Do you love gardening? Would you like to get certified as a UC Marin Master Gardener?
What is a UC Marin Master Gardener anyway?
All certified UC Marin Master Gardeners (MMGs) love to garden, but they all also volunteer to extend research-based knowledge on home horticulture, pest management, and sustainable landscape practices to other Marin County residents. Each year, there are more than 350 UC Marin Master Gardener men and women helping others learn about earth-friendly gardening. The program was founded 40 years ago.
What drew these certified MMGs to give back?
When interviewing current Marin Master Gardeners about what enticed them to get trained and keeps them engaged, Linda Stiles (Class of 2020) put it succinctly. “I keep learning and discovering new things, and I’ve made wonderful friends. It’s gratifying to help others become better gardeners and to forge friendships with like-minded people who share a love for gardening.” Ross Mayor Julie McMillan, who certified as a Master Gardener in 2016, states she “wanted to give back to my community and continue to be a lifelong learner.” She enjoys “solving gardening problems, researching, thinking, writing and communicating” about environmentally friendly gardening.
Twenty-nine years after graduating, MMG Jane Scurich comments, “I'm still learning! The MMG program has vastly expanded since then. Guilds have been added: pruning, native plants, edibles, and plant ID offer so many options for learning. Water walks, photo team, Leaflet production - there's something for everyone to give back to our community.”
How and when do you apply to be trained and certified?
Marin County residents can apply for the Class of 2027 as of July 1, 2026, on the Marin Master Gardener website: https://marinmg.ucanr.edu/. Then, click on the link “Becoming a Master Gardener”. Applications close August 28, 2026.
Interviews are held from the end of September through the first week of October 2026. If candidates can’t meet in person, Zoom meetings can be scheduled. Tuition for accepted trainees is $450, with limited financial aid available. The selected trainees are required to be fingerprinted by the Marin County Sheriff before the training.
When and where do you take the Master Gardener classes?
Classes are all in person for 18 weeks on Thursdays starting mid-January 2027 through mid-May 2027 in Novato at the College of Marin Indian Valley Campus.
What are some of the topics you study?
Class topics cover a wide variety of landscape practices and plant science. Compost and other amendments, climate and carbon, soil, pruning techniques, fire-smart landscaping, native plant pollination, propagation techniques, creating habitats for pollinators, vegetable gardening, managing bugs, blights, and vertebrate pests with safe and sustainable methods, plant diseases and abiotic disorders, water management for conservation, how to choose plants and garden design, among other subjects.
What happens in the classroom?
Subjects are taught by professionals from our community, UC faculty, and environmental horticulture advisors, nursery professionals, local water experts, senior wildfire mitigation specialists, and certified Marin Master Gardeners. Trainees are partnered with a mentor to be another resource to collaborate with and successfully pair them with county-wide volunteer opportunities.
Upon graduation, what’s next?
It is up to the newly certified Master Gardener to choose a project (s) in which to serve. There are currently more than 35 projects. The first-year volunteer requirement is 50 hours of service in the community. After that, the annual requirement is 25 volunteer hours and 12 hours of Continuing Education.
A new graduate’s reflection on the training:
Recent graduate Sue DeVinny (Class of 2026) looks back on her last several months of training. “I absolutely enjoyed all of it - from inspirational classroom lectures to hands-on experience in the demonstration gardens to field trips and volunteer projects and more. But honestly, the greatest joy was the camaraderie of new friends and colleagues who share a love of gardening, learning, and contributing to our community.”
Join us!
By Jill Fugaro, July 25, 2006