Registration opens April 28.
Master Gardener Training Application link

Role

Master Gardeners are a vital resource to the York County/Poquoson Extension Horticultural Program. These volunteers teach classes, answer horticultural inquiries, present programs, and diagnose plant diseases. Master Gardeners extend the resources of the land-grant university through their volunteer efforts.

Course Overview

This year’s Master Gardener Training class is a 12-week virtual course starting August 18th – November 10th. Class assignment video presentations will be completed on your schedule before the required Wednesday evening zoom discussions from 7:00pm-8:30pm. There are also 3 optional Saturday field trips.

Upon graduation the participant will return 50 hours of service to their local Virginia Cooperative Extension by participating in various Master Gardener services to the community such as answering horticulture questions at the help desk, conducting educational programs, leading a team, or providing support to other Master Gardeners in many other areas. To maintain Master Gardener status after the first year, each volunteer must complete 20 hours of service to the community and 8 hours of continuing education.

Course fee

Early Bird Registration fee is $140 through May 31st. After May 31st, the cost is $150 with an application deadline of July 7th. Course fee includes a digital version of the training manual and a non-refundable background check fee of $10.  To receive a hard copy of the training manual, there is an additional fee of $32.

Classes cover some of the following topics:

• Insects
• Lawns
• Pruning
• Shrubs
• Soils
• Trees
• Vegetables