It can be challenging for a serious gardener to pass a shredding machine and not stop and use it to transform ‘paperwork’ into worm compost bedding. Sorry, your Master Gardener papers are no longer potential bedding material. Since the Statewide Office staff has embraced making the volunteer time submission and the annual recertification process as paper free as possible you’ll need to locate another source of worm bedding. Entering your volunteer experiences, completing the three recertification forms and submitting the insurance payment is now fast, easy and paperless.

Gardening tasks, family obligations and professional obligations fill our June days, leaving just a few precious moments for completing the Master Gardener recertification process.  Why bother taking the time to recertify?  During the past year you probably experienced the joy of learning about a new plant, memorized another botanical name, or identified an invasive pest.  You most likely attended a monthly meeting or an advanced training developed specifically for Master Gardeners, plus your network of friends expanded to include new gardening buddies.  Recertify by June 30 to assure you do not miss any of the many learning opportunities waiting for you in the 2012-13 program year.

During the 2012-13 program year the Statewide office will provide you the opportunity to attend advanced horticulture and IPM trainings and assist with planning the 2014 Conference. Your local program most likely has a wealth of rewarding opportunities available for you to educate and inspire the home gardener. Unfortunately, there will probably be another new invasive pest waiting to make your acquaintance. 

Take a few minutes to document in VMS the valuable hours you contribute in your community.  Not only do your individual volunteer projects have a significant impact on your local community, they also assist Pam Geisel and Aubrey Bray in prioritizing program development and training needs on the statewide level.  As individual counties and the UC system continue to face financial challenges, your hours are a vital component in securing future funding.  During the past year you chose to contribute your valuable time to the Master Gardener program.  Now it is the time to verify that the benefits of your volunteer projects are recorded and acknowledged on both the county and statewide level.

Following the completion of recertification and the entering of your volunteer hours, enjoy a snack of fresh fruit or vegetables.  The vegetable scraps make a wonderful addition to the worm compost bin.  Don’t have a worm compost bin?  Recertify and I guarantee before long a fellow Master Gardener will introduce you to the wonderful world of worms.

Thank you, for being a part of the UC Master Gardener program.