If you’re out and about in Mariposa County, chances are you’ve met a Master Gardener.  We’re at the Farmers Market and we have a plant sale and garden tour each spring in and around Mariposa, and a plant sale in the north county each fall.  We staff the horticulture Building at the county fair.  We have tables and booths at public events, welcome questions from home gardeners by phone, email and visits to our office at the fairgrounds.  And we maintain a native-plant garden along Mariposa Creek and the garden at the old firehouse in Coulterville.

This is not a garden club. All our activities are under the University of California Cooperative Extension umbrella.  Our charge is to educate home gardeners on procedures to enhance their enjoyment of their landscapes.  Our advice is based on hard science and peer-reviewed research.  Everything we do is volunteer and by the book.

There will be an informational meeting to learn more about becoming a Master Gardener at the Mariposa Board of Supervisors chambers, 5100 Bullion St. on Saturday, September 13 from 10 a.m. to noon. For more on the informational meeting, or to register for it, call (209) 966-2417; see our website: cemariposa.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardener or visit the county Ag Complex, 5009 Fairgrounds Road, Mariposa.

You’ll meet Master Gardeners who will tell you about volunteer opportunities from answering the public’s questions to identifying plants for the garden tour, to growing plants for the annual sales. We have programs in all areas of the county.  Basic online familiarity is a must, both for the classes and for membership.

The training sessions begin on ​January 14 and last into May.  Training costs $195.  The fee includes expert speakers, research materials, text books, class notes, tests, and field trips.  Sessions, conducted on Wednesdays, last four hours and most will be at McCay Hall in Catheys Valley.  All trainees are assigned mentors to help them through the classes and the first year of service.  After the informational meeting, you must apply and then be interviewed.
9-13-14-Mariposa-Become-a-MG