aster Gardeners are
volunteers who serve as "plant doctors" to residents who call the University of
Florida Extension Service with gardening questions. Master Gardeners must pass a 80-hour
course on urban gardening and are expected to volunteer 100 hours the
first year and 50 hours in following years to the Extension
Service.
The MG training program is demanding and intensive. Formal
classroom work constitutes more than 50 percent of the 80-hour training period. Subjects
include basic botany, soils, fertilizers, vegetables, entomology, citrus, turf grasses, use
of and alternatives to chemicals, pest control, ornamentals, diseases and related topics.
All information is based on knowledge and research from the University of Florida.
Each weekly session is a minimum of six hours. A part of
the day is spent doing practical, hands on activities related to the theory presented.
There is a registration fee which includes training manual and other supplies for the
10-week course.
For more information on the Master Gardener program, call
the coordinator at Volusia County Extension
Service:
(386) 822-5778 West Volusia
(386) 257-6012 Daytona Beach
(386) 423-3368 New Smyrna Beach
Office map and directions
