Registration Opens Nov 14th at http://mastergardener.wsu.edu/home-horticulture-training/
WSU Extension to Offer Home Horticulture Training
Learn to be a better home gardener and steward of the environment this winter with Washington State University – Jefferson County Extension’s new online Home Horticulture Training program.
Training focuses on a wide range of horticulture topics taught online by WSU faculty, staff, Master Gardeners, and other regional experts on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon starting Jan. 9 and continuing weekly through Apr. 24.
Training also includes access to WSU Extension’s online Master Gardener Training Modules and the extensive Master Gardener Manual.
Those wishing to earn a Certificate of Completion will need to participate in weekly online quizzes, a final, and attend most classes. Homework is expected to average 3-5 hours a week. All training is open book and no memorization is expected.
Tuition for this extensive training program is $300 and requires a computer with internet access, an e-mail account, and a Zoom account (free version).
For more information and to register, please email the Master Gardener Program Coordinator at bridget.gregg@wsu.edu.
Interested in becoming a Master Gardener Volunteer?
After completion of the Home Horticulture Class, those wishing to join the Master Gardener Program will need to attend additional field trips and hands-on workshops to complete the Master Gardener training. Because of the ever changing COVID-19 safety guidelines, field trips and hands-on workshops will be scheduled as conditions allow in 2021 or 2022. If you wish to receive more information or receive an application as soon as they are available, please contact the program coordinator bridget.gregg@wsu.edu Registration will open on November 14 for the Home Horticulture course (check back here for a link).
Upon completion of the WSU Home Horticulture online course, field trips, and workshops, you will become a Master Gardner Intern. Interns are asked to contribute 80 hours of volunteer service over a period of two years often working alongside veteran Master Gardener mentors. Volunteer activities include researching and answering questions submitted to our plant diagnostic clinics, working at our demonstration gardens, assisting with or presenting public education events/projects, and other activities related to sustainable gardening. After completing 80 hours of volunteer service, interns receive the title, Master Gardener.
Training topics include basic botany, identification of native and common landscape plants, soils, fertilizers, composting, plant pests and diseases, sustainable pest management methods, pruning, garden planning, native landscaping, small fruits and berries, weed management, growing vegetables, water quality, and environmentally friendly yard care.
The fee for the online Home Horticulture course is $300 per person. We offer a limited number of partial tuition waivers ($225), so that nobody is excluded from this class due to inability to pay. If you’re interested in becoming a Master Gardener, we will collect an additional $50 refundable fee to cover field trips and hands-on workshops for those that choose to continue on with Master Gardener certification. This fee is refundable upon completion of 80volunteer hours. WSU requires completion of a criminal background check for all volunteers at the cost of $14 every 2 years.