Changing program requirements
We want to make it easier to become a Master Gardener and maintain your Master Gardener status!
First, we’re eliminating the need for new Master Gardeners to obtain a criminal background check and take mandated reporter training to enter the program. Minimal conditions of service will still be required, such as a Code of Ethics agreement.
You will need to seek to understand, follow, and abide by the policies and guidelines of the organization’s you volunteer for. For example, if you volunteer in an Extension office to do horticulture diagnostics, you will still need to do our criminal background check and conditions of service; similarly, if you are working in a garden at a school or hospital, that location may have their own requirements. It really depends on where you volunteer!
Second, we are changing our annual enrollment requirements. You should still strive to report 24 hours of community service and 10 hours of continuing education by December 31, annually. If you report less, you will remain in the program with no penalty, and will no longer require an exempt status. We hope this better accommodates the busy lives and schedules of our volunteers, without additional paperwork. We hope this change also makes the program more accessible to new members.