Nelson County Master Gardeners

Become a Master Gardener

Our dynamic nine week training course began February 14, 2012. It's not too early to sign up for the next session.

Training is sponsored by the Nelson County Master Gardener Association (NCMGA) under the guidance of the Nelson County Office of Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE).

Master Gardener Training was developed by American Land Grant Universities to extend the resources of Cooperative Extension Agents. It is in place in all 50 states and uses trained volunteers to educate community citizens with research-based horticulture. Currently, in Nelson County there are 56 volunteers who meet county needs for educational information.

Master Gardener Training consists of 50+ hours of Virginia Cooperative Extension approved classroom instruction followed by an Internship involving 50 hours of hands-on participation in VCE/NCMGA sponsored projects. Upon completion of the 100-hour course you will have earned the designation of Virginia Master Gardener Volunteer.

You will learn about plants and planting, soils and soil amendments, troublesome insects and animals, plant diseases, trees, fruits, vegetables, composting, and many other topics related to our world of gardening. You will receive a large informative manual, published through Virginia Tech, as your guide through the excellent course speakers. You will have the opportunity to interact with many other local people as you spend time together as interns during the course.

Classes meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 am to 12 noon. Meetings are held at the Nelson Center in Lovingston, with several field trips scheduled throughout the course. The cost is $145 for the nine weeks of instruction. The text for the class is "Virginia Master Gardener Hand book" which is included in your application fee.

At the first class you will sign a pledge that you fully understand and accept your commitment for your volunteer obligation. 50 hours of volunteer service in VCE/NCMGA programs is required for completion of the Master Gardener Course. This service should be completed within the year following classroom instruction. Of these 50 volunteer hours, a minimum of eight hours of supervised activity must be accomplished at the Nelson County Extension Office Master Gardener Help Desk, and the NCMGA Booth at the Nellysford Farmers Market.

The Master Gardener Training Team welcomes your interest. We have all thoroughly enjoyed our volunteer work and gained personal satisfaction from our experiences. We look forward to having you assist VCE/NCMGA in providing valuable information and service to the citizens of Nelson County.

Please call Cindy McCrae in the Extension Office at 434-263-4035 for more information or download the application below. You don't want to miss out on this opportunity!

Download an application for the upcoming class here: http://www.nelsonmastergardeners.org/mg-training-application.pdf