Are you a Master Gardener in the Making?
By Kim McCue
If you're reading this you are obviously interested in gardening. You may even consider yourself a gardening enthusiast. You might go so far as to describe yourself as being passionate about gardening. Well, if you love to garden and would like to share gardening knowledge with the public, you might just be a Master Gardener in the making.
It may surprise you to learn not all Master Gardeners come to the program with an abundance of gardening experience. What they do bring is enthusiasm for learning and a willingness to share that knowledge. The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) trains volunteers from the community in a variety of subjects such as basic botany, insect identification and management, soils and composting, and new this year, turf replacement. After completing the training, Master Gardener volunteers educate the public via workshops, garden helplines, information booths, garden-based school projects, etc., on how to adopt sustainable gardening and landscape practices.
Sound interesting? Would you like to learn more? See what it takes to become a Master Gardener at the informational meeting Monday, Oct 20 at 1:00 p.m. You'll meet current MG's; receive an overview of program policies, the training schedule, and outreach opportunities; then a tour of the Demonstration Garden.
The Master Gardener Program is currently accepting applications through Friday November 14th. Applications are available online at http://ucanr.edu/sites/mgslo/Master_Gardener_Training_Program/. Group interviews will take place in December and the selected candidates will attend classes Thursday afternoons beginning Feb 19, 2015 and ending with graduation on June 25th ,2015. Once graduated, MG's are required to volunteer 50 hours within the program the first year, then 25 hours each year thereafter. Additionally, 12 hours of continued education is required each year to maintain certification.
Volunteerism can be extremely rewarding. Doing so in an educational format, alongside like-minded people who share your joy of gardening is fun, fulfilling and a continual means of learning more about a subject you enjoy - probably enthusiastically, and possibly even passionately!