Master Gardener Program
|
Bay County Building
Suite 301
515 Center Avenue
Bay City, Michigan 48708-5124 |
Jan Rise
Program Coordinator
(Volunteer) |
Voice (989) 895-4026
Fax (989) 895-4217
TDD/TTY (989) 895-4049
msuextension@baycounty.net |
The Michigan Master Gardener Program is a horticulture education and volunteer leader training program offered by Michigan State University Extension. It provides home gardening information to Michigan citizens through a network of trained volunteers. An interest in plants, a personal commitment to volunteerism, and an enthusiasm for sharing knowledge with others are the only prerequisites. The Master Gardener Program serves two major and equal functions:
- To provide instruction in basic horticulture science to motivated and active gardeners through an adult educational program offered through Michigan State University Extension.
- To provide Extension with trained volunteers committed to responding to the demands for gardening information, advice, and assistance through community service projects.
Master Gardener Class Series
Master Gardener classes meet for a minimum of eleven weeks. Extension educators, specialists from Michigan State University, and local gardening experts teach the classes. Students work from the 700-page Master Gardener Core Manual. The course provides a basic overview of major horticultural subjects while introducing the students to a variety of resources for future reference.
The Master Gardener training course consists of a minimum of 40 hours of instruction. An equivalent number of community service volunteer hours are required to become a certified Master Gardener. Half these hours must be spent on Extension-sponsored projects. Examples include: working at a telephone hotline, developing educational materials, or staffing a Master Gardener information booth at the Bay County Fair and Youth Exposition. The other hours may be given to activities related to horticulture in the community. Some examples include: designing and planting community beautification projects, working with youth to create an elementary school garden, using horticultural therapy with the disabled and elderly, or setting up garden programs in homes for battered women.
When's the next class series going to be?
Due to the restructuring of the Master Gardener class series by MSU Extension, there are no classes scheduled in any county for the 2012 program year.
Program Information and Materials
Web Links