I completed our county's Master Gardener program about 7 years ago, while I was (and still am) working full time. The biggest challenge for me was finding a time that my work travel schedule didn't interfere with the class schedule, as we are not permitted to miss a class.
Our county requires our MG interns to do 35 volunteer hours before they become a MG. I realize that is less than some areas. The other thing that helps me is that our MG assocation is huge--we are 335 members strong, and have something close to 50 approved projects/committees that are approved for our volunteer hours. If you work, it is easy to find activities in the evenings or weekends. I manage to be the chairperson for one of our demonstration beds at the fairgrounds, and my committee members know that our workdays will be evenings and weekdays. I still have 45 people on my committee in spite of that limitation. Our county also permits us to submit volunteer hours that are performed in adjacent counties, as long as the greater portion of your volunteer hours are performed in the county of your education.
Regarding the "chemical" discussion (which I admittedly did not read all of).....the only restriction placed upon us is that we observe/make no recommendations outside of the product labeling. Our land grant university is Purdue...however, the county I reside is is mainly homeowners, rather than large agricultural concerns. Big difference in recommendations. Our group has many thoughts on this subject, and we each manage our gardens according to our beliefs. But, we cannot impose our "beliefs" upon the public....only the facts.
I think the MG program is a huge benefit to our community. Our group donates ~15,000 volunteer hours within our county each year, and I am very proud to be a part of that. I continue to learn and become a better gardener because of the great foundation this program has given me.
Stepping off my soap box now....
Linda
