You may have been thinking about
taking the Master Gardener course for a while.
This might be the time to finally go for it. Halifax Virginia Cooperative Extension and the
Southside Master Gardener Association will hold the Master Gardener course
beginning on Saturday February 14 and running through June 13. The class will meet each Saturday from 9:30
to 12:30 at the South Boston Halifax County Museum.
Topics covered in the Master Gardener
class include typical horticultural topics like soils and nutrients, botany,
entomology, pruning, landscape design and water quality. It also includes vegetable and herb
gardening, container plants, perennials, native plants and everything in
between. The course normally includes classroom sessions with some hands-on
activities and field trips. You will
learn a lot about the environment around you and make new friends. You will find that not only do Master
Gardeners grow plants but the food is really good as well.
Now for the downside. There are tests but they are take home and
open book, so don’t freak or fret over them.
No one has failed yet. There is a
$165 fee for the course that covers all the course materials you receive
including the Master Gardener Manual and the Pest Management Guide.
Once you’ve completed the technical
portion of the training and move from trainee to intern, you need to volunteer
in any of our many projects for 50 hours to achieve Master Gardener
status. Volunteer opportunities are
normally vast. If you enjoy working with
children, there are opportunities at the Southern Virginia Botanical Gardens and
working with our VCE 4-H. If you prefer seniors,
there are opportunities with the Therapy Gardens and independent living/nursing
homes. Working the Help Desk at the
South Boston Farmers Market or in the office are good for some people. Second Saturdays at the Halifax Farmers
Market are a fun way to help the public by providing tool sharpening, make and
take Fairy Garden for kids, make and take hypertufa and dividing
perennials. There are also craft days
making items for the annual plant sale. If
none of those suit your fancy, you can create a project for something important
to you
Applications for the course will be
accepted through January 15, 2026. If
you are interested in taking the Master Gardener course you can either pick up
an application at the Halifax Extension Office, send
an email to ask@ssmga.org, or call and leave a message at the Extension Master
Gardener Help Desk at 434-830-3383. You
will be contacted to discuss your interest in the class and have an application
sent to you. We hope you will consider
joining the 2026 Master Gardener course. You’ll make new friends, have fun, and learn
more about gardening and your landscape so you can help others improve or gain gardening
and landscaping tips and skills.
