In the summer of 2016 while admiring a neighbor’s stunning vegetable plot, my hostess mentioned that she was a Master Gardener. Honestly, I assumed this was just a personal accolade and nodded it off until she asked if I was familiar with the volunteer-based organization. She described to me both the educational and outreach components of the continentally recognized Master Gardener Program and suggested I look into University of New Hampshire Extension to decide if I was a candidate. It turns out I was, and realistically anyone with an interest in gardening or landscape design is eligible, as long as they’re willing to commit the time and effort.
The UNH Extension’s MG Program is a 12-week course that meets once each week from 9AM-4PM. Within the course, students are taught various subjects pertaining to the yard and garden. From lawn care and pest issues, to backyard chicken keeping and organic vegetable production, the classes are dense with information and geared towards providing each student with ample information to pay it forward in the second phase of the agenda.
After the in-class course is complete, Master Gardeners-in-training have one year to accrue 55-volunteer hours in order to achieve their Master Gardener status. Every year thereafter MG’s must participate in 20-additional hours of community volunteer work in order to maintain their title.
The idea of this program is to firstly train and educate an interested group of people and then encourage them to share this newly acquired knowledge to their communities. I always envision programs like these as having a dandelion effect. We, the students, act as one giant seed. Our guest lecturers and instructors provide us with all the essentials to grow. As the course concludes we are offered the final nutrients to stimulate seed production. When our experience with the course has shaped itself into a stunning, spherical seed head, our director makes a wish! Just like that we are dispersed across the country, packed with knowledge rather than DNA.
My class was comprised of people from all ages and stages of life. I was a kindergarten teacher at the time, developing a school garden and hoping to build a new network of botanically savvy friends. A woman I sat next to regularly was newly retired from her legal career and whose love for flowers and subsequent struggle with deer brought her to the course in search of a solution. There were professionals from the medical field, the forestry industry, and data engineering. Men and women from all walks of life joined together each week to absorb the lectures and lessons and connect with one another over a shared interest in plants.
I still have 5 additional hours to tuck into my belt before I can officially call myself a Master Gardener but I have meetings this coming week that should bring me into the home stretch. After that, the projects I am personally working on will demand significantly more hours than the required 20 per year and I am excited for the spring when myself and the rest of the MG crew can get our hands back in the soil. Until then, we dream and scheme and design our dream gardens. There’s something magical in knowing that next year’s bounty rests just below the snow.
If you’d like more information about the UNH Extension Master Garden Program, I highly suggest you check out their website.
I will be blogging about my recently approved MG project here in Chester, NH. Stay tuned and if you’re interested in getting your hands dirty, I promise I can make that happen. There will be numerous volunteer opportunities at Spring Hill Farm in the coming months and I look forward to building community while building our educational garden. Much to come. Until then, be well! We are halfway between winter & spring!
xo, Willa