The Extension Master Gardener Program

Trisha Costello

Master Gardener Coordinator

Albemarle - Charlottesville

Agenda

Master Gardener (MG) Program

What do MGs Do?

Steps to Becoming a MG

Maintaining MG Status

Support

1972 – First Master Gardeners in Washington State

(MG Volunteers now in all states + DC)

1978 – First training in Virginia

1986 – First training in Albemarle

History of VCE-MGs

Currently approximately 150 volunteers in Albemarle-Charlottesville – Piedmont Master Gardeners Assoc.

A Master Gardener Is…

A volunteer educator dedicated to working with

the community to improve the environment.

What Do VCE-MGs Do?

Partner with and represent Cooperative Extension

Address community needs through outreach education

Work with communities, leaders, and individuals by

presenting programs on all aspects of horticulture

Encourage & promote environmentally sound horticulture

practices

Benefits of Volunteering

Develop new skills and attain new

knowledge (become a better gardener!)

Volunteer and give back to the community

Socialize with other gardening enthusiasts

MG Program Effectiveness & Impact

Outcome based with tangible impacts to the local

community with strong stakeholders

Dramatically multiplies the efforts and effective

outreach of VCE Agents

In 2019…before COVID, our Albemarle-

Charlottesville unit contributed

Over 13,000 volunteer hours of

community service

Volunteered time valued at $388,194

Do you want to join a

Community Service Organization?

Classes, lectures, workshops

Horticultural help desks

VCE Office

Farmers’ Markets

Heritage Harvest Festival

County Fair

School and Community Gardens

Therapeutic Horticulture/Gardening

Project examples:

Examples of MG ProjectsCommunity Garden Partners

Yancey

IRC

YanceyUAC @

CATEC

Bread & Roses

School Gardens • After School Garden Club –

Stony Point Elementary

• Classroom Living Lab Lesson’s

and Activities – Mary Carr Greer

Elementary

• School Garden Mentor – Crozet

Elementary

Therapeutic Horticulture

Georgia’s Friends

JABA

Mary Williams Center

Conservation Landscaping:

Habitat for Humanity Greater

Charlottesville – PMG Home

Landscaping Partnership

Healthy Landscapes - Adopt

conservation practices in your

landscapes to support food and

habitat for our birds, pollinators

and much more. Plant Choice

Matters. Coming in Spring 2022

Healthy Stormwater

Practices

Coming in Spring 2022

Demonstration Garden at

Sentara

Rose Garden

installation

Spring 2021

Pollinator garden

202210/8/21

Post Social Media and website

Ask A Master Gardener

Timely Topics

Garden Resources

Write research supported

information for our monthly

online newsletter

The Garden Shed or our

internal members Cultivator

newsletter

Garden Basics• Basic horticulture education,

geared toward the novice

gardeners

• 2 hour classes given by Master

Gardener’s on a broad range of

topics

• Partner with Bread & Roses @

Trinity Episcopal church

Garden Docent Opportunities:

Through the Garden Gate

Historic Garden Week

Monticello Ambassadors

Quarry Gardens @ Schuyler

Monticello Ambassadors

Community Info Racks

Citizen Scientist Detection for

Spotted Lanternfly

Place tree banding/traps on tree-of-heaven, > 5 inches in diameter, on own property

Monitor and report ALL trap results, weekly, using the Survey 123 app, April-October

VCE Horticulture Helpdesk

Mobile Horticulture Helpdesk County Fair

Farmer’s Markets

• Rely mostly on donations from MG’s- Potting parties

• Large assortment including Natives

• Educational experience happens at every plant

table, at Helpdesk and scattered Informational

tables

• Green Elephant garden items

Annual Spring Plant Sale

Fundraiser to support our local

programs

1.Application due Dec 1, 2021

2.Interview

3.Training Class – approx. 70 hours

4.Exam

5.1 Year Internship – 50 hours

6.Receive Full Certification (MG Volunteer)

Steps to Becoming a VCE-MG

Class Details

$190; scholarships available

Feb. 15th – May 2, 2022

Every Tuesday

9am – 4pm

2023 virtual, evening class

Training Classes

• Botany

• Soils and Nutrient management

• Water Quality

• Trees, Woody & Herbaceous

plants; pruning

• Plant Diseases & Integrated Pest

Management (IPM)

• Small Fruit & Berries

• Vegetable Gardening

• Weeds & Invasive plants

• Entomology

• Volunteer Fair

• Propagation

• Habitat

• Plant Diseases

• Native Plants

• Conservation landscaping

• Bringing out your Inner Educator

Master GardenerMentors

• Continuing Ed. (8 hrs.)

• Volunteer hours (20 hrs.)

Maintaining VCE-MG Status

Master Gardener Program Staff

Approve & Support projects

Enhance communication

Help EMGs achieve goals

Promote EMG program

Continuing Education opportunities

Basic support to surrounding Master Gardeners

groups

If you enjoy volunteering and sharing your horticulture knowledge

If you have the time to complete the training and volunteer requirements

If you enjoy social activities and connecting with a wide variety of ongoing community projects

If you enjoy life long learning and continuing education and direct, hands-on training

If you are more interested in getting the training than volunteering

If you want the EMG title or certification for commercial publicity or private business

If you do not enjoy learning new skills

If you do not enjoy “helping others grow”

This program

is for you…

This program

is probably

not for you…

Want to Apply?

Online link includes:

Letter of Welcome

Application

Expectations Agreement

More information:

www.piedmontmastergardeners.org

or contact tcostello@vt.edu for the link

The Extension Master Gardener Program

Trisha Costello

Master Gardener Coordinator

Albemarle - Charlottesville

Questions?