Master Gardener Program
Some links on the University of Florida (IFAS) Master Gardener Program:
I found the following to be a very useful description of the Master Gardener Program. It was posted by Jeremy (JaxFlaGardener) on the Florida Gardening Discussion Forum at davesgarden.com and was in response to the question, "What exactly does it mean to be a Master Gardener and how do you become one?":
"I just completed the Master Gardener (MG) certification program in Duval County, so I can offer you a fresh perspective. That are lots of other MGs on DG and they may have some different insights to offer.
The MG certification is provided by the local Dept. of Agriculture County Extension Offices with training under the auspices of the Univ. of Florida. The requirements for successfully completing the training may vary from county to county. Here in NE Florida counties, we had about 10 weeks of 1 day a week training (our classes were held every Wednesday, 9 AM - 4 PM). At the end, you complete a final exam (in our area, the exam was open book, but it is different in other areas). The training is geared toward providing general knowledge on just about every aspect of gardening in Florida -- from the soil up: characteristics of the soil and soil testing, fertilizers, plants -- perennials & annuals, basic landscape design considerations. "Florida Friendly" gardening to conserve water and our natural resources and use of native plants, trees - citrus, palm, fruit, shade, pests -- both insects and animals, in and outside the home, vegetable gardening.....etc. As you can see, it is a broad scope of material, covered very briefly with lots of manuals and reference materials and handouts.
The only real purpose in becoming a Master Gardener is so that you can be officially available for volunteer projects in your community -- staffing the call center at the Extension Office to answer questions people have about any of the above topics, doing non-profit project gardens, doing plant clinics at malls and major stores, etc. Lots of hours -- no pay. In fact, the Master Gardener designation cannot be used in connection with a business enterprise. Once certified, you can list it as a credential on a job application, but I can't hang out a business sign or have business cards that would bill me as "Jeremy Lucas, Master Gardener." So, the only point in getting the training, from my viewpoint, is to gain access to a lot of materials and some information on a broad range of home and garden related topics, meet other people interested in gardening, and provide volunteer hours in community projects. 50 hours of community service and 10 hours of additional training are required annually to remain certified. In our first year as newbie MGs, we are required to spend 25 hours at the Extension Office handling the phone calls and questions.
So... is Master Gardener certification a privilege or penance? One must decide for oneself.
I'm waiting to see what my assignment may be for this upcoming year (in addition to being scheduled to answer the phone for several days throughout the coming year). I asked to be made a botanical tour guide for our local zoo which now has a very good botanist in charge of the gardens and the hopes of establishing our first Jacksonville Botanical Garden.(other than the one at my house -- LOL)
The MG program traces its roots way back to ancient legislation that established certain "land grant" universities that have responsibilities for encouraging, teaching, and doing research in regard to all aspects of agriculture. The county Extension Office agents are a part of that program. Master Gardeners are adjunct volunteer agents to assist the Extension Office carry out all its duties and functions.
In my MG training classes, there were all levels of expertise and knowledge in gardening, ranging from the highly experienced types that had green blood in their veins and ate dirt for dinner, to persons that had barely ever gotten their hands in soil and didn't know a pansy from a petunia. So, current skill level is obviously not a criteria for being selected to receive the training. I think I mostly got in because I mentioned in my interview that I had access to thousands of free plants that I could make available to anyone that wanted them. As was the common phrase in Little Italy in NYC......An offer they couldn't refuse.......
Jeremy"