Become a VCE Certified Master Gardener

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Becoming a certified Extension Master Gardener (EMG) requires successful completion of a 50-hour training program as well as fulfillment of volunteer and continuing education hours. The training, consisting of online learning modules and hands-on horticultural-themed labs one Saturday per month, is held once per year, beginning in March and running through October. Class registration is open December and January each year, though you may inquire or submit your contact information for pre-registration at any time. 

The Extension Master Gardener training program fee of $175 is all-inclusive (online instruction and hands-on lab materials). Financial assistance is available through DMGA scholarships and a VCE grant. Even if you are not interested in becoming an Extension Master Gardener (EMG) volunteer, the training provides practical research-based horticultural information that will be useful in all of your gardening and landscaping adventures.

Individuals who are interested in the Master Gardener training program should contact the Danville Extension Office at 434-799-6558 or e-mail us at danville.emg.training@gmail.com.  

The 50-hour training program provides research-based information on a variety of horticultural and environmental topics. These topics are covered in online modules, textbook reading and supplemented with monthly hands-on labs. 

Topics include:  

• Botany
• Vegetables and fruits
• Herbaceous and woody plants
• Insects and integrated pest management
• Water quality
• Soils
• Pruning
• Lawn care
• Plant propagation
• Virginia native plants

After completion of the classroom training, the student becomes a Master Gardener Intern. Once an intern, an individual must spend a minimum of 50 volunteer hours performing hands-on horticulture-based, educational programs that are arranged through the Extension office and/or the local Danville Master Gardener Association. These initial volunteer hours must be completed within two years of starting the training.

Upon completion of these steps, a certificate is issued from the Cooperative Extension to become a Certified VCE - Master Gardener. In order to maintain certified status, one must contribute 20 hours of volunteer work and complete 8 hours of continuing education each year through the variety of activities that are made available through the Extension Office and the Danville Master Gardener Association.

The text book used in the Extension Master Gardener training, "Virginia Cooperative Extension Gardener Handbook", is a wealth of research-based information relevant to Virginia gardeners.  

This expansive 520 page full-color handbook can be viewed in its entirety online here or a printed paperback copy can be purchased on Amazon.com.

Learn more about the Extension Master Gardener Program from the Virginia Cooperative Extension