Volunteer as a Master Gardener

Open to Miami-Dade County residents only

(MIAMI, July 17, 2012) – Do you have spare time to volunteer? Do you like plants and want to learn more about gardening? Do you like to help others by sharing your gardening knowledge? Become a Master Gardener volunteer for Miami-Dade County Extension! Join this elite group of dedicated gardeners who help others solve their plant problems.

Preview sessions of what this program is about are: August 6 at 3 p.m. and August 9 at 10 a.m. at the UF Miami-Dade Extension office in Homestead. Each preview session lasts 11/2 to 2 hours. You need to attend only ONE of these previews. This program is for Miami-Dade County residents only. Each county has their own Master Gardener program.

Through the Master Gardener training program, participants receive more than 70 hours of classroom & field training from University of Florida faculty. You’ll learn about: flower & vegetable gardening, fruit trees, insects, disease & plant identification, landscape care, proper pesticide & fertilizer use, and much, much more!

Master Gardeners are individuals who are interested in gardening, educating and helping others, and making civic contributions through volunteer work. They help answer gardening questions on the phone at our office, help establish demonstration & school gardens are plant consultants at local events, and more. Even if you aren’t physically able to do much gardening, we have plenty of volunteer opportunities for you!

How do you become a Master Gardener? Once you are selected to take the Master Gardener training, you will be notified about the class schedule. Classroom training is one day during the workweek from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., and lasts for 11-12 weeks, beginning in September. Volunteering opportunities are at our Homestead office and at other selected sites throughout the county.

Come join our Miami-Dade County team of Master Gardeners today. Learn, Share and Have Fun too! Please contact Patty for an application at 305-248-3311 x 225 or write to: UF/Miami-Dade County Extension, 18710 SW 288 Street, Homestead, FL  33030. For information on Florida friendly landscaping, visit the Miami-Dade Extension website http://miami-dade.ifas.ufl.edu.