Master Gardener
Becoming a Master Gardener Volunteer
A Master Gardener Volunteer is an individual who provides service to his/her community by assisting people in addressing horticultural problems. Any resident of Wisconsin 18 years or older is eligible to be a Master Gardener Volunteer. Potential Master Gardener Volunteers should be interested in horticulture (a formal degree is not necessary), dependable, unbiased and open-minded, and willing to help people with their horticultural concerns. Participants are expected to provide volunteer service to their community.
Coming Soon in Fall 2012…Level One Master Gardener Training
Level One Master Gardener Training is a minimum of 36 hours of in-depth classroom training on a variety of horticulture topics including soils, botany, entomology, plant pathology, houseplants, landscaping, turf, vegetables, fruits, and ornamental plants. This provides a basic understanding of the information necessary to complete the volunteer service required for certification, as well as learning where to acquire additional information and resources.
LevelOne Master Gardener Training is only offered through the MG Program Office in Fall semester. The standard program is scheduled on Tuesday evenings from 6 – 9 PM beginning in September and continuing weekly through November. Costs in past years for the program have been approximately $120. 2012 costs will be finalized closer to the start of the training, which covers the 36 hours of training plus the program manuals and materials.
If you are interested in participating in the Level One Training, please contact the UW-Extension office to be added to our interest list.
Level Two Master Gardener Training
Level Two training is typically offered in the winter, on Tuesday evenings with 2 consecutive 6-week sessions. Exact dates for Level Two training are yet to be determined. Completion of Level One Training is required in order to participate in Level Two. Goal of Level Two Training: To expand upon Level One training with more focused horticultural topics and expanded volunteer concepts. Tentative Topics for upcoming Level Two Training are:
- 2012: Horticulture: History and Health
- 2012: The Ecology, Cultivation and Use of Wisconsin Native Plants
- 2013: Fruits
- 2013: Landscape design
- 2014: Vegetables
- 2014: Woody ornamentals
La Crosse County will not be offering a Level 2 classroom training. Level 2 Training is available online, for more information go to the following link: Level 2 Training
Documents
- 2012 Master Gardener Timesheet (2 pages, word)
- 2012 Master Gardener Timesheet (2 pages, pdf)
