . . no phones . . . no computer . . .my little "get-a-way".

I meet very interesting people from all over the world who make a point to visit this "Butterfly Wing". Very enjoyable!

TLC

This message was edited Tuesday, Mar 25th 8:04 AM

How do we find out if one is here? I'd probably have to go at least 100 miles or more to get one... At the very least 30 miles or more. I don't think I'd be interested in being in one but they could answer a lot of my questions I would think. They should know gardening in their area.

I voted "Other" because the Master Gardener program in this county has not been at all helpful, and caused me to try to grow tender plants. Instead, I rely on the plant sales and publications of neighboring Citrus County, FL.
What I get from the Citrus County group has been excellent--both plants and publications. Another bonus is that the Citrus County sale is closer to where I live...

Mark.

Ours might be growing but for now, they aren't much help. A friend told me this weekend that she's currently taking the program and it's hard. 50 hours to be certified and then 25 hours a year after that.
They do have a garden tour and lots of pamphlets but aren't much help on the phone.

The Extension Service is an arm of Iowa State University.

Evidently the requirements for the MG program vary from state to state. Our extension service has always been a great help. If a Master Gardener answers the phone when you call and does not know the answer to your question, they are supposed to contact Iowa State Horticulture Department and get the answer for you.

If you want to bypass the County Extension Service ~ we just email Iowa State Hort Div directly. We can even mail in, for example, diseased tree leaves to be analyzed by them. They tell you what the disease is and how to treat it.

TLC

Sugar_fl

Contact these people and they will be able to tell you when the Master Gardener Course will be available in your area.

http://holmes.ifas.ufl.edu/

The MG program in our county seems to be more of a social gathering,with emphasis on bright green chemical laden lawns and 'beautification' projects.

I called and talked to our extension agent about this and he didn't seem much help.He gave me the email addresses of two other agents in neighboring counties.I emailed them and got no response.

This didn't surprise me,as we are in the middle of an area where we have serious farmers with thousands of acres...or ladies clubs who plant daffodils. We have no in between.

The farmers have been taught to spread chemicals and nearly all of them are growing 'Frankenfood" GMO.

I feel like a squeaky wheel...but they don't seem to be offering any 'grease'.

Iowa State's MG program stresses keeping the land chemical free and a big part of the class was what NOT to tell people. You are not allowed to offer advice "Old Wives Tales solutions" that they do not endorse.

They don't like Jerry Baker's solutions either. They are against making a tea out of tobacco as they say it is deadly ~ very into being ecology minded. They have a special service where they work with our farmers in keeping the land chemical free.

TLC

I took the MG classes here last year, and (gulp) haven't given my 35 hours. Why?

Well, for one thing, I put in probably that many a week here at DG, so my "free time" is limited. Secondly, my situation is similar to Mel's - the program seems lacking in focus - the MG members meet once a month for continuing ed, so I'm not sure that spending 35 hours at the extension office would be as beneficial as spending time here.

There is no hotline, no speaker's bureau, no help offered to our community in any shape or form, other than a few "beautification projects" (which are worthwhile and worthy, but few and far between.) I felt our class was light on the educational aspect, and many people here said the real education would come when we worked with gardeners. Unfortunately, there is no working with gardeners, as far as I can tell.

I came from an area with a very active MG program (the MG members had a telephone hotline for several hours a day, six days a week; a weekly gardening show on our local PBS channel; and were the main impetus behind the annual home and garden show.) Perhaps my expectations were a bit high, but I don't really see any community outreach programs going on here. (One of these days, it'll probably bug me enough that I'll get involved, and either figure out what I've been missing, or help drive some changes ;o)

In ours you can make your own projects of your choosing. My mother-in-law is in a nursing home. They have a small garden area that is fenced in and they can go out there and sit in the summer time. They do some planting there but seeing as how I go there every day to visit her ~ might as well be working in that garden for a half hour every day. I probably could put my hours in doing that before the summer is over.

Because education is required every year you will gain more knowledge every time you take a new class. Iowa State offers many one day classes. The last one I saw was going to be on container gardening. So your knowledge of gardening grows slowly. But for people like me who want to learn faster ~ you join Dave's Garden and spend many hours a week reading old threads. This is where the bulk of my learning has come from. The MG class just peaked my interest. And sure, you can get wrong info - even on Dave's - but that HAS to be very rare. We have some really great teachers here.

With what I have learned, I am starting to gain confidence in my knowledge and hope by next year that I could go and speak before a group about gardening and have them feel I contributed something valuable.

If my winter sowing turns out good this year - that will probably be my topic. Strange that I live in an area so perfect for it and no one has heard of it! How exciting!
To help others!

TLC

As there doesn't seem to be a Master Gardener class available right here in NYC, I have looked at the courses taught at the NY Botanical Garden. They offer certificate programs in various specialties for non~professionals:

http://www.nybg.org/edu/conted/spsu03/index.html

They also have a school of professional horticulture and a doctoral program in association with universities. Right off, I don't know anyone who's taken a class at the NYBG, but I can't imagine them being "bad."

Of course, when you add up the cost of the classes for the Gardening certificate it's about..., $3,000.

Gulp.

Adam.

Adam
It would be worth every bit of that $3000. And you would know a lot more than a someone like me who just finished the MG class which cost $100.00 ISU says it really costs more than that but they absorb the cost in order to train people in our communities who will in turn give back by volunteering our time.

I would give my eye teeth to attend those classes. But there are other chef schools I would give my eye teeth for also. You just have to draw the line somewhere.

Aside from the money it would be extremely time consuming also. Who would take care of my little seedlings? LOL

Where do you get something for nothing these days? Oops!
DG of course! We are so blessed.
TLC

wow, i feel really bad for those of you who don't have a mg training course you can get to. why don't some of you get together with your local county extension agents or contact a local college or university in your area to see if a mg program could be started. i feel that i got my $$$ worth when i took the course offered at the chicago botanic gardens. this course was taught through the university of illinois. as for those of you who are unsatisfied with the advice you're being given when you call in with a question about your garden, you need to understand that we who answer the phones cannot see the problem you are trying to tell us about. sometimes the answer is obvious but most of the time we actually need to see the plant. at the chicago botanic gardens we have a mail-in service but even then people mail in stuff that is smashed and unrecognizable. as far as looking things up in a book, everyone does that because of the multitude of problems that have some of the same symptoms. anyway, don't give up on your local mg programs----and if you don't have one see if you can be instrumental in starting one.

I went through the MG program in winter 2000 and was active in it until last fall. I worked the hotline and learned a lot by looking up answers to help others. It's a wonderful organization!

Have been a Master Gardener for 4 yrs. with the first class in my county. The program is sponsored in affiliation with the county extension office and the state's land-grant college so mine was under Ohio State University.
The availability and frequency of classes depends on the county extension personnel available to organize and lead the group.As with any organization the success and effectiveness depend on the number and enthusiasm of the members. As a fairly new group we haven't been able to "set the world on fire" but we have contributed a few thousand hours of volunteer work at the extension office fielding calls that would otherwise have taken agents away from other tasks.
By definition the mission of the M/G's-as a part of the land grant college- is to educate. We learn to do that by having the resources available to look up research based answers to most home gardening questions and refering those questions that are beyond our scope to the agriculture, horticulture or other agents who are better able to answer those questions. We are self-sustaining from our annual plant sale and tuition charges to the new M/G classes-an important feature in this era of budget cuts at both the county level and the university level.
It is a fine program and a way to give back to the local community by sharing your knowledge and love of gardening.

mwhit, since I live in the Columbus area, our MG program is also sponsored by OSU. No, I haven't taken it, but I was not impressed with the quality of help given by the phone-in volunteers when I tried a few times in past years. Mostly the questions that I had were so in-depth (for instance, can roses contract raspberry mosaic virus if they are grown in the bed that had infected plants?) that they just didn't have a clue about what might be the answer. By the time they got me an answer the problem had either solved itself or I found another resource with possible solutions.

I had the benefit of training similar to the MG program, but the focus was strictly herbs. We got an OSU landscape architecture professor teaching a group of 10 volunteers, 60 hours of classroom instruction, 30 hours per year of volunteer time required, and for $30. Wow. On-going education and volunteer opportunties abound. And no answering phones!

I would guess that there probably is a MG program in the area, but have no idea what they do, or why I would contact them, or what they would do if I did!! Never heard of it until I got to this site.

mwhit,
We have tremendous support from Iowa State University here. Of course it is one of the best(if not THE best) agricultural and horticultural colleges in the USA.
Our classroom consisted of a large TV and microphones on the tables where we sat. All the agent did was turn on the system, serve us cookies and beverages, but most importantly answered any questions we had after class.

The actual class came straight from Iowa State University into sites like ours scattered all over Iowa with as many as 30 people in each classroom. It was interactive ~ if you had a question ~ you just keyed your mike and you were having a one-on-one with an ISU professor.

We were told that the class was worth much more than we paid but ISU foots the bill on that.

The Extension Service is just what it says. They are an extension of our university and a vehicle to get good scientific information out to the communities.

No system is perfect; a Master Gardener first of all is human and can make mistakes like any other person but is apt to make fewer because of their training.

The Master Gardener Program is only as good as its Extension Service which is only as good as its State University.

We have found great help from our Extension Service in Iowa all my life. (and I am older than dirt!)

TLC

Lupy,
I am so jealous; would love to take an herb course like that. I teach a cooking with herbs for the Hort Div of Iowa State U. but I get through by the skin of my teeth with my actual herb knowledge.

TLC

For those with Master Gardening too far away or even nonexistent, why not form your own local garden club. Plant trades, garden tours, trips, ect. It is all possible.

I completed the Master Gardener program last year and I feel it was well worth my time. Should anyone expect me to know everything about plant identification, disease, insects, pesticides, organic methods, and the list continues on... is expecting too much from a nine week course. On the other hand, if a question is asked that I don't know the answer to I feel it is my responsibility to find the answer or refer them to the pros at Virginia Tech, and also follow up to see if they got results.

The program is only as good as us volunteers make it.

One thing that continues to surprise me (I guess I'm easily surprised ;) is why the MG programs haven't gone online. What a tremendous opportunity to offer distance learning courses to MG students - courses could be in an online video library, and weekly moderated live chat sessions would ensure everyone is keeping pace. Quizzes are easily handled online, and in fact, much easier on the teacher, because feedback can be programmed into the quiz, and the grades automatically recorded. I suspect most MG tests are open-book anyway; since MG certification doesn't qualify for college credit hours, there's very little incentive to cheat. (I suspect most participants are fairly highly motivated adult learners anyway, which further reduces any risks of cheating.)

On the flip side, MG graduates could answer email questions from gardeners who need assistance, but can't conveniently get to the Extension Office during normal business hours, either by phone or in person.

It would allow MG members who may be geographically dispersed, or not able to man the phones during the daytime to still put in their hours and field questions, and their answers could be recorded and critiqued for quality assurance. The most common questions could be addressed in an FAQ so they could focus on the more unusual or specific questions.

(grin) See, it's ideas like this that keep me away from my local MG program. I have a sneaking suspicion that the ideas I might propose would end up in my lap to implement. And while I think they're worthwhile to pursue, I'm not ready to commit the time and energy required to head up such ambitious projects :)

We email Iowa State directly where professors answer the questions very quickly. We can also mail in diseased leaves from trees for example and their turn around time with the answer is very good.

Perhaps MG's should help to bring these e addys to the attention of the publish by going out and speaking to groups of people about the services of our state university.

TLC

Here in New Jersey, almost every county has a Master Gardener's Program, although some of the smaller counties have one between 2. Our particular organization is very active. We maintain a compost education center, and maintain several gardens there, an herb garden, native plant garden, annual, perennial, and even a weed garden. We do many educational community programs and staff a hotline 5 days/wk.The organization is about 10 years old. I have learned a lot, made many friends and gotten a lot of good plants from other Master Gardeners. I love it!!!!!

This message was edited Sunday, Mar 30th 8:51 AM

TLC has filled you all in on the MG courses here in Iowa. I've been a Master Gardener for over 5 years and darned proud of it!! We do have a great program here, but it wasn't always so. Before I took my class we didn't have any offered for many years. I spend my community time runnin a children't garden in my town and I learn so much from those kids. Probably more than I teach them!! Anyway, I have gained a lot from taking the course, whether it's teaching or learning.
Mary

Yes Terry, I have wondered why there isn't one online also. I've tried to find one, but to no avail.

I'm wondering if there would be a way for all the master gardeners here on DG to have a forum for sharing info with us who can't get a class? I know there's a master gardeners forum already, but it appears to be about those who are already master gardeners talking amongst themselves. I think it would be great to have a forum where they could post info and pics and we could ask questions.

I am only speculating, but I think the reason that the MG program is not on-line is the general feeling that if you are unable to attend classes due to personal obligations you may not be able to fulfill your obligation for the same reasons? I agree - that theory doesn't for work those in remote locations as well as other circumstances.

JoanJ, are there enough people in your area who would be also interested in the program? If you have a group of at least 12, I'd find out if there could be a course offered in your area by contacting the university directly.

TLC, we email a photo before sending a sample - unfortunately due to the state budget cutbacks. I wish we were able to do the same here.

No such thing as a Master Gardener course here, 9 weeks and a few days each year seems quite scant to me but I don't know the requirements nor the level of training so I'll keep my foot in my mouth on that *G*

RHS runs a Certificate in Gardening as well as a diploma and a BSc which are popular among the hortics.

As for the question and answer service, don't we have something similar here ;)

http://ohioline.osu.edu/lines/hygs.html
Bookmark this site for access to the same factsheets and bulletins that the Master Gardener(in Ohio) are trained to go to first. Other agricultural schools also have excellent research-based resources.
Lupinelover, The reason your inquiries did not get an immediate response may have been that we are trained to only deal with HOME gardening issues and not to answer off the top of our heads but to present the client with information from a reliable source. With very technical questions this can entail an extensive search and /or consultation with a hort. or ag. agent with the educational expertise to deal with it.It's kind of like calling a NursesPlus health hotline- you expect to get good advice about treating a cold or flu but you realize that if your problem is a serious one you will be referred to a doctor.Hopefully, part of our "expertise" is recognizing our limitations.
The Master Gardener Hotline may not be as useful to someone like you who has great gardening knowledge already- but there are a lot of folks out there who don't know a tulip from a turnip but really want a nice yard and garden and we are one source of good basic info for them.Sharing our love of gardening through public education is our mission.

I wanted to take a MG program in each of the states in which I have lived--Florida, Tennessee, and my current location, Michigan. I contacted our extension office and bugged them until they finally decided to have the program, and it truly was the best thing I have ever done for myself! I have worked on over 10 different projects, from a butterfly garden at a local school to an herb garden within our heirloom garden at our fairgrounds.
we have also formed an herb society. Each year, I attend the MG Summer Conference in East Lansing, one of the most beautifully landscaped places around. I've met some wonderful friends, and we have truly transformed our neck of the woods with our many beautification projects. It was worth every penny I've spent, and someday I will pursue a career in horticulture. There is no greater joy than working in a garden, no greater peace than becoming one with nature.

Welcome to Dave's Garden ogemom! I look forward to reading your posts. It sounds like you learned a lot from the master gardener program. I'm still working on finding on in North Dakota that's close enough to me so I can attend. I would love to take this course and become a master gardener.

Welcome to Dave's,

The MG class is what jump-started me into Dave's which will take you further by leaps and bounds!
Enjoy

tlc

Being A master gardener I have to say I'm very active. The MG training and continuing Ed are great.