This was incredibly helpful as someone who has been curious about becoming a Master Gardener! Turns out, it's not what I was looking for. You saved me a lot of time.
as a Master Gardener myself, I challenge fire7side to get all the information on Google that I have on entomology, botany, taxonomy, soil, propagation, etc. etc.while attending the actual classes. I really enjoy informing the public and helping them when they ask for information and, by the way, Master Gardeners do not charge anyone a cent to their work.
I have loved growing things for most of my life. A few years ago I applied for and was accepted into the Master Gardener Program of Santa Clara County, CA. As a MG, there are regular opportunities to attend lectures by UC profs and other experts -- for free! We volunteer for at least 25 hours per year in demonstration gardens scattered around the county, give gardening talks in local libraries, make presentations to corporations' employees, set up information tables at festivals and fairs, we even produce video lessons about many different gardening topics. Being a Master Gardener is very rewarding. Congratulations to you for "making the cut"!
I know this was posted nine years ago. I am a master gardener and you are so right when you say that we are not supposed to push our opinions about gardening on others. If someone asks about any topic we give both the pros and cons e.g., synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, tilling etc. Our comments have to be based on scientific information not our bias or personal opinion.
I am eager to hear about what you're learning. I'll look forward to those series of videos. As a fairly new gardener myself, you have encouraged me to check into our country extension office and see what programs they have to offer.
Kudos to you Jared. I'm still very interested in enrolling into the Master Gardner program here in South Florida, but I just don't have the available time to make it happen due to my "weird" work schedule. Oh well... guess I'll have to wait until I can actually retire. LOL. Looking forward to your next upload
People are thinking that learning about something is a bad thing. The more you know about any type of gardening, the better off you are, regardless of weather or not you believe in using it or not. #KnowledgeIsPower
Samy Ismael, agreed. You cannot competently speak with someone who disagrees with you and persuade their opinion unless you also understand why they believe the way they do.
Thank you for that info. I have been interested in taking a MG course for a couple years now and currently looking through information at our local extension.
Great video, I like your explanations of the program, they are spot on. I am surprised that your county only has a small class. I am also surprised by the actual class time. Is there course work required outside of class like webinars or reading/research assignments? Do you have to sign up for an intern project as part of your volunteer hours? Thank you again for all of your hard work, Ed
Ed Smith, not for completing this part of the course but for completing the required hours later, yes. We have to either fill out a sheet or report our hours online. As far as I have seen there is not a "thou shalt be at this project" type of requirement, just that we have to provide volunteer hours and we have to take CEU's (though I admit I do not know what CEU's other than their own that they would accept, I'll have to look in to that).
I am a horticulture major and considering dropping out and just taking a master gardener class. My end goal is just to have my own business growing plants. Do you think enough is learned through the course to achieve that goal?
Master Gardeners aren't supposed to use the title to earn money. Master Gardeners are volunteers that relay up to date university level information to farmers, homeowners, kids/ schools, groups- FOR FREE
im a science major, and now a permaculture junkie. I honestly learned more through permaculture then I did in a "paid for" classroom. hope it all works out either way my friend. thx for the info and clarification. your video has motivated me to NOT take our local Master Gardener program. Thanks
In my experience the master gardeners don’t know as much as I do. And when ai do ask questions they don’t know that either. They push petro chemicals too much. You say neutrality, but nobody knows much about chemical free anymore. So, Ive thought about doing it as well but I don’t have MORE time to volunteer.
Can someone take this coarse online, there are so many set backs with the Coronavirus virus but this would be something great to do while we have to stay home I must say thank goodness for my gardens ,especially at this time
matt fantley, I have an excellent community garden for that type of learning, but no, this class does not actually put your hands in the dirt, though a few of the professors have expressed their dismay with that.
I think the internet kind of makes programs like that obsolete. When I have a question I google it and get all kinds of answers, not just the ones taught by universities. I also think a homesteader is someone who should experiment and not listen to experts. That's really the fun of it. I had someone tell me a while back I couldn't plant potatoes with broccoli because one loves acid the other likes base. So, I'll find out. I've got some ideas for a modified 3 sister garden and I don't really want to hear what an expert thinks about it. I want to see the results myself. We've really seen the results of colleges and gardening. They managed to tell you about a balanced approach? How long did that take when almost everyone is growing organically? How about water conservation? Do they even understand how important it is? They're always behind the times catching up to the people who are actually dealing with the real problems.
fire7side, I think you might be skipping over a few things here. First, hardly everyone is not growing organically. It may feel that way because the majority of your (and my) friends are growing organically, but that isn't so. Since there are still a large amount of people who need to learn about natural growing, water conservation and the like, it makes sense to me to be informed about their methods of growing so that I can competently explain to them "I know you grow like this because ... but I think you'll find more success in growing in this way because ..."
I'm probably a little too negative because I've haven't had much benefit from the educational system. Frankly, I think they've become more of a ripoff than anything, but I basically feel that way about the medical profession also. They're better at hiding information that can keep them from making a profit than anything. For instance, I use an herb called oil of oregano for brushing my teeth and haven't been to a dentist in 12 years with no problems at all. Most tooth paste actually has sugar in it. Doctors are more interested in pushing drugs and needless operations than helping people. Normally, when someone tells me they have a degree in something, to me it's time to change the channel, because it's someone who has lost the ability to think and is stuck in a rut trying to protect his job. I'm not saying that's you. I just think that direct experimentation and reading as many sources as possible is the better path.
This was incredibly helpful as someone who has been curious about becoming a Master Gardener! Turns out, it's not what I was looking for. You saved me a lot of time.
as a Master Gardener myself, I challenge fire7side to get all the information on Google that I have on entomology, botany, taxonomy, soil, propagation, etc. etc.while attending the actual classes. I really enjoy informing the public and helping them when they ask for information and, by the way, Master Gardeners do not charge anyone a cent to their work.
I have loved growing things for most of my life. A few years ago I applied for and was accepted into the Master Gardener Program of Santa Clara County, CA. As a MG, there are regular opportunities to attend lectures by UC profs and other experts -- for free! We volunteer for at least 25 hours per year in demonstration gardens scattered around the county, give gardening talks in local libraries, make presentations to corporations' employees, set up information tables at festivals and fairs, we even produce video lessons about many different gardening topics. Being a Master Gardener is very rewarding. Congratulations to you for "making the cut"!
I know this was posted nine years ago. I am a master gardener and you are so right when you say that we are not supposed to push our opinions about gardening on others. If someone asks about any topic we give both the pros and cons e.g., synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, tilling etc. Our comments have to be based on scientific information not our bias or personal opinion.
Im always impressed by how well spoken and articulate you are. Keep up the good work.
ulmbrandon, too kind, thank you.
Great info! I've been thinking about joining a garden club and was wondering about being a Master Gardener. Thanks for the info!!
I am eager to hear about what you're learning. I'll look forward to those series of videos. As a fairly new gardener myself, you have encouraged me to check into our country extension office and see what programs they have to offer.
Grace Hollow Rabbitry and Homestead, I hope you find something useful there :-)
thanks for your take on the program. i am in week 6 of the UC Davis Ventura County MG (southern California) class of 2016.
I hope you enjoy your class and get a lot out of it! Thanks for watching!
Kudos to you Jared. I'm still very interested in enrolling into the Master Gardner program here in South Florida, but I just don't have the available time to make it happen due to my "weird" work schedule. Oh well... guess I'll have to wait until I can actually retire. LOL. Looking forward to your next upload
Tim Huffman, one day - one day!
People are thinking that learning about something is a bad thing. The more you know about any type of gardening, the better off you are, regardless of weather or not you believe in using it or not. #KnowledgeIsPower
Samy Ismael, agreed. You cannot competently speak with someone who disagrees with you and persuade their opinion unless you also understand why they believe the way they do.
Thank you for that info. I have been interested in taking a MG course for a couple years now and currently looking through information at our local extension.
Great video, I like your explanations of the program, they are spot on. I am surprised that your county only has a small class. I am also surprised by the actual class time. Is there course work required outside of class like webinars or reading/research assignments? Do you have to sign up for an intern project as part of your volunteer hours?
Thank you again for all of your hard work, Ed
Ed Smith, not for completing this part of the course but for completing the required hours later, yes. We have to either fill out a sheet or report our hours online. As far as I have seen there is not a "thou shalt be at this project" type of requirement, just that we have to provide volunteer hours and we have to take CEU's (though I admit I do not know what CEU's other than their own that they would accept, I'll have to look in to that).
I am a horticulture major and considering dropping out and just taking a master gardener class. My end goal is just to have my own business growing plants. Do you think enough is learned through the course to achieve that goal?
What did u end up doing?
Master Gardeners aren't supposed to use the title to earn money. Master Gardeners are volunteers that relay up to date university level information to farmers, homeowners, kids/ schools, groups- FOR FREE
@@kawaiisenshi2401 I’m still in school. But graduating soon
im a science major, and now a permaculture junkie. I honestly learned more through permaculture then I did in a "paid for" classroom. hope it all works out either way my friend. thx for the info and clarification. your video has motivated me to NOT take our local Master Gardener program. Thanks
Permaculture Prepper, hey, if it saved you time and money then it's a win for me :-)
In my experience the master gardeners don’t know as much as I do. And when ai do ask questions they don’t know that either. They push petro chemicals too much. You say neutrality, but nobody knows much about chemical free anymore.
So, Ive thought about doing it as well but I don’t have MORE time to volunteer.
Can someone take this coarse online, there are so many set backs with the Coronavirus virus but this would be something great to do while we have to stay home I must say thank goodness for my gardens ,especially at this time
Nice Review! Thanks!
but how about hands on gardening?
matt fantley, I have an excellent community garden for that type of learning, but no, this class does not actually put your hands in the dirt, though a few of the professors have expressed their dismay with that.
Great explanation Jared.
Whit
Whitshobbyhomestead, thank you kindly.
I think the internet kind of makes programs like that obsolete. When I have a question I google it and get all kinds of answers, not just the ones taught by universities. I also think a homesteader is someone who should experiment and not listen to experts. That's really the fun of it. I had someone tell me a while back I couldn't plant potatoes with broccoli because one loves acid the other likes base. So, I'll find out. I've got some ideas for a modified 3 sister garden and I don't really want to hear what an expert thinks about it. I want to see the results myself. We've really seen the results of colleges and gardening. They managed to tell you about a balanced approach? How long did that take when almost everyone is growing organically? How about water conservation? Do they even understand how important it is? They're always behind the times catching up to the people who are actually dealing with the real problems.
fire7side, I think you might be skipping over a few things here. First, hardly everyone is not growing organically. It may feel that way because the majority of your (and my) friends are growing organically, but that isn't so.
Since there are still a large amount of people who need to learn about natural growing, water conservation and the like, it makes sense to me to be informed about their methods of growing so that I can competently explain to them "I know you grow like this because ... but I think you'll find more success in growing in this way because ..."
I'm probably a little too negative because I've haven't had much benefit from the educational system. Frankly, I think they've become more of a ripoff than anything, but I basically feel that way about the medical profession also. They're better at hiding information that can keep them from making a profit than anything. For instance, I use an herb called oil of oregano for brushing my teeth and haven't been to a dentist in 12 years with no problems at all. Most tooth paste actually has sugar in it. Doctors are more interested in pushing drugs and needless operations than helping people. Normally, when someone tells me they have a degree in something, to me it's time to change the channel, because it's someone who has lost the ability to think and is stuck in a rut trying to protect his job. I'm not saying that's you. I just think that direct experimentation and reading as many sources as possible is the better path.
the government has no business in a lot of things ... gardening being one of them