I've looked into becoming a Master Gardener. First they said I had to take a paid course like you said. I thought okay fine whatever that's a very short course. Compared to my gardening experience about 1980. And then if you don't do your community service you lose the title. What? Community service?! I didn't do anything wrong community service. Still they don't call it the gardener education program, they call it the Master Gardener program there's got to be something to it to have such a title right!? So I went to RU-vid and found some Master Gardeners doing basically review of what they learned in the course, it wasn't the exact course of course but it was an overview and a step by step of the things you will learn. I have seen enough nope not going to happen. Seems to me your paying to become a slave. You have to pay for the course that you then go out and teach for free as your community service. Yeah no! At first I thought I want to be the one that gets paid to teach the course. Then I thought no actually I don't want anything to do with the program at all. Pay me to teach you something that you're then required to teach for free, no that doesn't sit with my morals.
Exactly! they don't tell you that before you pay to take the course! Community service for the time you hold the title- free labour- slave. I joined the friends of master gardeners and it was free. flower sales, different guests, and had to pay for lectures- bunch of rich people making you do the hard labour, Naw!
@@lovenotes5299 I just don't see anything about it that you can't find elsewhere, and for free no less. Take his two examples not everybody knows. Okay I agree if you're not into gardening you might not know what fish emulsion is. A lot of people do but not everybody. And the second one same thing. This time I didn't know, and I don't remember the name now because I've got no interest but it took less than a minute of research to realize it's just another plant.
When I was asked to join it was over 10 yrs ago, where I live we didn't have service at the house for internet. But it just seemed like it botany to me
In my county, we plant up local county parks, libraries, and rec centers as our community service. I think it's a lovely way to give back to the community.
Took the class in 2002. I enjoyed the class and learned a lot. I was the fastest in the class to reach 40 volunteer hours, 90 and 250 all in my first year. I did while just having our son plus owning my own business. Thought i did a lot of good for the Master Gardner program. My construction company built many things for the program. Two years later I fell off a roof and had a bad fall from a roof of a house. that year I had three surgeries to my left leg. I wasn’t able to do any volunteer work for the program and was dropped from the program. The next year i went into the office and talked with the new director. She wouldn’t let me back in the program became she said i didn't get my required hours in. I told her i got more hours in my first year than many people received over many years. told the director i would never volunteer another hour to the program.
Hi Brokefarmer I volunteered at the Saginaw Children’s Zoo for seven years planting flowers and maintaining them by watering and weeding. I learned from the Master Garden’s that were over the program there. A great experience. Here in Michigan some of the classes at our SVS Extension classes are free, but the Master Gardner class is not free. Yes it’s about making a buck then helping our community. Thanks for sharing your opinions Brokefarmer. Happy Thanksgiving Day to you and your family! Blessings ❤
I really enjoyed your take on this course. I share a lot of the same views on what you said about it. I also noticed that it's mostly seniors and retirees partaking in becoming a master gardener and socializing.
I was reccommended to take it from a master gardener who did it for 40 yrs .Paying to take the course and then doing all these hours of volunteering free labor . Most of it was working in others land and flowers. You have to keep volunteering every year and doing the amount of hours to keep that status. Most in the south where i'm at is all about flowers and non-edibles. Program was not for me, a lot of rich people retired and wanted the title
Best teacher in the garden is trial and error. even in the same town soil and microclimates can differ. Courses are still good to learn and meet others though. Much blessings :)
BROKE, YOUR SPOT ON, I HAVE BEEN A MASTER GARDENER GRAD SINCE 1982... AND IT WAS THE SAME THEN.. GREAT SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND THE MATERIAL'S ARE WELL WRITTEN. I DID SEVERAL VOLUNTEER HOURS AT FIRST.. BUT.. YOUR correct, it was more based on the retired and elderly folks that had they're days free.. when others, like myself, had JOBS! I enjoyed the classes, an encourage anyone with horticultural interest take the course.. Note to MG's Organization, a periodical update of material, an alot more hands on workshops, would be beneficial.
I went to a local garden group and I was the youngest person in there. I was in my early 40’s then. It was all about flowers and it seemed to be people who wanted to have tours of their flower gardens in the summer. But they made me feel so uncomfortable. From the speaker on down. I left and never returned.
Peace bro! You know, I’m glad you did this one. I actually went back and forth with myself about taking the course for a while, but one of the things that always rubbed me wrong about it was some of the people that come out of the courses. I don’t like how a lot of them will refer to themselves as Master gardeners, just so that they can act like their way was THE way because they were “Master gardeners”. And some people don’t know that those courses are localized. I still may do it though. I’m weighing it.
Thanks for sharing your honest opinion. I had planned to look into it in my area. I’ll be prepared now, for what may happen if I do decide to take the class.
Hey Broke! I need a class in how to grow fruit that ends with the word berries😄, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries 😄 I also agree with you on paying for the master class, and then doing community services in order to receive the master's certificate. Thanks for sharing! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!🦃🍗
Thank you! Like you said, they presented things to you that you’d never thought of, so I’m sure just the new knowledge would be worth it. And the possibility of meeting a new gardening friend or two 👍🏽
Hey, Cousin! I went through the same course you did a few years ago. I was blessed to have several in my age group, however, I still interacted with a few of the older Master Gardeners. I was grateful for the knowledge and experience, but unfortunately, I was not in a position to achieve the hours and cultivate the relationships initiated. It all worked out because my gardening philosophy differs from what was taught in the course. I learned by watching Uncle and Auntie Lead, Auntie Cheryl, and Homestead Heart, which lead me into the broader community, including YOU.😁 As you mentioned, it's not for everyone. It was an amazing experience for that particular season in my life.
Hi cousin Great video Thank you for sharing! Anybody who loves to garden is working on being a master gardener.. as long as you're learning and sharing your expertise you have made yourself a Master Gardener.. a title no one can take from you! I myself will continue to enjoy sharing my knowledge of gardening and giving extra starts away and potatoes and miscellaneous seeds that I've saved over the years so other people can enjoy the fruits of their labor! Many blessings to you and all those out there who are gardeners You make the world a better place!
Crazy how many people seem to have an issue with community service that isn’t court ordered- genuinely a disappointing thing to see, I happen to like connecting with the people and letting them know what’s possible
The issue is just the cost associated with it. I've volunteered at my local library garden, I've pruned people's trees and helped clean up yards in my neighborhood, I've been dedicating a lot of time over at a friend's place who has acres of severely neglected pastures and property...point being, I love helping out the community but I'm not about to pay anyone just to be able do the free work.
You are 100% right ! Its all about the money and taking advantage of people BROKE FARMER its just like people paying for all these useless degrees ! I have found plenty of programs in growing food etc for free ! People will unfortunately pay for a stupid title !
Speaking from my experience, I've been a MG since 2004. Here it's more about volunteering your time and contributing 40 hrs to your assigned project. I have found them to be racist and clichest. We actually have more blk MG then we've ever had since I've been one. I wanted to try being a project chair on my project ( greenhouse). I was told I couldn't because I was on probation. (WTF), This is volunteering my time. I haven't gotten around to it yet but I will be reporting this to the chancellor of the University. When I wanted to take on the position, our racist leader called me so fast, my head is still spinning. The program isn't what it used to be. Politics and ass kissing has taken over. They want to keep all the chair and co-chairs white. I stay only to get my lifetime statice. So I would say NO, not worth it.
Thank you.....I have had much of the same experiences; mostly Positive. Now, we are expected to take a 3 and 1/2 hour online course AFTER PASSING the State Certified Background Check.....time consuming 'Extra' by the "Self-Appointed" POWERS in Texas. Not sure I can take part with this.
Very informative and perspective on the Master Gardeners class. We were thinking about taking it this year but with the new job schedule I couldn't enroll into it. Hopefully, next year.
Happy Thanksgiving Broke. I'm glad you spent your hard earned money on the class and became a master. Now we can just watch your videos and sit in on your lives and soak up all that Master gardener info for the FREE FREE lol. 🤣 I learned that from you. "I'm just saying"... jk.... Great video Bro and congratulations on the accomplishment. It always good to have more tools than you need in the box. It will serve you well.
I'm a master gardener. Like you say the amount of professional/scientific information that is taught is amazing. You are taught by people who are professionals. If you pay for a program that means you are interested and will probably stick with it. If it were free more than likely people would see what it is like and maybe stick with it or drop out. Paying a fee means you are definitely interested and will stick with it because you want to get what you paid for. There are a lot of older people in the program because they have the time to commit. I would like to see more younger people in the program but they work and have families. I could not join the program when I was working, I did not have the time. In the program that I am in we have to get eight hours of continuing education hours each year and volunteer twenty hours, which is no big deal. There should be some type of minimum hours required each year. There are more than 100 people in the program I am in and it is not enough. My program trains 15 people each year. The goal of the program is for us to help educate people with their gardening questions for free. I wish there were some type of travel reimbursement. I drove hundreds of miles last year going to various events.
I was interviewed by a couple of bougie, mean-girl-type women. Based on their facial expression and body language, they were repulsed by my appearance. I forgot to wear my pearls and tiara. 😀 It was a weird interview. Of course, I was not accepted. I was interested in food desert volunteering opportunities. Apparently, my local MG group doesn't do that. I deleted all correspondence and unsubbed from their email.
I wondered about just taking the class for the knowledge but not doing the volunteer hours for the certification. Some people do it for the title. I would just do it just to learn about how to be a better gardener. I wonder if they would frown on someone like me just wanting the experience?
I hear everything your saying. I’m just considering taking this course in nys and knowing very little I imagine you are right on. The courses should be subsidized and free to people willing to volunteer and work for free. As far as the older demographic, that’s prob widespread. The only reason I’m considering this is cause I’m thinking of retiring. That’s the only way I’d have time but not sure if will have the $. Lol. And if u was in my class, I’m 64, I would have wanted to talk to u cause I like younger people. But I see, here in NY, all the Master gardeners I’ve met are older white ladies, a very nice crew, not pretentious in dress or manner but definitely the going to bed at 9 crew and wrinkly. Nothing wrong w that, I’m there too, but I like variety in my friendships. Just saying. Thank u for posting.
honestly, I've never joined my local horticultural club because they're very snooty and clique-ish. Hopefully, the cost was low enough, and just covered materials.
I totally feel like I was looked down on for being 'young'. no one gave me a chance, so I was like meh. Even though I usually get along really well with older people. it's a shame.
Yeah, but they take it to a whole another level- you have to do those community hours every year til you die ,just to keep the title- so you always being a apprentice- Naw! Free labor to do the work on other people's land and you paid for it! Smh The youngest people, which are just sometimes you- do all the back breaking work!
@@lovenotes5299this is not fair at all. So in order to take class, you have to give them the rest of your life. I would never agree to this. Sounds like salary
@@BrokeFarmer apparently I miss you saying the rest of you life. My understanding is that it was for the class period, this is pure salary. No one should have to give the rest of their life for training. GET OUT OF THIS FAST
I am in the email list for my local master gardener program and i go to different events that they hold. The average age is about 70 and I’m sure it is very social for them. I learn a lot whenever I go. I’m glad u went to the course. 🪴
