What is a Master Gardener?
Master Gardeners are certified and trained volunteers, who have received up to 80 hours of horticultural instruction from the University of California Cooperative Extension in Ventura County and other local gardening experts. They are trained in gardening topics ranging from basic botany and plant pathology to integrated pest management and irrigation techniques.
In exchange for this training, Master Gardeners agree to complete 80 hours of apprenticeship and volunteer work to become certified.
Additional training and volunteer time are required annually to renew certification. Only persons who have successfully completed these requirements can call themselves Master Gardeners.