Becoming a Master Gardener
Do you have a green thumb? Do you enjoy digging in the dirt? Have you just moved to the area and want to learn about the specifics of Central Virginia gardening? Are you interested in learning how to care for your landscape or grow your own vegetables?
If so, then you might be interested in becoming a Virginia Master Gardener!
Become a Master Gardener
Membership in the Hill City Master Gardener Association begins with a comprehensive course of training developed by Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia Tech. The training includes presentations by field experts along with hands-on activities.
Our next Training Class will be in 2025. Typically, classes start in February,
with class sessions scheduled on Mondays and Thursdays 9am to 12pm.
Our admissions space is limited. In the event the class fills prior to application deadline, we will be happy to add your name to our wait-list. Applications for the 2025 training class are now available.
The Hill City Master Gardener Association Needs You!
- Become a volunteer educator associate with the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service.
- Provide gardening information to our community (Lynchburg City, Amherst and Campbell Counties).
- Help local citizens and their children learn about gardening, nutritious foods, and the natural world.
You Need the Hill City Master Gardener Association!
- Become educated on all aspects of gardening through 50 hours of classes taught by experts in the field.
- Enjoy membership in a vibrant community service organization that is part of a national group of distinguished volunteers recognized for their knowledge, skills, and for the significant work done to improve their communities through horticulture.
- Improve your health through the many benefits of gardening.
Class of 2025 Dates:
| January 17 (5 pm) – Application Due Date January 31 – Payment Due Date (On or Before) |
February 6 – Class Orientation February 10 – First Day of Classes April 9 – Graduation |
We are taking applications for the 2025 Training classes. Orientation for our next classes will begin February 6, 2025. Classes are typically held on Monday and Thursday mornings from 9am to noon. Graduation will take place on Wednesday, April 9th.
After reading the following Application Instructions, click the link below or scan the QR code to access the online Master Gardener Application.
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http://bttr.im/ahv4m |
Our admissions space is limited. In the event the class fills prior to application deadline, we will be happy to add your name to our wait-list for 2025 classes.
- Read all of the information on this webpage: “Become a Master Gardener”
- By clicking on the link provided, or scanning the QR code, you will be directed to My Impact/Better Impact system to fill out your application.
- Start by filling in your information on the left side of the page if you are new to Better Impact. You will create your own Username and password. Please remember your log in information. If accepted, you will need this in the future.
- Please fill in your information. The fields marked with a flag are required fields. Click Save and Continue.
- Note: For Date of Birth: Do not use calendar. Type in mm/dd/yyyy.
- Click SUBMIT once you have completed the application.
- Ask two people (friends, coworkers, etc. Do NOT use family members as a reference). Reference names will be listed on your application.
- The cost of the course is $175. In addition to the classes, this includes a digital copy of the Master Gardener Handbook and a digital copy of the Pest Management Guide (PMG), and the cost of the required background check (many of our service activities involve school-age children). (Background check: $12.50 – this is not refundable). A printed version of the handbook is available online at Amazon or other sites.
- Payment for HCMGA Master Gardener Training Classes should be mailed to HCMGA, PO Box 2275, Lynchburg, VA 24505. Make checks payable to HCMGA.
- You should receive an email verifying that your application has been submitted.
- NOTE: Application submission and payment do NOT guarantee acceptance. Once your application has been reviewed, a background check will be done and references will be contacted. You will be notified once you have been accepted.
- If you have any questions, please email Kathy Carpenter at kathy.carpenter28@icloud.com
- As listed above, the deadline for application submission is January 17, 2025 and payment receipt deadline is January 31, 2025.
Who Are Master Gardeners? What Do They Do?
Master Gardeners (MGs) are volunteer educators working with Cooperative Extension Services all over the USA. In Virginia, 50 clock hours of instruction on all facets of gardening are required. After passing an exam, MGs assist the extension agent mainly by providing information and education to the public. To become full-fledged MGs, new volunteers contribute 50 approved volunteer hours during their first year following graduation from classes. Maintaining MG status then requires a minimum of 20 hours of service and 8 hours of continuing education each year.
The mission of the Virginia MG program is “Sharing Knowledge. Empowering Communities.” They adhere to three core values: respect for the environment, each other, and those we serve; accountability for wise stewardship of resources to our organization, our community, and each other; and collaboration as we willingly work with a diverse group to reach a common goal and as we actively seek out partners. The Hill City Master Gardener Association (HCMGA) is a vibrant organization that works to bring these values alive through the following programs.
For Adults
The Davis Instructional Garden: Since 2015 the Davis Instructional Garden at Humankind has served as a community outreach program and a volunteer venue for HCMGA members. In the 30,000 sq foot garden there are 18 plots leased to community members to grow their own produce and 9 demonstration plots staffed by Master Gardeners. These plots are for vegetables as well as annual, perennial, and native plants and last year yielded 1500 lbs. of produce donated to various food banks. A 600 sq. foot educational pavilion was erected in 2022 to serve as a site for seasonal educational programs to promote safe and sustainable horticultural practices.
Compost Center at Old City Cemetery: HCMGA will be staffing the Compost Education Center in The Old City Cemetery on Saturdays to demonstrate and answer composting questions. We’ll be there from 11 a.m. to 12 noon each Saturday as weather permits and other times and days by appointment. Our aim is to demonstrate how homeowners can create inexpensive, non-smelly, and presentable sites that will corral yard and kitchen wastes and will not offend the neighbors or attract vermin. This is an opportunity to learn a simple method that cuts waste, harnesses renewable nutrients for the yard and garden, and helps the city and the planet.
Help desks were likely one of the first ways in which MGs provided service to the public. At the Lynchburg Community Market and at the VCE office, volunteers are available to answer questions or find resources for community members during the growing season. HCMGA’s Speaker’s Bureau made 48 presentations in our area in 2018 and reached an audience of 882 people. A variety of topics are available.
A group of volunteers visits an Amherst County nursing home monthly to arrange and discuss flowers. Seeing and smelling the flowers brings residents memories of their own gardens. The home visit team helps answer questions and gives guidance on solving problems. If you are wondering about good place to plant a tree or why the grass won’t grow, a home visit can be arranged.
At Jefferson’s Lynchburg retreat, Poplar Forest Interpretive Garden shows a sampling of some of the common vegetables and herbs of that era. It is open to the public during the growing season. Working with garden clubs, scouts, and others, HCMGA is spearheading the Amherst Depot Pollinator Garden at the Amherst Visitors’ Center.
In Our Local Schools
In Lynchburg, fourth graders at five elementary schools participate in three programs each year. With emphasis on skills required for Science Standards of Learning, the programs center on soils, house plants, and growing annual plants. At the house plants program, each student pots and takes home a spider plant to grow.
Project Learning Tree provides seven monthly programs on such topics as “Water Wonders”, “Every Tree for Itself’, and “Earth Manners.” It brings excitement to third graders at Amherst County elementary schools. Students learn about their environment and the importance of caring for it.
MGs at Bedford Hills Elementary School support a program that begins with kindergarten classes planting sunflowers and morning glories, first grade growing zinnias, and second grade planting and eating salad in the spring and corn, lima beans, and pumpkins in the fall. At Amherst County HS, MGs work with Environmental Science classes to study and maintain school gardens.
Summer Vegetable Gardens
Called “summer” gardens, the activities begin in early spring at Boys & Girls Club, Jubilee Family Center, and DePaul Community Resources. They begin with early crops (potatoes, onions, lettuce, and radishes). Summer crops (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, melons, etc.) go into the ground when soil has warmed. At most gardens, some produce is cooked and sampled after harvesting while the remainder is sent home.
Other Activities
The Cooperative Extension office also requests help from MG for special projects. Among these are Reality Store projects at local high schools, the “Grow and Give” garden sponsored by Churches for Urban Ministry, providing assistance and direction at Lynchburg Parks & Rec‘s gardens, and judging Science Fair projects.
Master Gardeners are members of the community who take an active interest in gardening; they are enthusiastic, willing to learn and to help others. In addition, they communicate with diverse groups of people.
What really sets Master Gardeners apart from other home gardeners is their special training in horticulture. Master Gardeners contribute their time as volunteers, working through their local Extension office, to provide horticultural-related information to their community.
The Hill City Master Gardener program is open to individuals interested in becoming volunteers and sharing gardening knowledge with the public. Applicants are considered regardless of gardening experience.
Training
Applicants receive 50 hours of Classroom training organized by the Hill City Master Gardener Association. Virginia Extension Service specialists, agents, or local experts provide instruction. The class meets Monday and Thursday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to noon each week for nine weeks from early February through early April. Classes will be held at the Campbell County Virginia Cooperative Extension Office, 163 Kabler Lane, Rustburg, VA.
In exchange for the education and certification, the Virginia Master Gardeners are required to volunteer a minimum of 50 approved hours in the first year. In addition, Master Gardeners must complete a minimum of 20 approved volunteer hours and eight hours of continuing education each subsequent year to maintain their certification.
Training topics include:
Basic Botany
Soils, Composting
Plant Propagation
Basic Entomology/Insects
Pesticides/Pesticide Safety
Selection, Use & Care of Woody Plants, Perennials, and Annuals
Fruits & Vegetables in the Home Garden
Plant Diseases
Fertilizers & Wildlife Control
Water Quality
Lawn & Weeds
Landscaping
Pruning
Certification
Participants become certified Virginia Master Gardeners after they have completed the training course and fulfilled their first-year volunteer commitment.
Is the Virginia Master Gardener Program for me?
Do I want to learn more about the culture and maintenance of plants in Central Virginia?
Am I eager to participate in a practical and intense training program?
Do I look forward to sharing my knowledge with people in my community?
Do I have enough time to attend training and to complete the volunteer service?
Community Outreach Projects
Master Gardeners choose from various community outreach programs in which to participate. Community outreach projects include:
School gardens
Community and demonstration gardens
Help desk office hotline for horticultural questions
Home visits for on-site diagnosis and advice
Community Market help desk
Disadvantaged children’s activity center gardens
Speaker’s bureau for local organizations and events
Annual sale of Master Gardener-grown plants and education seminars
