There is only one training program offered each year. Registration, Getting to Know You Meeting, and Orientation take place in the fall of the year before the training begins. The actual training and volunteering run January-December the following year with 10 in-person labs occurring in the first six months of the year.

The class size is under 15. The age limit minimum is 18 years old, and there is no maximum age limit.

The cost of the training program is $150.00. Includes all materials: digital handbook, flash drive, supplemental books and field guides, Extension Master Gardener program fee to Virginia Tech, lab location fees, plus materials for hands-on labs.

The Master Gardener Handbook has 19 chapters to read plus 16 PowerPoint modules to review. Quizzes are “open book” and are done online and can be taken twice. You may work with a fellow trainee and will have excellent resources (Master Gardener digital handbook, PowerPoint modules, and supplemental guides) to use during the training and while volunteering at approved RAMGA projects and activities. A syllabus for the coursework and labs will be provided so that you may plan your schedule for what chapters to read first and location of labs.

No, the program is designed for trainees to work together in a problem-solving teamwork situation during the 10 labs.

You start the training as a Master Gardener trainee. After finishing the training portion, you will be a Master Gardener intern until you complete your 50 volunteer hours at approved projects and become a Master Gardener volunteer.

There are lots of volunteer opportunities; Help Desk, Composting, Plant Clinic, Tabling events at Community Festivals, Arbor Day Activities, Seed Saving Group, Invasive Species Education, School Garden Projects, many educational demonstration gardens (both flower and vegetable), Food Security Giving Garden Partner Project with RARA, Social Media Outreach (news articles, Facebook & Instagram). Learning about the volunteering opportunities will be included in your training.

No, there is much to do outside of physical work. However, all projects share knowledge of good horticultural practices. Some non-physical opportunities include: recruiting and organizing the Class Training Program, researching and organizing speakers for Public Education Programs, Communication Group (IT & Social Media, writing for newsletters), Tabling Events, and seed processing for our public Seed Library, to name a few.

We encourage each intern to explore as many projects as desired to find a “good fit” for each intern’s personal interests and talents. You select your area(s) in which to volunteer.

Upon graduating from the training class and completing the required 50 volunteer hours, you will be a certified Master Gardener Volunteer. RAMGA annual dues are $25.00. To remain in good standing, there is a required annual minimum of 20 volunteer hours along with 8 Continuing Education hours. Continuing Education may be accomplished through attending RAMGA sponsored programs, reading books, or attending regional symposiums. It is also required that all members log their volunteer hours, on a timely basis, in a web-based portal reporting system, called Better Impact. Learning how to use Better Impact, with log-in information, will be part of your training program.