Welcome Master Gardener Volunteer Applicant
Thank you for your interest in the Master Gardener Volunteer Program through the University of Florida, Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences Cooperative Extension Services (UF/IFAS Extension) in Lee County.
Before you start the application, please take the time to read through the following information to decide if this program is a fit for you.
FLORIDA MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
With the vision of being the most trusted source of horticultural education in Florida, the Master Gardener Volunteers (MGVs) assist Extension agents in providing research-based horticultural education to county residents and community organizations.
MGVs represent UF/IFAS Extension and their counties in their communities. They volunteer their time and desire to learn to assist Extension Agents in educating the public on research-based solutions to gardening and landscape problems as well as environmentally sustainable best management practices in landscape care.
LEE COUNTY MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
The MGV program in Lee County follows the Florida state model in recruiting individuals who enjoy gardening, learning, and sharing what they know with others. The training begins with a 12-week course that reviews gardening and landscaping principles and introduces the flow of information from research to public dissemination through UF/IFAS Extension. The year after finishing the course, MGV trainees donate 75 volunteer hours during the first intership year to become UF/IFAS Certified Florida Master Gardener Volunteers. To maintain active certification, the MGV program requires 35 volunteer hours and 10 educational hours per year.
2026 MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEER TRAINING COURSE
We are dividing the MGV Course of 2026 into two different classes, each with a different volunteer focus:
1. Growing Food in School and Community Gardens - July 10 to Oct 9 - Click to download course description and schedule.
This 12-module course covers the basics of vegetable gardening and fruit tree cultivation and equips volunteers to serve as coordinators and/or advisers in community and school gardens. Volunteers will be equipped to join our school garden advisory program (Garden Angels) and help to build and maintain community gardens (food producing).
Class is delivered only in person and runs on Fridays, July 17 to October 9 with the Orientation Meeting on July 10.
Deadline to apply: June 20
2. Florida-Friendly Landscaping and Gardening in Southwest Florida- Aug 26 - Nov 18
This 12-Module course centers on landscaping and gardening in residential yards. The core curriculum of the Florida Master Gardener training course concentrates on best management practices in lawncare, pest management, landscape design, and the nine principles of the Florida-Friendly Landscaping program.
The Class is hybrid (first six weeks online and last six weeks in person with field trips and hands-on learning) and runs on Wednesdays, September 2 through November 18 with the orientation meeting online on August 26.
The course is designed with Lee County’s unique environment and population profile in mind. It starts in an online format to accommodate the heat of summer and transient residents (snowbirds). It finishes with boots on the ground and hands in the dirt.
Deadline to apply: July 30
The 12-week lecture series and hands-on training course fully immerses MGV trainees in the researched-based Florida-Friendly LandscapingTM Principles. UF/IFAS Extension Agents, Extension Research Faculty, and seasoned Certified MGVs teach online and in person. The curriculum starts with basic botany for gardeners and expands to essentials of landscape design. It includes topics such as plant identification, propagation, plant health and diseases, mutualism with insects and fungi, soils, fertilizers, pesticide & herbicide safety, turfgrass, ornamental plants, edible plants, trees, palms, orchids, landscape design and more.
Tuition for the MGV training course is $300.00, due a week before the training course. It includes all your materials and field trip fees.
MGV VOLUNTEERING IN LEE COUNTY
Lee County Parks and Recreation (Parks) and UF/IFAS Extension enjoy a cooperative agreement, in which UF/IFAS Extension serves Lee County residents through programs in agriculture and natural resources, marine education, 4-H Youth Development, Family and Consumer Sciences, commercial and residential horticulture.
Lee County MGVs are concurrent volunteers for Parks and accumulate volunteer perks from Parks. Certified MGVs and MGV trainees join existing projects within UF/IFAS Extension programs and/or represent the Extension within outside events and organizations.
Below is a sampling of organizations where MGVs give generously with educational support and outreach activities.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Create an account below to apply to the Lee County MGV training course. After the deadline, a committee of MGVs and Extension personnel will interview eligible candidates and choose a cohort of 30 MGV trainees, 15 for each course. All applicants will be notified by the end of June.
Filling out the form takes about 20 minutes. You will be asked to agree with three statements, the 2026 Annual Agreement, the Policies for MGVs, and a short Application Submission Statement. Use the links to download the documents and read them before submitting the application.
When you submit, you will receive an email acknowledging your application. If you do not receive the confirmation email, your application was not submitted.
Keep Growing and Sharing Kindness!
Sheryl van der Heiden
Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator
Residential Horticulture Agent
UF/IFAS Extension Lee County
Lee County Parks and Rec Department
svanderheiden@ufl.edu
