The Master Gardener Intern Program - 2024 Class

The Master Gardener program is a volunteer educational partnership between Virginia Cooperative Extension and the citizens of the Commonwealth by providing research-based information from both Virginia Tech and Virginia State Universities. The Chesapeake Master Gardener Volunteer program is one of the ways Virginia Cooperative Extension teaches citizens how to beautify their communities, learn the art and science of horticulture, protect air and water quality, and maintain our environment for future generations. We are proud of the Master Gardener Volunteers who, in exchange for a university supported education in Environmental Horticulture, volunteer their time to share that information with others in their community.

The Chesapeake Master Gardener Volunteer program is open to all residents of the City of Chesapeake. Potential applicants attend an orientation session (choose from the two dates available) or schedule a meeting with Chesapeake's Horticulture Agent.  The training program is extensive. You will attend 50 hours+ of training covering major horticultural topics. The Master Gardener Handbook serves as the text for this training and will be a resource for your use as a Master Gardener volunteer educator.  At the time of application, a background check is required, the fee is $12.50 paid online; and the course fee is $150.00 paid online, which includes access to the Master Gardener Handbook.  Classes begin in January of each calendar year, with sessions held twice weekly.  2024 classes will be held 9:30am – 12:30pm, twice a week.  Attendance for all of the classes is important; no more than three (3) classes can be missed.  (Note:  in 2025, we will switch to evening classes).

As a Master Gardener Intern you must contribute a minimum of 50 volunteer hours sharing sound horticulture information with the citizens of Chesapeake within 1 year of the completion of the training. To remain an active Master Gardener, you must contribute at least 20 volunteer hours teaching in the community and receive at least 8 hours of approved re-certification training yearly.

We have begun the application process for the 2024 class. This is the link to Signup Genius to claim your seat when they become available. If you have not used this system before, you will need to create your own profile with your name, email address and select your password. To sign up for items you click the “Sign Up” button after each item then need to scroll down to the bottom of the whole signup and click submit and signup to complete your registration.

The  2024 Class will begin on January 9 2024. It will be held in the morning from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. The class will be taught on Tuesday and Thursday and will run through graduation on March 14, 2024 with a graduation ceremony on March 26,^, 2024.

Classes are filled on a first come/first served basis, and we are only able to accept 20 new interns.

Sincerely,

Michael Andruczyk
Extension Agent, Horticulture