Thank you for electing to maintain your Master Gardener Active Certification. UConn Master Gardeners who maintain their Active Certification are highly valued associates, critical to the success of our volunteer-based program and important resources in the community.
Annual Requirements for Active Certification
- Complete 20 hours of community and office outreach through one of the eight (8) county Extension offices in Connecticut or the Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford. At least 10 hours of outreach must be in the form of office service, as approved by a Master Gardener program coordinator.
- Attend one Hot Topics class (3 hours) per year. This class will be offered on multiple dates free of charge to Active Certified Master Gardeners to keep participants abreast of important new research information, University programs and policy
- Submit a completed Active Certification Agreement by September 30th each year to your county/program coordinator, including documentation of the completed 20 required volunteer This form can be found at http://www.uconnmastergardeners.com/ or here.
- Register online. Upon verification of your eligibility, your coordinator will provide you with an access code to register your active certification. Register in your office’s “class” at https://uconnmastergardeners.gosignmeup.com. There is a $10 annual administrative fee.
Master Gardener Active Certification is valid for one year – expiring September 30th of each year. Individuals not renewing their certification become Alumni Master Gardeners and, as such, have no annual service requirement and are not covered under UConn liability insurance. They cannot refer to themselves as a Certified Master Gardener but rather as Master Gardener Alumni.
Reinstatement after a Lapse in Active Certification
If a Master Gardener does not meet the requirements by September 30th, but completes them the following year and would like to be reinstated, the following requirements must be met:
- 10 office outreach hours
- 10 community outreach hours
- Attend one Hot Topics class
- Recertification fee of $15.00
If the lapse in Active Certification is two or three years and the Master Gardener would like to be reinstated, the following requirements must be met:
- 20 office outreach hours
- 20 community outreach hours
- Attend one Hot Topics class
- Recertification fee of $25.00
If the lapse in Active Certification is greater than three years, recertification requirements will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Click here to review a PC tutorial on how to prepare your volunteer hours for inclusion in the online certification process.
Click here to review a Mac tutorial on how to prepare your volunteer hours for inclusion in the online certification process.
Complete your certification form online by clicking here.