What Is a Master Gardener?
Anyone who has ever tried growing plants, flowers or produce understands that there is more to being a good gardener than simply plopping down in the dirt, digging a hole and then watering occasionally. Being a better-than-average gardener takes time, attention to detail and hard work. To achieve the rank of master gardener, however, takes a whole other level of commitment.
This official designation is available only to those people who can successfully combine their love of plants and flowers with an abiding passion for helping their community. Not just anyone can be a master gardener in Litchfield County, CT. Here’s what it takes.
College courses
The first step to becoming a master gardener in Litchfield County, CT is the course load. Those people who wish to add a master gardener certification to their resume must complete a course that provides in-depth coverage on a series of topics, including botany, soils, entomology, pesticide safety, integrated pest management (IPM), ornamentals, vegetables, trees and small fruits, turf grass, invasive plants, weeds and more.
The specific number of hours a candidate needs to complete varies from state to state. Connecticut actually has one of the most rigorous course loads. Candidates in UConn’s program, for example, must take part in a 16-week class held once a week for four hours.
Time with the extension office
Once the coursework has been completed, the student in question still can’t call themselves a master gardener. In Connecticut, the hopeful candidate must still complete 60 hours of practical application in their field.
The first half of those hours are spent in an extension office. These nationwide offices can be found in nearly every county in the United States. Staffed by both students and employed agents, these offices specialize in answering questions about local flora and fauna posed by everyday people. Think of it as a graduate program in which you’re actively tested on every lesson you’ve picked up in the classroom.
Putting knowledge to work
Once they have completed 30 hours in a county extension office, a master gardener still has another 30 hours of work to complete. This final segment of work is focused on community outreach.
There are several ways in which interns can complete this community work, by doing everything from working in community gardens to delivering lectures to the public. All of these tasks involve demonstrating a working knowledge of horticulture and an ability to educate the public about the joys of working in a garden.
Your landscape experts
Looking for a certified master gardener in Litchfield County, CT? Look no further than Green View Building & Design Company, Inc. For more than thirty years, we have offered the area’s most comprehensive home remodeling and restoration services. We can turn your house into the home you’ve always dreamed of. Whether it’s kitchen or bathroom remodeling, landscape design or a complete overhaul of your property, we can help.
Since we opened our doors in 1989, we have committed ourselves to customer satisfaction and workmanship that stands the test of time. Don’t you deserve the best? That’s Green View Building & Design Company, Inc. Give us a call today and find out more about what we can do for you.
Categorised in: Gardening