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WHAT IS A MASTER GARDENER, ANYWAY?
When weevils invaded our alfalfa or worms attacked our apples on our Carver County farm back in the '50s, we'd often call Dale Smith, our "county agent" from Carver County. Sometimes, Dale would visit our farm and prescribe a suitable treatment program to thwart the invading pests.
These days, a trouble-shooting visit from a county extension specialist is less likely. Growing populations in Carver and Scott counties, coupled with cutbacks in county extension staffs, translate into a demand for horticultural and gardening advice that far exceeds the extension service's capacity to respond.
This same scenario nationwide led to the creation in 1972 of the Master Gardener program.
Master Gardeners are trained volunteers who love gardening and who assist the Cooperative Extension Service with education and problem solving.
The Master Gardener program in Minnesota, begun in 1977, is an educational outreach of the University of Minnesota Extension Service that utilizes trained volunteers to assist people and their communities through gardening information and activities. Today, more than 2,500 Master Gardeners have been trained in Minnesota alone.
To become certified, Master Gardeners complete 48 hours of classroom instruction in horticulture at the University of Minnesota. Classes cover lawn care, trees and shrubs, pest and weed control, soil science and plant nutrition, fruits and vegetables, house plants, garden flowers and other horticultural subjects.
To "repay" the University for this training, Master Gardeners agree to volunteer a minimum of 50 hours of service the first year and 25 hours in successive years via teaching, demonstrations, clinics, answering phone calls, writing and other activities.
Carver and Scott County Master Gardeners meet year-round on a monthly basis to plan programs and share ideas. Records of our efforts reveal that our Carver-Scott group of 25 volunteered 1,006 hours of time in 1994. This total included 212 hours of Q&A clinics, 254 hours of teaching and 177 hours of answering phone calls.
County extension staff members maintain a master list of each Master Gardener's specialty areas and direct phoned-in gardening questions to appropriate Master Gardeners for answering. My primary focus, for example, is trees and shrubs and I typically receive 2-3 tree-related calls a day from Carver and Scott county residents.
If the idea of becoming a Master Gardener appeals to you, I encourage you to apply - the demand for our knowledge and time continues to exceed our capacity to respond. The requirements to become a Master Gardener are quite simple: You must have an active interest in plants and gardening and be willing to share this interest with others. In addition, you must be able to attend the classroom training sessions and complete an internship of 50 hours volunteer time the first year.
For application materials, call the Scott County extension office at 492-2370 or the Carver County extension office at 442-4496. If you decide to get involved, I can promise you one thing for sure: The more you learn about gardening, the more you realize you don't know!
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PUTTING DOWN ROOTS:
A Delightful Blend of
Gardening Wisdom, Wit
and Whimsy
$10 + $2 for shipping
by Cliff Johnson |
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