Rutgers Cooperative Research & Extension Questions

18 years ago

Has anyone in NJ enrolled in the Master Gardener or any others classes/programs offered by the Rutgers Cooperative Research & Extension or Cook College?

I am interested in hearing about your experience(s)(positive/negative/indifferent) since I am thinking of enrolling? Thanks.

Feel free to email me directly, if you feel more comfortable to not post directly on the forum.

(I also posted this under the "Master Gardeners" forum, but have had very limited responses, so I thought I would try the NJ forum.)

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Comments (7)

Maria410
18 years ago
I was in the 2003-2004 master gardener class at Middlesex County. All of the counties offer something a little different so if you are not looking at Middlesex County this will not apply. The classes are every Friday morning for almost the whole year. After the classes are done you need to complete a large number of volunteer hours as payback (60 or more). You also have to do a collection project which they didn't tell us about until the end of the class. To maintain your certification you have to do 25 volunteer hours a year and get 10 educational hours per year. The educational credits are regulated so this can be hard if you can't attend/afford extension approved classes.

The positives at Middlesex is you learn a lot. They mostly use extension agents and people involved with Cook College. I enjoyed the collection project but I would have preferred to learn about it earlier than we did. Also several of my classmates were not certified because they couldn't get this done.

The negatives for me (and these are probably very personal) that a lot of stuff at Middlesex takes place during the day. The classes are during the day and a lot of the volunteer opportunities are during the day. I work full time so volunteer opportunities are hard for me. I have figured out enough to do with greenhouse work (preparing for our huge plant sale) and such but it can be hard figuring it all out.

If you have specific questions and want to know more send me an E-mail.

-- Maria
topnotchveggie
Original Author
18 years ago
Maria, Thanks for the insight, I will surely keep that in mind when decided when/if I would like to participate in the program.

I look forward to hearing from others about thier experiences.
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njtea
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My son took the course in Somerset County and I recall his saying that it was very difficult to get in the necessary volunteer and ed hours as they were mainly in the daytime.
Loretta NJ Z6
18 years ago
I took it in Morris County and it's the same. Most volunteer hours are during the week but a few weekend projects come up. Also, it is not kid friendly so if you have a few little ones, you will be scrambling for babysitters.
In Morris County, you have to give 20 hours to the extension center including the helpline, 20 to the Morris County Parks system and 20 to either.
I do enjoy it though. Each week they bring in a different lecturer on one or two subjects which is covered in about 2 hours. You really won't be a "master gardener". Most is lectures with little hands on. The lecture would be a whole semester course for a horticulturist so it really is a summary. You will get the hands on experience as you volunteer. But like others wrote above, I miss a lot of things I would love to do because they do it during the week in the day.
topnotchveggie
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks for the added information, who are some of the guests that come in and lecture? Do they take you on any field trips to gardens, garden centers, etc? Always looking for additional information.
miss_rumphius_rules
18 years ago
I've taken several classes offered at Cook through the Continuing Professional Education program. Well worth the cost, time and effort if you choose the right class.
ladychroe
18 years ago
Anybody know when the seedling sale is this year?

Rutgers Cooperative Research & Extension Questions

Comments (7)

Maria410

topnotchveggie
Original Author

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Rutgers Cooperative Research & Extension Questions

Comments (7)

Maria410

topnotchveggieOriginal Author

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njtea

Loretta NJ Z6

topnotchveggieOriginal Author

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topnotchveggie
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