Master Gardener Hybrid Training Fall of 2024 Interest List
How to become a Master Gardener
Master Gardeners are members of the local community who are interested in gardening and the environment. They participate in an extensive training program and commit to completing a certain number of volunteer hours on horticulture-related community projects each year. They are organized by their local county Extension unit.
This training is for volunteers of Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Stark counties program.
The cost for the training is $225 and includes a comprehensive horticulture textbook.
In this flipped classroom style training, trainees have at least 4 hours of independent study to do prior to the weekly session. This includes the quiz. During Tuesday sessions, trainees participate in a live webinar presented by Extension Educators. Then trainees work in small groups within the unit to discuss case studies and hands-on activities
2024 Fall Hybrid Training
- Tuesdays, Mid -September until November for 12 weeks
- Live Zoom sessions with some in-person sessions at the Extension Unit office located at 321-2nd Ave West Milan, IL
Daily Schedule
- 9:00 to 10:30 am- Question and Answer session with Educators
- 10:45 to Noon Work together in groups on case study questions and complete hands-on activities
Topics by week (order may vary)
- Welcome and Introduction to Master Gardener Training
- Botany
- Soils
- Insects
- Diseases
- Annuals and Perennials
- Lawns
- Fruits
- Trees and Shrubs
- Vegetables
- IPM
Each training topic will include an online quiz in Moodle. The final exam will also be online in Moodle. The Moodle software will grade the quizzes and the exam.
Master Gardener volunteers work on behalf of and under the supervision of University of Illinois Extension. The volunteer work is conducted in the local Extension unit and throughout the community on various projects involving parks, schools, gardening, or other city agencies.
Certified Master Gardeners are those who have completed their training and internship.
To remain active, certified Master Gardeners must complete 20 hours of volunteer service and 10 hours of educational training yearly. These are reported on line and recorded by University of Illinois Extension.
Complete this registration to be added to list of interested students.