You start with 40 hours of training during a 12-week program where you’ll learn about a variety of things including: botany, plant propagation, entomology, pesticides and pest management, plant disease, soil and fertilizers, turfgrass management, vegetable gardening, gardening equipment, tree fruits, small fruit, pruning, landscape design, woody ornamentals, indoor plants, herbaceous plants, garde
n animals and teaching methods. From there, pass a test and complete 40 hours of initial volunteer work and you’ll have earned the right to call yourself a WVU Extension Master Gardener. Get out an help others grow while you grow your knowledge! Each year, a WVU Extension Master Gardener must complete 20 volunteer hours and 10 additional hours of horticulture training. Opportunities to volunteer are numerous, everything from helping your local WVU Extension agent answer questions to community beautification projects, coordinating school gardening programs to helping maintain the demonstration garden at the state fairgrounds in Fairlea — just to name a few. There are numerous opportunities to connect with fellow Master Gardeners, not only in your community, but also across the state. The West Virginia Master Gardener Association hosts an that allows Master Gardeners from all over West Virginia to share ideas and projects and learn from expert speakers and interactive tours.
