By Dominick Fiume, for Let's Talk Plants! August 2024.
The next class for the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County program volunteers begins January 2025, with applications being accepted until September 30, 2024.
The program is overseen by the local University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) office, part of the University of California’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Master Gardeners are trained and supervised by the UCCE to help disseminate gardening information to the public, free of charge. Master Gardeners are required to log annual hours in continuing education and volunteer time.
Master Gardeners include a diverse group of people, from retired professionals to young adults, gardening on farm-sized lots to condo balconies, and residing throughout San Diego County. A focus on life-long learning and volunteerism are the program’s main objectives. The San Diego chapter is over 300 members strong, the largest program in California. This past year, members have logged more than 35, 000 hours of volunteering and over 6,000 hours in continuing education.
Master Gardener volunteers answer “hotline” questions from the public all year long. We help support schools and community gardens in demonstration gardens, in memory-care communities, and we also participate in research studies. We host seminars, plant sales, home-garden tours, and build birdhouses. The organization’s members also provide such skills as graphic design, communications, photography, web design, writing, and event planning.
I am celebrating 14 years as a Master Gardener, and I tell people that now I know how much I do not know! Gardening is an endless learning curve, and I continually get a great education. I have been mentored by seasoned gardeners and I learn alongside my colleagues. I have been on fun and interesting field trips, heard amazing speakers at monthly meetings, visited school gardens and served on the group’s board of directors. I appreciate that I can reach out to my fellow Master Gardeners on our collaborative discussion portal about a problem with one of my plants or ask for resources. I have met so many interesting people and made a lot of new friends.
If any or all this strikes a chord with you, we also encourage you to read the FAQ for more information before you fill out an application to be considered for the 2023 San Diego Master Gardener program.
Submit your completed application along with two letters of recommendation by email to Leah Taylor, MG Program Coordinator, at applications@mgasdc.org by September 30, 2024.
Applications will be reviewed, and interviews will be conducted in late October and early November. When the selection process is complete, the MG Class of 2025 will be selected. Not every qualified applicant is accepted for a training class, but persistence does pay off. Several current San Diego Master Gardener members applied more than once before being accepted.
If you are accepted into the Master Gardener program, you will attend 18 training sessions over a six-month period from January to June 2025 on Tuesdays from 8:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Qualified specialists will provide instruction on topics including botany, soils and fertilizers, irrigation, entomology, plant pathology, weed management, vertebrate pests, and the culture of vegetables, fruit trees and woody ornamentals.
Once you have completed the training course and passed the final exam, you will be certified as a UCCE Master Gardener. After graduation, each new MG must volunteer at least 50 hours of time in public outreach activities during the first year, and 25 hours in subsequent years.
Leslie Crawford is a UCCE Master Gardener. Get live gardening advice on the Master Gardeners’ hotline, (858) 822- 6910.
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