Continuing Education
To continue as a Master Gardener in good standing, experienced Montgomery County Master Gardeners must attend a minimum of 10 hours of continuing education per year. All Continuing Education hours must be recorded in VMS to fulfill this requirement. Additionally, you must comply with the Volunteer Hours requirement.
Intern Training attendance fulfills the Education requirement for Intern Master Gardeners and further continuing education during your Intern year is not required, though highly encouraged!
For details of additional training opportunities that fulfill the continuing education requirement, please consult the MCMG Continuing Education Policy.
Montgomery County Master Gardeners are encouraged to attend a variety of advanced training sessions which are presented by guest speakers at the Montgomery County Master Gardener Monthly General Membership Meeting. The General Membership meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month and all meetings are free. Attendance during the live session or watching the replay counts toward the Master Gardener annual continuing education requirement. Master Gardeners may claim a maximum of 1 hour of continuing education per Monthly Meeting. Please review the Monthly Meetings & Events page for details regarding upcoming advanced training sessions.
The following training opportunities are available to fulfil this requirement:
MCMG Virtual Fall Conference
The 17th Annual Members' Conference will be held on October 10, 2024.
Login to hear experts and earn 3.5 continuing education hours. Registration is free. Attendees can expect an event welcome and announcements, the reading of the proposed slate of the 2025 MCMG Board of Directors at 9 am, followed by three presentations by expert gardeners (details to follow).
You will receive an email reminder with the Zoom invite prior to the conference. Please sign into Zoom using your full name so that we can call on you during Q&A and verify your attendance. Questions should be posed in the chat box and will be answered in the allotted time at the end of the presentation. You will also receive a link to complete an online evaluation after the conference concludes.
The conference will be recorded and a link of the recording will be posted to this website. Master Gardeners are encouraged to join the live conference if they want to ask questions. We will take10 minute breaks between each session.
Attend an MCMG Open Garden
Master Gardeners are invited to attend MCMG Open Gardens. Open Gardens occur periodically throughout the year as requests are received from MGs who wish to host an event at their garden. Host MGs invite other MGs visit their gardens as a teaching opportunity for the hosts and a learning opportunity for the attendees.
Available Continuing Education Hours
Attendees may log one hour of continuing education in VMS.For more details, please visit the MCMG Open Garden webpage.
Montgomery College: Environmental Horticulture & Sustainable Agribusiness Program Courses
Montgomery College offers a variety of horticulture courses within the Environmental Horticulture and Sustainable Agribusiness program that will benefit just about anyone: the professional landscaper, turf manager, horticulturist, or anyone who loves plants and the environment.
Most of the classes will be taught in a “hybrid” format: The lecture portion being online with selected labs being taught on campus - saving you time and money.
Students who work in the industry are eligible to pay the in-county tuition rate.
Selected courses in the Program, have been approved by the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) to prepare Greens Industry professionals for pesticide application certification in Category III (Turf and Ornamentals) and Category VI (Right of Way and Weed).
Our course in Turfgrass Management will help prepare the student to become certified MDA Professional Fertilizer Applicator.
Students can take any of these classes for credit or audit.
Maryland residents who are 60 years of age or older at the time of registration pay only fees.
For more information regarding next semester's Classes at Montgomery College and details on how to register please review the Summer 2024 Class flyer.
UMD Continuing Education Opportunities
The UMD Master Gardener Office offers various virtual and recorded continuing education opportunities. Montgomery County Master Gardeners are automatically enrolled to receive the State Master Gardener Newsletter once their VMS (Volunteer Management System) account is created. The State Master Gardener Newsletter will alert Master Gardeners via email to register for upcoming virtual education opportunities, which include the following:
International Master Gardener Conference
International Master Gardeners host a Conference covering various topics of interests. Please note that costs to register and any additional attendance fees are the sole responsibility of the individual Master Gardener.
GardenDC Podcast
Kathy Jentz, editor and publisher of the award-winning Washington Gardener Magazine hosts the GardenDC Podcast where she discusses areas of interest for gardeners in the Washington DC area.
Available Continuing Education Hours
Each episode qualifies for 1 hour of Continuing Education credit.