Education

King County Master Gardener Education Events

NOTICE – Message regarding education event cancellations.
The Master Gardener Program in King County is working in accordance with the latest guidelines from the King County Department of Health regarding COVID-19. Watch this page for event updates.

Classes for All Requiring Registration and/or Fees

The following classes and talks are open to the public and to Master Gardeners. Some events listed here may require pre-registration, and some may also require fees to register. Fees for these events are requested to help support the Foundation as it meets the financial needs for the Master Gardener Program in King County. See each event registration for details.

• Growing Groceries. This yearly educational series begins in October and focuses on teaching how to grow healthy food using research-based sustainable gardening practices. These talks are sponsored by the Master Gardener Foundation. The 2022 series will begin on January 19, 2022. Watch this space for details on registrations.
• Bellevue Demonstration Garden Online Saturday Workshops. Talks are offered offered online via the Zoom platform on Saturdays from January to October. These talks are sponsored by the Master Gardener Foundation. 2022 BDG Workshops will begin January 22, 2022. Bookmark the BDG Workshops page to easily check new workshop additions.

INTERESTED IN TRAINING TO BECOME A MASTER GARDENER?

The Master Gardener Program of King County is planning to conduct training for new Master Gardeners in 2022. Find more information about becoming a Master Gardener on the WSU Extension Master Gardeners web page: https://extension.wsu.edu/king/gardening/become-a-master-gardener/.

ADVANCED TRAINING FOR MASTER GARDENERS

Advanced Trainings will once again be offered to the Master Gardeners of King County in 2022. Watch this space for more details about these offerings when available.

Other GARDENING WORKSHOPS & CLASSES

• UW Botanic Gardens offers a wide variety of adult education programs for home gardeners and horticultural specialists. Visit their website for the current offerings at https://botanicgardens.uw.edu/education/adults/classes-workshops/ .
• Bellevue Botanical Garden Society offers classes on a variety of topics at Bellevue Botanical Garden. They have special pricing on all classes and lectures for members. Learn more about classes at BBG.
• The Saving Water Partnership sponsors free Savvy Gardener classes, mainly in the spring and fall to help you have beautiful, healthy landscapes while using water wisely. The entire list of their classes and links to local nurseries with classes can be viewed at https://www.savingwater.org/lawn-garden/gardening-classes/.
• PlantAmnesty regularly offers classes for their Master Pruner series. Visit https://www.plantamnesty.org/classes-workshops/ to find information about their class offerings.

KING COUNTY MASTER GARDENER SPEAKERS BUREAU

Would you like to schedule a Washington State University Extension Master Gardener to speak to your gardening club or other group? WSU Master Gardeners in King County are available to present talks on a variety of gardening topics as part of our mission to empower and sustain diverse communities with relevant, unbiased, research-based horticulture and environmental stewardship education. Find details about how to request a speaker and topics that are currently available to schedule at https://extension.wsu.edu/king/king-county-master-gardeners-speakers-bureau/.

WSU MASTER GARDENER ADVANCED EDUCATION CONFERENCE

WSU offers a multi-day, state-wide conference for Master Gardener interns and veterans alike most years. The host site for this conference moves around the state to different counties It is an opportunity to meet other Master Gardeners, explore advanced education sessions, hear talks about statewide issues, learn about updated policies, and the latest research-based information about soil, common plant pests and diseases, and gardening skills.

The 2022 WSU Master Gardener Advanced Education Conference will be held September 29-October 1, 2022, at the Olympia Hotel at Capitol Lake, Olympia, Washington. Save those dates.

INTERNATIONAL MASTER GARDENER CONFERENCE

Plan now for IMGC 2023, June 18-22, 2023 in Kansas. You will Celebrate, Educate and Grow with extension master gardeners from around the world.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

What counts as CE for Master Gardeners? Those classes that will improve a volunteer’s knowledge and skill base for performing work as a horticulture adviser and serving as a resource on issues of sustainable gardening for home gardeners.

A large part of the Master Gardener experience is sharing our knowledge with others and continuing to learn with other members. Learning takes place in many ways, and the Master Gardener Program is offering more ways to learn and keep us current than ever before including its community gardens, plant clinics, Ask-a-Master-Gardener e-clinic, workshops with Master Gardener’s and expert horticulturalists, online learning through WSU Extension and our websites, Diagnostics Lab and more.

Online Continuing Education

Several sites offer online education that can be counted for CE credit for Master Gardeners. The Online Continuing Education web page offers a list of approved, pre-recorded, on-demand opportunities that count as continuing education for Master Gardeners, including classes, webinars and online workshops offered by King County Master Gardeners along with accredited institutions/horticulture organizations.

Where else to find up-to-date information about Master Gardener training and Master Gardener advanced continuing education classes?

• MGFKC eNewsletter, The Connection
• MGFKC Facebook page

What is the Education Committee?

The WSU Master Gardener Program Education Committee is interested in planning workshops and events of interest to Master Gardeners. The MG Foundation supports the WSU Extension Program Coordinator in providing educational opportunities for Master Gardener education. If you would like to be involved in this activity, contact the Program Office at king.mg@wsu.edu  for information about becoming involved.

Last updated November 2021