I am interested in hearing this. My gardening credentials are limited to a Landscaping Course that Hubs and I took. We had to submit a design drawing for an area of the yard or garden. I loved it when we all went to the Botanical Gardens together. But right now I could become a Master Brown Thumb without even taking the test. lol

I think it is a great way to become trained in what grows in your area. If you are an MG from NY you would have to take a course down here because things are so different. It helped me become VERY environmentally aware of The impact we have on planet earth. What we put in the soil and on our plants affects our water and insects which eventually affects birds and mammals and potentially humans.
*Being a Master Gardener is about volunteering your knowledge to help others.You will not come out knowing everything you will learn how to access that information though and be able to share it with the public.
*It is designed so MGs give the recommendations of the State University NOT our own ideas.
Many people who don't like what those recommendations will become disgruntled at the MGS but the MGs are trying to do what they are told.
The volunteer part is great because there are plenty of opportunities. Reading to children on AG LIT Day,giving info at Botanical Gardens and Plant festivals, Speakers bureau, working in community gardens.
I had the privilege of going into three kindergarten classes and taught them about worm composting, leaving each class with a bin and worms to compost their leftover lunch.
I am heading up our Earth day post and will be doing a vermicomposting (worm farm)presentaion in May at an Organic farm. There is also the office to man, soil tests to do, phones to answer.Sometimes plant sales.
They do NOT give this class just for the beneficial education but because the EXTENSION SERVICE needs volunteers. You MUST be willing to put in your state mandated hours.
They also do not want you using Master Gardener on your biz. card or any other biz venture.
But on the fun side. Friends to be made,tours of great gardens, helping people and the environment and learning something new every day.

I'm not a master gardener,I am president of our herb club.Our master gardners all went thur Penn state university for there training.It doesn't cost them.but they have to volunteer so many hours to make up the cost..
look on line at your local state college.Penn State has extention offices that you get in touch find out.LOL Joan

Be advised some states do charge.Ours was over a hundred dollars.

Years ago I took a year-long floraculture (house plants-at that time I had over 300 varities) course at our vocational school. So I have certifcation for that. I should have also taken the horticulture course, but didn't. About that time Bill retired from the Navy and
we started doing professional craft shows all over the Eastern part (and as far West as Houston. Tx) of the US. We did between 25 and 30 shows a year. Handmade woodcraft.
That kept me too busy to garden much-Grin-and we did that from 1980 until 1995.
Never had the desire to become a Master Gardener. I admire those who have done that!

I'm a Master Gardener in VA. The Master Gardener program is administered by the Cooperative Extension Service which is based in your state's land grant college(s). Some areas charge for the training, others do not.
Since the Coop. Ext. Serv. is supported by your tax dollars,you can take the class and get your certificate for your own enjoyment.You cannot use it for personal $$ gain. You will not, however, be considered an "active" Master Gardener unless you participate with the local MG unit. There's a yearly volunteer hour requirement which usually isn't too hard to get and some areas require additional periodic training. You need to find out what your local reqs. are.
It's a great way place to meet people and the education is wonderful. If you can manage it you should take the course.
Good luck!

I'm also a Master Gardener in VA. I took my training years ago, but am currently inactive in our local group. I enjoyed it very much when I was active, but there are a lot of hours required to keep up your certification. That's why I had to become inactive...too many other obligations. I did enjoy the training though. Ours did cost about $75 at the time I took it, and you do have to take a pretty intensive test to pass and get your certification. I met a lot of great people in the organization and even had the opportunity to design a herb garden at Kenmore Plantation here in Fburg. (Kenmore was the home of George Washington's sister). So, if you have the time, it will be well worth the travel to get to the classes.

I'm a Master Gardener here in SC. I took the class in 83 or 84 . Cost $35 at the time for our books.I took it at the time to meet other people whos eyes didnt glaze over when I was talking about plants !!! and to learn more about how to plant, soil ammend, etc. I was very much a newbie and scared I wouldnt fit in w/ all the knowlegable gardeners. At the time there was not enough people in our county to start one, so the next county extension office teamed up w/ our and we alternated weeks in each office. You are expected to volenteers x amount of hours, which we did planted shrubs, flowers etc at some new Habitat for Humanity houses,I gave a talk to my sisters sons boy scout troop and even manned the phones for a SC PBS show Making It Grow & manned the booths at plant clinics at area craft shows.Greenwoods a big gardening town.. we have the Festival of Flowers here every year late june, and home of Park Seed, Wayside Gardens & Marlboro Bulb Co. I've met alot of great people this way,gotten scads of gardening tips,& divisions of plants...alot.If your just a casual gardener like I was when I first joined, you'll be amazed at how much, how quick You learn...and Im still learning all the time. I'm not active w/ them the last 6-7 years. The War (nasty divorce) took its toll on me esp when the Evil B .. Buzzard ? .. took his tractor & tilled over ALL my beds of 70 different lilys,my rose garden w/ 14 tea & 20 minatures and all the other perrenial beds with 1000s of different daffodils ,Allium Gigantiums .. oh so much, such carnage !!!!( I had a friend who worked at Park seed. Every year they would let employyess go through w/ GROCERYBAGS and get whatever they wanted.Every year for 5 years, she & some of her friends who worked there would bring me their bags & bags full of goodies, and I would host Girls day/night. Make big pans of lasagne, make shrimp dip & pitchers of White Russians & Frozen Strawberry Margaritas.and they would get to choose from some of my crafty stuff a gift to take home. I got 1000's of dollars worth of bulbs for some bartering and having a fine time w/ the girls.Oh yeah, also had some of the local senior boys (My step daughters were in High school at the time)to be designated drivers to drive them back in their cars from the country where I lived into town and the girls would follow to pick the boys up. Fine time had by everyone !!!!The next weekend I'd have a party for the girls & their friends that helped out in our shop that was next to the house. Set up a sound system , let them get as loud as they liked and have plenty of food for them and leave them alone...I had boys vollentering for the next year right after !!!...Win Win.. just a few reasons to become MG....I strayed a little , hope I didnt offend anyone !! LOL

Oh my gosh jitterbug. I'm so sorry about your gardens. What a dastardly Evil B. What a story though, you should write a book. Or at least a screen play. That would serve him right. And I include in that your wonderful parties! You sure know how to have fun.
kathy

Jitterbug, enjoyed your story, and that was quite a War you had with the Evil B! Hope he found an Evil Buzzardette to spend his time with in Buzzard Hell LOL. But I love how you sprang/sprung? back and had fun too!

We have a program here in town for MG. I just don't seem to find the time now that the grandkids are so small, but might in the future. It would be nice to meet other people who love gardening too. I've met lots of nice people doing other volunteer work in the past.

~tenderlee

Wow, being a MG in the states is similar but oh so different in Canada! I took a MG class with two friends last fall and it cost $700 a person! Mind you, the class was 3 hours on Thursdays and Sundays for four months so it was loooong.

I learned a heck of a lot but I'll never be an "active" Master Gardener because I can't do the volunteer component. My work will modify my schedule for classes, but not volunteer work. :(

The thing that annoyed me is what we DIDN'T learn about Master Gardeners until we'd already paid. We didn't know we couldn't call ourselves MGs outside of doing official MG stuff. When doing official MG stuff we were not allowed to give opinions or advice based on experience - we could only quote from books. There were a couple other things but those were the big ones.

Anyway like I said I learned so much, but I probably would have been better off taking the Sustainable Gardening class instead. :)

Amy

Our agent does try to let everyone know they are EXPECTED to volunteer.She doesnt want them to just take the info and run, but even so many do.
We also had to get background checks since some of us liked to work with kids.

Yea, He's had 2 Evil Buzzadettes since me and they didnt last long in Buzzard Hell..lol....Ive since met a very nice man and he is such the opposite I sometimes have to stand back and look hard at him to see if Im missing something...but no, he is just a good heart...God knew what I needed and put us together. We live in a tiny trailor & I don't have the "things" I had before, but I'm happier than I have been in my adult life. AND I'm starting a new garden made with love... and filling it w/GJ.....what could make life better !!!