Hi!
How can I find out about these courses? I am looking for one in or around lilburn.
thank you for any help
Anna
master gardener courses in GA???
Try here: http://mastergardener.ces.uga.edu/index.html
How are you spider? Hope all the babies are doing well. There is a ton of Ga gardening info at the Univ of Ga website.
FYI - I was denied!! They said I didn't have enough history in being active (as in an officer) in a lot of social organizations! My neighbor - who has been in a lot: Church, women's groups, PTA, etc was accepted and now is a Master Gardener. She does not even have a garden.
So when you fill out the forms be aware of this. Maybe just the Atlanta area which has a lot of applicants.
:( Sterling
I am sorry Sterling. what a ridiculous way to choose people. Are you going to apply for a place again?
Whoa hold on there!! You mean to tell me you cant join in a master gardner course if you arent involved in other organizations?? Im confused!! What does one have to do with the other?
Hi Berry!
The baby situation is calmer now as spring is moving away. At the moment I only have 14 opossums as all my squirrels have been released. Getting some baby birds tomorrow.
How are you?
Hi Eufaula - that's what I thought!!! I love plants and gardening and was floored when I got their response. I know a LOT about gardening. Been doing it for YEARS.
You do know you have to give a certain amount of community hours as a MG? As well as pay for the course and buy the books. I guess they want a more social person - not that I am anti-social - but a PROVEN community 'leader'? My work kept me from joining a lot of things with my long hours, family, etc.
I do know that different areas seem to have different rules on this, a lot depends on how many applications they get. The Atlanta area seems to have TONS of applications.
I was offended!
Oh my, I guess you were!! I know I would have been too! I spent my entire Adult life as a professional floral designer and gardener. I did not have time to be "Socially" acclimated in Organizations . Not with work and four children at home, but I bet I could probably ,at one time, have taught a Master course!!LOL
Last saturday I went to some master gardeners herb sale. The plants looked very poor. Some planted in dirt, some with their roots all coming out from the pots, some were just twigs. Most of them were not labelled or had the wrong label on.
It is no surprise judging by the way they choose peeps to do their course... :o(
You'll learn more here on DG than that course! Keep asking and we'll keep talking, lol.
Hi Vi!!!!
Great to meet you here. Are you going to pins tomorrow?
Well, I won't put the MGs down - there is a woman I met in the garden club who is a MG and she is very knowledgeable plus she has a fabulous woodland garden and is so generous with her time and plants.
And maybe they have changed the rules - this was about 6 years ago. I do know that areas where they don't have tons of applicants, the requirements are not as much. I met a fellow at the GA RU from somewhere in north Georgia and he said they were begging people to apply. They really needed the extra help there.
Don't let my disgruntled opinion sway you.
It troubles me to read the above remarks...has gardening become politically charged just as other facets of our society? It is discouraging that the MG courses are centered around prior community service instead of joy/pleasure/passion of gardening and theprobability that creativity is sparked by fresh ideas...not pre-cast forms.
My aunt is a MG in Michigan and I seek her out on a regular basis to assist me in all of my gardening follies...and she has always been open to my novice ideas, has welcomed my nonconformists ideas and encouraged me to seek PLEASURE in gardening before service.
I hope you have the opportunity in the future to become a MG...your HEART is in the right place!
Clayton County just about begs for MG applicants. I thought it was a worthwhile investment of time and money. Uh, but...I'm a fallen-away master gardener, so take that for what it's worth. Anybody who can stay in the MG program for the long haul has my admiration. And you know, y'all, any human endeavor is prone to politics. Lastly, I think Fulton is just looking for reasons to disqualify applicants. They cannot possibly accept everyone who qualifies, so their requirements have become more stringent (and silly?) with time--or so I heard.
Master Gardeners are first and formost a volunteer organization. I was also denied as I did not have any volunteer experience in the USA when I moved here. I had volunteered for 20 years in Canada, previously, for very long-term periods with non-gardening organizations.
I think the problem has been is that they train people and then the people do not want to follow through on the volunteer obligations they committed to when they began the classes. So by asking about your volunteer history, they feel they can assess how reliable you might be as a Master Gardener volunteer.
Some master gardeners are very knowledgeable people, some are not. Some programs are very active, some are not. I know a gal who is in a chapter north of here (I think she might occassionally visit this forum) and her group is very active. It sounds like they have fun! Not only do they volunteer, but they get together for outings, tours and all different things.
Here is a good link: http://www.uga.edu/hort/MasterGardener/index.htm it explains the course a bit, and the volunteer hours you commit to.
Hope I'm not being too defensive, but I just want to add that when I was an active MG, I fulfilled my hours and then some. I agree that every county is different, but I thought it'd be helpful for those interested in the program to get a little input on what you can expect. The training is wonderful. The book alone is worth the fee. Ag Agents from around the region give presentations, which are for the most part, very well prepared. Testing isn't too difficult. Hours required for the first year usually 50, thereafter 25. Spread yourself around different vol activities so you get a chance to see what you like. Some activities are hard work, which I liked, some rewarding, and some frustrating (even making copies of beekeeping course material turned out to be informative, if boring). For me, the best part was learning by answering questions. You find out exactly what you don't know, and you find that you remember it forever by looking something up for someone. I loved working the Atl Garden Show, and still talk about one of the garden tours. As with most vol activities, it is what you make it. Instead of standing around gossiping, I got pro-active and queried passers-by at the garden show, "We have some literature. Got any questions?" They did--people are shy. Last, where I got that bit about Fulton having silly choice criteria was from a Horticulture employee (not from my county). I just wanted everybody to know that other counties may love to have you, even if your volunteer experience is nil.
Thank you very much for your input, everyone!
Just wanted to add what I know about it: Cobb county has some wonderful people running the program as I have met them. I have been asked to apply for 'friends of the master gardeners' program which might be available in your county. I am not currently able to apply for that as I have a three and five year old and they are out of school for the summer and I am unable and unwilling to take them working with me. I believe that "friends" can attend lots of the same work programs and learn before applying to the program itself.
One day when I was working the rose garden at the new master gardeners location for Cobb- Smith Gillbert Arboritum with the master gardeners, one leader said that many take the courses for their own benefit and never fulfill their volunteer hours. She said that it was the same core group of people that always responded to work days and the rest were never to be seen. The master gardeners program is set up for people to learn what is needed to go out in the community and help other home gardeners and contribute to public gardens. It is supposed to be training ground for a volunteer organization. It is not supposed to be a self help gardening program, and it is my understanding that the fees paid for the course are subsidized by tax money. They are trying to build up a regular volunteer base and they are not just training better gardeners. The leader for the program in Cobb, who is a retired doctor tolds me that when he entered the Master Gardener Program, the odds were better and it was easier to get into medical school, so they really get lots and lots of applicants.
I too have heard some gardeners say that some of what they learned in their courses was so basic knowledge to them that they looked around and wondered who in the group didn't already know that. If all your wanting is to learn more about becoming a better gardener..stick to Daves and join local garden clubs. If you want to become a public garden volunteer, get into the Master Gardeners Program.
Also, being a master gardener is by no way a measure of how good or knowledgeable a gardener is or how great their garden grows :)
Susan
This message was edited Jun 5, 2006 10:41 AM