Training to be a Master Gardener Volunteer includes months of study

You can’t wait to smell newly mowed grass again — to get your fingers in the dirt. You’ve already ordered onion sets and flower seeds. You’ve been thinking about how to update the front-yard landscaping for weeks now.

If “outside” is your favorite place to be, your love of gardening can become an ideal volunteer option for retirement. Beautify your community, help low-income individuals raise and choose healthy foods, and share the latest growing practices.

Become a Master Gardener Volunteer.

Ohio State University Extension, which brings area youth 4-H programs, assists farmers with all aspects of growing. But did you know your county Extension Office also has a wealth of information for suburban and urban gardeners — free of charge? Part of that outreach is the Master Gardener Volunteer program.

Currently there are about 3,700 Master Gardener Volunteers in 67 counties, says Pam Bennett, statewide MGV program director and a Clark County horticulture educator. The average age of volunteers is 70.

“So many studies shows that as we age it’s important to be social, to get out of the house. Our program is very geared to that. And to continued lifelong learning,” she said.

All volunteers accepted into the program go through rigorous training. In addition to basic topics such as soil types, fertilizer and compost, trainees also study lawn care; home herb, vegetable and fruit production; backyard wildlife management, pollinators and other topics of county interest.

Each area Extension Office works closely with county officials to customize their MGV training and projects to reflect county needs, said Bennett, so each county’s MGV program is a little different.

Volunteers training in Montgomery County, for example, complete their course online as well as in classrooms. Leeoria Willis, the agricultural and natural resources educator who manages the program, says students have up to 18 months to finish the online coursework.

Most finish in 3 to 6 months.

Willis said she invites students to participate in county MGV projects and meetings immediately so they can “see where they fit in best” and to begin logging volunteer hours. Volunteers must also complete 50 volunteer hours to receive their MGV certification

“Currently we have 117 Master Gardeners,” Willis noted, adding about half are retirement age. “We even have people with disabilities. We need people who can help with planning and (continuing) education. There’s a home for everyone.”

The Montgomery County MGV program completes about 25 projects each year. Willis said they partner closely with Five Rivers MetroParks as well as Carillon Historical Park where they helped plan the kitchen garden.

Volunteers also help maintain the Grotto Gardens at the Dayton VA Medical Center and volunteer at the Unity Garden in the Riverdale neighborhood. Street median and roadside floral displays in Washington Township are planted by Montgomery County volunteers.

But Master Gardeners are much more than dirt diggers. Willis noted that volunteers take their knowledge to home gardeners through speakers’ bureaus, workshops and events. Some MGV web pages and Facebook pages proudly proclaim “Leaders not weeders.”

In Warren County, Greg Meyer, an agricultural and natural resources educator for 31 years, noted county MGV volunteers have developed educational brochures on local plants and have an active speakers’ bureau. “This area is rich in horticulture.”

He admits COVID-19 pandemic closures shrunk his volunteer base to about 34, so Warren County is looking for new volunteers to assist with projects such as planning and maintaining the historic gardens at Fort Ancient. At the Family Promise shelter, volunteers set up raised beds and help develop gardens each year.

In Warren County, the MVP training course is totally online. Meyer said residents can apply at any time and the course, housed at OSU, is self-guided but must be completed in 12 months.

“I’ve had people finish in four weeks,” he added. Once certified, new volunteers join the monthly meetings—Zoom as well as in person. Plus the group has three to four social events a year.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Find application and class details on your county’s Master Garden Volunteer web page. You can link to the page from your county’s Extension Office site. Just enter your county followed by osu.edu, for example, greene.osu.edu.

Application and class timing varies by county. While Warren County residents can complete the course any time, Miami, Greene and Montgomery counties process applications in the fall and train volunteers each winter. Class size is limited.

“I already have four on the waiting list,” said Willis about next year’s class.

Apply online. Chosen applicants have a face-to-face interview with county program coordinators. And because volunteer work takes place in public areas, applicants must complete a background check.

The one-time course costs also range by county from $150 to $200. (Background check costs are additional.) Students must also commit to 50 hours of hands-on volunteer time. After certification, annual fees are $20 plus 20 hours of volunteer time.

And because the MGV program is nationwide, once certified, master gardeners can volunteer in other states.

“Take your certification and go to Florida for the winter,” said Willis.

SEASONAL NEEDS

Garden centers at chains such as Meijer’s, Lowe’s and Home Depot are hiring. March is also hiring time for local garden centers. Senior citizens are welcome to apply.

“We have all sorts of opportunities,” said Laurie Fanning, retail manager at Siebenthaler’s. “Inside and outside.”

In addition to cashier slots, Fanning said they employ seniors for everything from unloading trucks to watering plants, not only in greenhouses but in tree and shrub care.

Gardening experience is a plus, but it isn’t the most important thing, Fanning emphasized.

“You have to like people and helping people,” she said. “We can teach them the other tasks. We hire more on personality.”

Andy’s Garden in Troy and Knollwood Garden Center and Landscaping in Beavercreek are also actively interviewing seasonal workers.

Applications are available on the centers’ websites.

OSU EXTENSION OFFICES

Butler County: 1802 Princeton Road, Suite 400, Hamilton. (513) 887-3722

Champaign County: 1512 South U.S. 68, Suite B100, Urbana. (937) 484-1526

Clark County: 3130 E. Main St., Springfield. (937) 398-7600

Darke County: 603 Wagner Ave., Greenville; (937) 548-5215

Greene County: 100 Fairground Road, Xenia; (937) 372-9971

Miami County: 510 W. Water St., Suite 250, 2nd floor, Troy; (937) 440-3945

Montgomery County: 580 Calumet Lane, Dayton. (937) 224-9654