The
University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener program
is a formal volunteer program that utilizes trained volunteers to
provide home gardening and horticulture information to the citizens of
Riverside County. Master Gardeners are volunteer educators who are an
integral part of the educational mission of the county based UC
Cooperative Extension program within the University of California
Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources {not part of UC
Riverside}.
HOW CAN I SIGN UP FOR THE MASTER GARDENER PROGRAM?
Call
the UC Cooperative extension office and give your name, address and
phone numbers to the receptionist {or our Master Gardener volunteers on
the Phone Squad Hotline from 9 – 12} to be placed on the list of those
interested in the Master Gardener program. You will be sent an
application in the fall of our next training year. Fill out the
application and return it to the office before the deadline. A
committee of Master Gardeners and the Master Gardener Advisor screen
the applications to select those meeting the criteria for trained
community educational volunteers. The next training session begins in
the fall of 2005. Classes are held every other Wednesday evening from 7
to 9:30 PM, beginning in early October and going through May, 2006.A
training fee of approximately $80.00 is requested to help defray the
cost of program materials, speaker expenses and your training
handbook. The training is a requirement to become a Master Gardener and
attendance is mandatory. A maximum of three missed classes is allowed,
but opportunities to make up the missed training are provided when
possible. During the training year, volunteers are required to
volunteer 50 hours in approved educational activities. A written exam
is the final requirement at the end of the training. A passing score of
approximately 70% is deemed adequate for receiving the title Master
Gardener. All Master Gardeners must undergo fingerprinting and a
background check by the Department of Justice. Any volunteers with a
criminal history related to child endangerment will not be accepted.
WHAT IS THE TRAINING ABOUT?
The
18 sessions of training are geared to provide the minimum training for
volunteers to serve as educational agents of the University of
California in the home gardening/non-commercial horticulture areas.
Program guidelines and by-laws are explained and University policies
for formal volunteers and the administrative policies for the Master
Gardener are provided. Topics covered in the horticulture realm
include: water management, soils and composting, plant propagation,
pest management {insects, diseases, weeds and integrated pest
management}, ornamental trees and pruning, plant biology, lawns,
vegetables, citrus and diagnosing plant problems. Topics of interest to
the local area are included as well. Roses and sub-tropical fruit trees
are commonly part of our curricula.
WHAT DO MASTER GARDENERS DO?
As
a formal volunteer program, volunteer activities are not wide open to
individual choice, but there are a wide number of different activities
for Master Gardeners to choose from. The one criterion that must be
paramount is the educational value of the activity. Master Gardeners
are not free labor for other community organizations or neighbors who
want help with their yards. Major categories of volunteer activities
include:
- Answering questions on the phone with the Master Gardener Phone Squad
- Writing and producing the monthly newsletter.
- Giving talks to local garden groups as part of our Speakers Bureau.
- Volunteers as a coordinator the Master Gardener program on the Advisory Committee
- Taking part in the dozens of community events where Master Gardeners have a booth and answer questions from the public.
- Organizing and speaking at public gardening seminars in the County
- Helping establish and run school gardens with teachers in Riverside County.
- Two
entities can be helped in any way by providing labor and assistance to
the staff of the UC Cooperative Extension office and/or the UCR Botanic
Gardens. Activities range from volunteering to help with agricultural
research, grooming plants at the Botanic Gardens or stuffing
envelopes.
WHO CAN BECOME A MASTER GARDENER?
Anyone
who is interested in gardening and horticulture; experience is not
required. Successful Master Gardeners share the following traits:
Interest in growing plants and gardening. Willingness to help others
learn about gardening A desire to learn more about horticulture and
gardening A commitment to helping community through serving as an
educational volunteer.
WHAT IF I HAVE A QUESTION?
For
further information contact the Master Garden Academic Advisor, Mike
Henry 909-683-6491 Ext. 222 or e-mail him at mjhenry@ucdavis.edu.
