So far 58 applicants have applied for 35 opening in this year's comprehensive gardening program.  Interviews are currently being conducted and those chosen for the program will receive over 80 hours of horticulture education in basic botany, plant pathology, integrated pest management and irrigation techniques. 

Master Gardener trainees in turn perform 50 hours of apprenticeship and volunteer in Master Gardener projects to earn their certification. 

Master Gardener volunteer efforts can be seen in the county at the Goebel Center in Thousand Oaks, the Camarillo Ranch House, Ormand Beach Wetland, the Hansen Agricultural Center in Santa Paula, Conejo Valley Botanical Gardens and other locations in Ventura County.

Have a pesty problem or other gardening issue?  The program operates a Help Line for home gardeners on Tuesdays and Thursday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.   Volunteers draw on their knowledge, a comprehensive database of relevant information, advisors and other UC experts to dispense useful information to county gardeners.   The Help Line volunteers can be reached at 805-645-1455 or by email at mgventura@ucdavis.edu.

Not a Master Gardener, but would like to attend seminars and workshops?  The Master Gardeners conduct four seasonal Home Garden workshops annually on a variety of garden related topics designed for the home gardener.   The next workshop in November has a holiday theme, "Creating Holiday Gifts from Your Garden," and features fun hands-on projects and demonstrations.  For more details about this workshop, please see this flyer.

Want more information on the Master Gardener program?  Please click here to link to Master Gardener webpages.