By Andrea Jacobsen, WSU Ferry County Master Gardener
Have you ever wondered what exactly a Washington State University (WSU) Master Gardener (MG) is or how to become one? We figured it would be helpful to write an article that answers those questions.
First, a Bit of Backstory
WSU’s Master Gardener program was the very first in the nation, starting in the early 1970s with a dual focus on commercial crops and home gardening. Since then, the Master Gardener program has expanded to all 50 states through each state’s Land Grant University Extension Office program. Land Grant Universities were put in place by congress in 1862 for each state, so people have access to current scientific agricultural research through their County Extension Offices and access to higher education in their home state.
Today, WSU’s Master Gardener Volunteer Program exists in all 39 Washington State counties, and each county has their own program through their own WSU County Extension Office. We exist so anyone can call us up to ask a gardening question, plant or pest ID, and what to do about it. You can talk to a real person and get local gardening knowledge for our county. We can even come out and help trouble-shoot and advise for the specific conditions at your property. You can often find MG volunteers at various gardening events around the county for Q&A – look for our green aprons with the WSU logo.
Upcoming Ferry Master Gardener Events
Gardening Q&A at The Curlew Plant Swap on Saturday, May 30 from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm, at the Curlew Saloon.
- Master Gardeners will be available to answer your gardening questions and share some tomato, squash, and other veggie starts grown by our own MG volunteers.
Annual Summer Garden Tour on Saturday, July 18 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, throughout the county.
- Starting in Republic and caravaning around the county, we will visit several stops that showcase a wide variety gardening methods in Ferry County, with a chance to ask questions of the garden hosts and your Ferry MGs. (We still need a few hosts for this year so if you’d like to have your garden included on the tour, please contact Aaron Urseth, see info below).
Interested in Becoming a Master Gardener?
Ferry MG Volunteers are all local community members – family, friends, and neighbors. Most people don’t join the program already possessing expert levels of gardening knowledge and experience. People who join only need to have an interest in learning more about gardening and a passion for helping their community. Applications to join the program are open from July to August 15.
Master Gardener training is done online through self-paced classes called Washington State Green School. Training begins in early October and ends in late February (there are holiday and catch-up breaks throughout). For each chapter, a WSU expert in that specific field of study explains the material online and answers questions live via Zoom webinars. Master Gardeners also need to a quiz after each chapter and a final exam, but they are all open-book. Once the training is complete, Trainees become Master Gardener Interns. To become fully certified, they much complete 40 volunteer hours within the first year. After that, they keep their certification by completing 10 continuing education hours and 25 volunteer hours each year.
If you would like to see the content we study in Green School, you can download and read the Master Gardener course book for free at https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/product/pacific-northwest-gardeners-handbook-growing-for-the-future/
To learn more about the Master Gardener program in Ferry County contact the Extension office, (509) 775-5225, X1115, aaron.urseth@wsu.edu 350 E. Delaware Ave. #9, Republic, WA 99166. Master Gardeners is a WSU Extension program, which is available to all without discrimination. Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local Extension office.