One of the least-known treasure troves of information in San Diego County is that over three hundred Master Gardeners (MGs) provide home gardening and pest control information throughout the county, FREE to the public.

Master Gardeners are volunteers trained and supervised by the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), part of UC’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The mission of the UCCE is to conduct research on new pests and issues affecting the county, and to provide research-based information to the public. The County of San Diego provides funding to support the local UCCE office.

 

GENESIS OF AN IDEA

Like many local government offices, UCCE offices usually have too much work and too few people to do it. It was from this need that the concept of training MGs was born.

In 1972, an overworked UCCE advisor in the state of Washington hit upon an idea one day: since many of the questions he fielded were basic in nature, why not train a group of volunteers to answer the most commonly asked questions about home horticulture and pest management?

Once he had successfully implemented his idea, the advisor found he could help more people, and could also conduct the research required by his job. For the volunteers, the program offered the chance to get expert training in horticulture and pest management, along with the opportunity to help others.

The Master Gardener Program was created.

UCCE advisors across the country soon were abuzz with news of the program's success, and the idea quickly spread across the nation. In 1980, UCCE initiated its Master Gardener Program (Program) in two counties—Riverside and Sacramento. By 2009, there were local Program offices in 41 counties throughout California. San Diego’s office was established in 1983.

The Program tends to attract volunteers who have a passion for gardening, and it is the UCCE advisor's responsibility to make sure these trainees are given accurate, up-to-date information on home horticulture issues, and that they are taught how to properly research and respond to questions they receive from local residents.

 

APPLICATIONS POUR IN 

Not every qualified applicant is accepted for a training class, but persistence does pay off. Several of the current San Diego Master Gardener members applied more than once before being accepted.

For a nominal fee to cover the cost of textbooks and other class materials, MGs embark on a training program consisting of 19 classes over a six-month period. Each training class is taught by a specialist in that field to ensure that MGs receive top-quality, expert instruction. Students are certified as a UCCE Master Gardeners after they successfully complete the training course and pass the final exam.

After graduation, each new MG must volunteer at least 50 hours of time in public outreach activities during the first year, helping to educate the public and answering home gardening and pest management questions.

Once certified, MGs achieve annual recertification by fulfilling a required number of volunteer and continuing education hours. MGs can meet their volunteer requirements in numerous ways, including staffing educational exhibits at public events around the county and taking calls on the Master Gardener hotline (858-822-6910), where public inquiries are answered on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Inherent in the Master Gardener title lies the challenge to continue learning and to help other gardeners grow. This is a mission and devotion shared by every Master Gardener Program graduate.