I'm not sure if this is nationwide or just in the Indiana area (sponsored
by Perdue University) but has anyone ever taken the Master Gardener course?
What was it like? Was it worth it? Opinions welcome.

Thx.

Gemstone Rivers wrote:

I'm not sure if this is nationwide or just in the Indiana area (sponsored
by Perdue University) but has anyone ever taken the Master Gardener course?
What was it like? Was it worth it? Opinions welcome.

The Master Gardener program was started in 1972 by an innovative
Extension Office Agent in the Seattle, Washington, who reasoned that
well-trained volunteers could respond to many of the everyday homeowner
questions, freeing him and his colleagues for more technical and
difficult problems. Volunteers such as Extension Homemakers and 4-H
Leaders, had always been a part of the Extension Service but never in
the area of homeowner horticulture. With this in mind, the Extension
Agent selected, trained and certified volunteers as Master Gardeners.
They soon succeeded in meeting his desired objectives -in fact they
exceeded his expectations. And so it was, the Master Gardener Program
began. Since that time, the Master Gardener Program has grown and is
now active in 48 states in the United States and four Canadian
provinces. Not every county in these states has the program.

The program differs from state to state and from county to county. It
usually requires a certification process which the classes you refer to
would be. Then it usually has a service-hours requirement, so many per
year. Typically Master Gardeners answer questions via phone, speak at
public events and participate in community gardening displays. In some
counties it works closely with the county agent. In others it just does
gardening chores for the county. It is what the state administrators
and county agents want it to be. In some areas it is open to everyone
who volunteers and in some areas it is limited to a certain number of
people and becomes a very status conscious group. The training
includes: plant taxonomy, plant pathology, entomology, taxonomy,
cultural growing requirements, wildlife control, and integrated pest
management.

Purdue has one of the best extension programs and should have a good
Master Gardener Program. Check out their website at:

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/mg/

In Indiana, Master Gardeners must first achieve rank of Master Gardener
Intern by completing required training and passing exam with 70%
success. Then MG Interns are required to volunteer a minimum of 35
hours to be certified as a Purdue Master Gardener. Purdue University
Extension county and state staff provide instruction free of charge.
Materials and expenses for the series of classes range from $75 to $150.

I am not a Master Gardener but know many people who are. I chose to get
my horticultural training through Longwood Gardens classes and do
horticultural volunteer work through the American Rhododendron Society.
Our local Master Gardener program has a great group of people but aren't
looking to increase the size of the group. The Master Gardener program
my be a good group for you or you may be interested in seeing
opportunities at local public gardens or in local horticultural clubs.

The nearest chapter of the American Rhododendron Society near you is the
Midwest Chapter and has a homepage at:

http://www.midwestars.org/index.html
--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhody.html
Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhodybooks.html
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA Zone 6

Stephen Henning wrote in
news
Gemstone Rivers wrote:

I'm not sure if this is nationwide or just in the Indiana area
(sponsored by Perdue University) but has anyone ever taken the Master
Gardener course? What was it like? Was it worth it? Opinions
welcome.

The Master Gardener program was started in 1972 by an innovative
Extension Office Agent in the Seattle, Washington, who reasoned that
well-trained volunteers could respond to many of the everyday
homeowner questions, freeing him and his colleagues for more technical
and difficult problems. Volunteers such as Extension Homemakers and
4-H Leaders, had always been a part of the Extension Service but never
in the area of homeowner horticulture. With this in mind, the
Extension Agent selected, trained and certified volunteers as Master
Gardeners. They soon succeeded in meeting his desired objectives -in
fact they exceeded his expectations. And so it was, the Master
Gardener Program began. Since that time, the Master Gardener Program
has grown and is now active in 48 states in the United States and four
Canadian provinces. Not every county in these states has the program.

The program differs from state to state and from county to county. It
usually requires a certification process which the classes you refer
to would be. Then it usually has a service-hours requirement, so many
per year. Typically Master Gardeners answer questions via phone,
speak at public events and participate in community gardening
displays. In some counties it works closely with the county agent. In
others it just does gardening chores for the county. It is what the
state administrators and county agents want it to be. In some areas
it is open to everyone who volunteers and in some areas it is limited
to a certain number of people and becomes a very status conscious
group. The training includes: plant taxonomy, plant pathology,
entomology, taxonomy, cultural growing requirements, wildlife control,
and integrated pest management.

Purdue has one of the best extension programs and should have a good
Master Gardener Program. Check out their website at:

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/mg/

In Indiana, Master Gardeners must first achieve rank of Master
Gardener Intern by completing required training and passing exam with
70% success. Then MG Interns are required to volunteer a minimum of
35 hours to be certified as a Purdue Master Gardener. Purdue
University Extension county and state staff provide instruction free
of charge. Materials and expenses for the series of classes range from
$75 to $150.

I am not a Master Gardener but know many people who are. I chose to
get my horticultural training through Longwood Gardens classes and do
horticultural volunteer work through the American Rhododendron
Society. Our local Master Gardener program has a great group of
people but aren't looking to increase the size of the group. The
Master Gardener program my be a good group for you or you may be
interested in seeing opportunities at local public gardens or in local
horticultural clubs.

The nearest chapter of the American Rhododendron Society near you is
the Midwest Chapter and has a homepage at:

http://www.midwestars.org/index.html

Oh, THANK YOU for all that. I did check out the Perdue site previously
but I wanted some personal opinions on the program. I had no idea for
anything I had seen that it was a national program. Thanks again for
taking the time to write that all up. I'll look into the ARS, too.

Gemstone Rivers wrote:

I did check out the Perdue site

Just one warning.

Purdue is a university in West Lafayette,Indiana.

Perdue is a poultry company based in Maryland.

Perhaps Perdue is a mascot for Purdue ;
--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhody.html
Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhodybooks.html
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA Zone 6

Gemstone Rivers wrote in
:

I'm not sure if this is nationwide or just in the Indiana area
(sponsored by Perdue University) but has anyone ever taken the Master
Gardener course? What was it like? Was it worth it? Opinions
welcome.

Twelve years ago I bought my first house, which came with perennial beds
and a vegetable garden. Being that I didn't know the first thing about
gardening, I subscribed to Organic Gardening magazine and took the Master
Gardeners course given locally. The MG course cost $75 and was given at
the Extension office in my county once a week for four months or so. For
that time and money, I received a basic grounding (no pun intended) in
several subjects, including plant structure, identification, growing
techniques, propagation, etc, etc. Upon graduation I was required to
complete 40 hours of volunteer work to "give back" to the Extension.

I think the MG program is somewhat misnamed, as the title of Master leads
one to expect some depth of knowledge and training. But what I got out of
the course was not so much the actual knowledge that was imparted to me as
it was the opportunity to explore a new subject without enrolling in
college again. As it turned out, the experience piqued my interest enough
to inspire me to take a few horticulture classes at a local community
college. Of course the college courses were much more in-depth, but they
were also more expensive and time-consuming. I would never have enrolled
in those college courses if I did not have the MG training first as my
background. Another aspect of the MG course was that I got to meet and
network with a number of other similarly interested gardeners as well as
experts local to my area.

To continue being a MG I believe you must keep up with yearly requirements
for volunteer hours and continuing education, which I have not done. I'm
sure there are many other ways of obtaining the same knowledge and
experience. For me it was an inexpensive way to discover an interest in
gardening that I will keep the rest of my life :-)

Dee

Stephen Henning wrote in newsighash-
:

Gemstone Rivers wrote:

I did check out the Perdue site

Just one warning.

Purdue is a university in West Lafayette,Indiana.

Perdue is a poultry company based in Maryland.

Perhaps Perdue is a mascot for Purdue ;

Hey, I'm a New Yorker. If I get the majority of the letters right in the
school's name, I'm doing okay. They still think Viagra is only one
letter off from Niagara here. I figure we're even.

Dee wrote in
om:

Gemstone Rivers wrote in
:

I'm not sure if this is nationwide or just in the Indiana area
(sponsored by Perdue University) but has anyone ever taken the Master
Gardener course? What was it like? Was it worth it? Opinions
welcome.

Twelve years ago I bought my first house, which came with perennial
beds and a vegetable garden. Being that I didn't know the first thing
about gardening, I subscribed to Organic Gardening magazine and took
the Master Gardeners course given locally. The MG course cost $75 and
was given at the Extension office in my county once a week for four
months or so. For that time and money, I received a basic grounding
(no pun intended) in several subjects, including plant structure,
identification, growing techniques, propagation, etc, etc. Upon
graduation I was required to complete 40 hours of volunteer work to
"give back" to the Extension.

I think the MG program is somewhat misnamed, as the title of Master
leads one to expect some depth of knowledge and training. But what I
got out of the course was not so much the actual knowledge that was
imparted to me as it was the opportunity to explore a new subject
without enrolling in college again. As it turned out, the experience
piqued my interest enough to inspire me to take a few horticulture
classes at a local community college. Of course the college courses
were much more in-depth, but they were also more expensive and
time-consuming. I would never have enrolled in those college courses
if I did not have the MG training first as my background. Another
aspect of the MG course was that I got to meet and network with a
number of other similarly interested gardeners as well as experts
local to my area.

To continue being a MG I believe you must keep up with yearly
requirements for volunteer hours and continuing education, which I
have not done. I'm sure there are many other ways of obtaining the
same knowledge and experience. For me it was an inexpensive way to
discover an interest in gardening that I will keep the rest of my life
:-)

Dee


Thanks for your experience with it, Dee. It so happens that my county
extension office and all the lessons will be about 15 minutes away and
Purdue (did I spell it right this time?) is about two and a half hours
away so the MG program sounded pretty good at the cost/travel time. I
don't mind the volunteer hours. In fact, there is a local all organic,
herb garden within 10 minutes of here that I was also going to volunteer
at this next year so maybe I can kill two birds with one stone.

Several people in my club, Midfex Fruit Explorers with members mainly in the
Chicago area have taken the course. I have never heard anything bad about it.
By the way, as a Purdue graduate, I think your spelling needs a correction.
There
is no connection between the university and the chicken man.

Sherwin Dubren

Gemstone Rivers wrote:

I'm not sure if this is nationwide or just in the Indiana area (sponsored
by Perdue University) but has anyone ever taken the Master Gardener course?
What was it like? Was it worth it? Opinions welcome.

Thx.

I completed the Master Gardner program in Illinois several years ago, and
sorry to say, I didn't find it worthwhile.

The training was for beginners, for 6 wks. there were no reference books in
the extension office where I served my 40 hrs service (I brought my own from
home), and all the programs were on weekdays when I couldn't attend or not
local.

The title is nice, but I didn't get anything out of the program. Now I
attend the Master Gardener lectures in New Mexico where we moved, but will
not repeat the program to get certified here. These lectures here are a bit
better, at night and local and open to everyone, so occasionally I can take
advantage of them.

I guess it depends on where you are how good the program is. If you have a
horticulture background, you may not learn anything useful. If you enjoy
working with the public, you will probably find it very fulfilling.

Just my 2 cents worth

"Gemstone Rivers" wrote in message
...
I'm not sure if this is nationwide or just in the Indiana area (sponsored
by Perdue University) but has anyone ever taken the Master Gardener
course?
What was it like? Was it worth it? Opinions welcome.

Thx.

"Anna M. Miller" wrote in
:

The training was for beginners, for 6 wks. there were no reference
books in the extension office where I served my 40 hrs service (I
brought my own from home),


Thanks for the info, Anna. Supposedly the programs in Indiana are among
some of the best although I've not specifically heard anything about our
county. I'm curious about the paragraph above. What did you do for
those 40 hrs of service? Answer phone problems? And they didn't give
you any reference books? Eyikes.

I guess I'm a beginner since I've never taken an horticultural courses.
I mostly just stumble my way through making plants grow. I guess it
won't hurt to learn the basics of what I'm doing.

Can I ask what sort of books you used as reference books?

Thanks for telling me your experiences with it.

I'm in CA and have taken the Master Gardener program. IMO, it's worth the
time and money. For a while, it was being held at the local community
college..... but it's back at the Cooperative Ext's office.
Nicole

--
3 of every 10 Americans Know Someone With Lupus
Help find the cure. www.lupus.org


"Gemstone Rivers" wrote in message
...
I'm not sure if this is nationwide or just in the Indiana area (sponsored
by Perdue University) but has anyone ever taken the Master Gardener
course?
What was it like? Was it worth it? Opinions welcome.

Thx.

On Fri, 15 Dec 2006 12:04:56 +0000 (UTC), Gemstone Rivers
wrote:

I'm not sure if this is nationwide or just in the Indiana area (sponsored
by Perdue University) but has anyone ever taken the Master Gardener course?
What was it like? Was it worth it? Opinions welcome.

Thx.

It all hinges on how intelligent or open minded your horticultural
agent for the extension is. I went through three MG programs in three
different states many years ago and they gave virtually NO good
information outside their spray and kill notions. Things may be
different now.

You also have to volunteer a lot of hours to get certified. I say
start to go and make the decision when you see what it's all about.

Jangchub wrote in
:

On Fri, 15 Dec 2006 12:04:56 +0000 (UTC), Gemstone Rivers
wrote:

I'm not sure if this is nationwide or just in the Indiana area
(sponsored by Perdue University) but has anyone ever taken the Master
Gardener course? What was it like? Was it worth it? Opinions
welcome.

Thx.

It all hinges on how intelligent or open minded your horticultural
agent for the extension is. I went through three MG programs in three
different states many years ago and they gave virtually NO good
information outside their spray and kill notions. Things may be
different now.

You also have to volunteer a lot of hours to get certified. I say
start to go and make the decision when you see what it's all about.


I think you have to volunteer 35 hours here. That can be done at the
county fair, I suspect, where I spend a fair amount of time anyway.

Anyway, I'm set to start on Feb. 13 so I can give you a report on how it
works out here in the middle-of-nowhere Indiana if you'd like.

"Nicole" wrote in
:

I'm in CA and have taken the Master Gardener program. IMO, it's worth
the time and money. For a while, it was being held at the local
community college..... but it's back at the Cooperative Ext's office.
Nicole


Thanks, Nicole! I've decided to try it.