Master Gardeners are volunteers who assist their local cooperative extension offices in educating the public in general gardening practices as well as the proper use of pesticides and fertilizers.
To become a Master Gardener, an individual must complete 50 hours of horticulture instruction and complete a 50-hour internship as a Master Gardener Volunteer.
Volunteer in your community.
Learn appropriate plants for the landscape.
Teach others to cultivate healthy landscape plants.
Learn how to properly prune your trees and shrubs.
Become more knowledgeable of the plants you grow.
Gain a better understanding of how to effectively manage landscape pests.
In 2008 Gloucester County Virginia Cooperative Extension-Master Garderners volunteered 6,709 hours to the community contacting 2119 citizens at a value of $120,762.
How Do I Become a Master Gardener?
The Virginia Cooperative Extension Service normally conducts Master Gardener training classes once a year in the fall. The instructors are college professors, extension agents and other professionals who specialize in the topics being taught. Classes are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 - 12:00 AM. We include up to five fascinating field trips in this curriculum. Written study materials include The Virginia Master Gardener Handbook and the Pest Management Guide. This curriculum requires state mandated classes and local required classes.
Classes cover the following topics:
Annuals
Basic Botany
Diseases
Fertilizers
Insects
Lawns |
Perennials
Propagation
Pruning
Soils
Trees and Shrubs |