Becoming a Master Gardener

This fall, I signed up for the Oregon State University Master Gardener @ Night Class. This is something I've been interested in for a few years ever since I found out one of my former co-workers was a Master Gardener.

It used to be that the classes were only offered during the day, which totally doesn't work for a lot of us who work during the day. I had this image in my head that the class was mostly made up of people who were retired. So I put it on my bucket list. Then last year, my friend Britni sign up for the night class. She loved it! Now it's my turn.

I signed up to be a Master Gardener Volunteer in Training. That means I'll go through two terms of classes now through April, and then I need to complete 66 hours of volunteer work. After that, I'll be a certified Master Gardener Volunteer!

My textbook -- This book is huge!

Master Gardener Volunteers serve the public by providing information on gardening, either through the phone line, workshops, and other events. They also have other activities such as fundraisers and festivals, like the Fall Festival (pictures below).

Local Master Gardeners' best produce contest

So much garlic!

I volunteered at the book sale.

So far, in my classes I've learned about native plants, botany, weeds and soils. Some of the other topics I'll learn about this term are home composting, fertilizers and pruning. Each 2 1/2 hour class is led by a guest speaker, who is usually a Master Gardener volunteer and an expert on that night's topic. It's fascinating to see people who know so much about something as trivial as weeds. It feels like I'm back in school again without all the pressure of taking tests and being expected to memorize everything all at once. The program urges you to do the chapter readings and assignments, but the purpose is to teach you how to find the information you're looking for.

Notes from my first class

It does feel like information overload sometimes, but I'm glad I'm finally taking this first step to becoming a better gardener.