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TIMELY TOPICS
By Tom Stanley, Extension agent
The Rockbridge Area Master Gardener Association (RAMGA) is planning a training class for 2025. The goal of the Extension Master Gardener program is educating the public on all things hor ticultural. RAMGA volunteers do that through public education programs, school gardens, maintaining a publicly available Seed Library, demonstration gardens, and more. RAMGA is also a wonderful way to meet likeminded people and to share our love of plants and gardening.
People interested in learning more about what being a member of RAMGA entails can meet Thursday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. for an online (via Zoom) informational meeting. To register for this session, visit the RAMGA website (www. ramga.org). If Oct. 17 is not a suitable date for you or you do not have internet access, you can contact RAMGA to learn more about the training requirements through the Rockbridge Extension office at (540) 463-4734.
To become an Extension Master Gardener in Rockbridge, one must complete an internet-based self-directed study organized into distinct learning modules and short quizzes designed to ensure understanding of the material. People who do not have access to a computer or the internet can still fully participate and complete the training.
The Master Gardener trainees must also attend eight of ten in-person hands-on labs, generally held at night or weekends, between January and May. The labs are where the trainee applies what they have learned in the self-directed completion of the learning modules. At the labs, the trainee will meet the other members of the class and work together to solve plant-related problems. The labs are located throughout the Rockbridge area. Many are held at homes of Master Gardeners or RAMGA project sites.
The other component for becoming a Master Gardener is to complete 50 volunteerservice hours of RAMGA-approved projects. The trainee may start volunteering in March, while still completing the course work. The independent study and labs are designed to be completed between January and May of 2025 and the volunteer hours must be earned by Dec. 31, 2025, at approved RAMGA projects and activities.
The cost of the class is $150. This gives access to an online version of the excellent and comprehensive “Virginia Master Gardener Handbook,” the learning modules, and a flash drive with all the available content for the class.
Registration to enroll for the class starts on Sunday, Oct. 27, at noon and runs until Saturday, Nov. 2, at noon. Registration may be found at the RAMGA website (www. ramga.org) or by contacting RAMGA through the Rockbridge Extension Office at (540) 463-4734. Class size is limited, so enroll early. RAMGA members will hold in-person interviews in November and orientation in December for people who have registered to complete the training.
