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Becoming A Master Gardener

Becoming a Tulsa County Master Gardener begins by your wishing to be a gardening community volunteer by training, serving and teaching in the subject. You do not have to be an advanced gardener to enter the program that is why training classes are offered. The next step is to attend an Orientation Meeting. This meeting is in August before the annual fall classes, and you must attend one of the two being presented. The Master Gardener Coordinator and others will present explanations of the education program expectations and details including types of classes, amount of homework, test procedures, costs and answer questions. Types of volunteer work required following the education, during the Internship is outlined, as are the continuing volunteer and continuing education hours required to retain active MG status. Finally, those applying must schedule a personal interview which is part of being accepted into the program. Watch for the Orientation information on our website Tulsa Master Gardeners, email us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org, or call our Master Gardener office at 918- 746-3701. If you are not a Tulsa County resident, MG programs are county by county activities, click on County MG Programs to see if your county has a program, and if not, call a neighboring county to see if they will accept your admission. Welcome.

Interview

The purpose of the personal interview is to determine if the applicant will make an energetic Master Gardener, anxious and eager to work with Master Gardeners, staff, and the extension service's constituency. During the interview the applicant is reminded that they are required to volunteer for a year, after their training, to become certified

Classwork and Testing

The accepted applicants are asked to pay a fee to cover the educational materials. The classes begin in early September, on Wednesdays, at 9 a.m. at the Tulsa Extension Center, and end about 3 p.m. There is a break at Thanksgiving, with the program ending in early December. There are mid morning, lunch, and mid afternoon breaks. Homework includes a take home test over the current week's reading assignments for the next lecture. About 4 hours reading is the average for each class. A first item at the class, is a test over what was covered in the previous week's lecture. All Master Gardeners have their own opinion as to what was the hardest, but certainly biology and pathology ranks high on everyone's toughest list. Being able to correctly identify plant elements and to recognize insect and disease damage is necessary for all Master Gardeners.

Campus Visit

A welcome break in the lectures and testing, is a trip to OSU's Stillwater campus including visits to Oklahoma Botanical Garden & Arboretum, the turf and nursery research centers, and Oklahoma Gardening TV studio gardens. Students tour the gardens and research centers, led by the directors of the centers and the hosts of Oklahoma Gardening. On campus, the students visit the entomology department and the biology departments. In each department, the students are tested on their knowledge, but in a friendly, informative way.

Final Testing

The last week is devoted to final testing (ironic, isn't it?). While most everyone survives the test, nobody will tell you it's easy. A real effort is made to insure that the students obtained information they'll need to know when they start answering the phones and giving presentations. Wearing a Master Gardener shirt is a guarantee that you'll be asked a gardening question, no matter where you are - - Wal-Mart, the restroom, Church or a sporting event.

Internship

When the students pass the final test, they become Interns. The Interns are asked to work for a year, under the mentoring of certified Master Gardeners. During this year, the Interns are required to answer the help line phones several mornings or afternoons, participate in school programs, and are encouraged to volunteer for the other committees that interest them. Any Intern that doesn't complete their year's Internship, will not be certified as a Master Gardener. It's exciting to watch many of these Interns volunteer for leadership roles, while they figure out what they enjoy doing.