Membership Requirements
Master Gardener membership is annual and goes from January 1 to December 31 of each year. To maintain your membership you must:
- Complete and report 27 Service hours (“ACT”) each calendar year
- Complete and report 8 Continuing Education Hours (“CEUs”) each calendar year
- Pay your $16 annual dues to the Hamilton County Master Gardener Association.
Service Hours
Master Gardeners must complete minimum service and education hours (see ACT and CEUs below) each year to attain and maintain their certification. For interns, the service requirement is 40 hours in addition to the 40 hours of classroom education; for certified Master Gardeners, the requirement is 27 ACT hours and 8 CEU hours for a total of 35 hours each calendar year.
Total hours earned during the calendar year must be reported by January of the following year. You are encouraged to report your hours in increments throughout the year to help the recordkeeping process function smoothly.
There are many opportunities for MG volunteers. Please go here for more information on community gardens and projects needing volunteers throughout the year. Also, watch for calls for volunteers posted on this website through the calendar and other posts.
Definition of Service Hours
Master Gardeners must complete both ACT hours and CEU hours each year to maintain certification.
ACT (Administrative-Community-Teaching) hours are hours that you give in service each calendar year. Master Gardener interns are required to provide 40 service hours the same year in which they completed their classroom education. Every year thereafter, Master Gardeners must complete 27 ACT hours each year which must be reported in January the following year. Travel time is included in your time calculations.
There may be overlap between the ACT definitions, so use your best judgment in describing the service category.
A – Administrative – Board meetings, food preparation, office duties, project planning time, mentoring classes
C – Community – Working onsite at approved community projects interacting with the public
T – Teaching – Teaching or preparing educational programs or materials, writing articles, answering questions
CEU Hours are Continuing Educational Units. You earn CEUs by attending educational programs, monthly meetings and seminars. Travel time in NOT included. Master Gardener interns complete 40 hours of CEU through the initial Master Gardener training sessions and do not need to complete additional CEUs their first year.
How to Report ACT and CEU Hours
There are 2 ways to report your hours: submitting your hours on the required form in 2 or 3 installments throughout the year or reporting your hours online directly through the University of Tennessee Knoxville UT Extension website.
Manual Form Submission
To print the Service Hour form, please download the Service Hour Report Form. Please send your completed form to:
Master Gardeners of Hamilton County
6183 Adamson Circle
Chattanooga. TN 37416
Online Hour Submission
To submit your hours online, you must first create a user account. You can create an account by contacting Gretchen Rominger by email who will assign you a username and password.
Once you have received the new account information, go to UT Extension Tennessee Master Gardener Resources Login to create your account.
Once you have set up your account, you may begin reporting your education and volunteer hours by going into “My Reports” and selecting the appropriate report to submit. Please watch for upcoming tutorials to assist you in this online reporting process.
For County records, please print out and mail your online hour submission report to the address above.
Dues
In addition to reporting CEU and ACT hours, Master Gardeners must pay annual dues of $16 payable to the Hamilton County Master Gardener Association by December 31 to maintain membership. Dues are to be mailed to the address listed above.
If you pay your annual dues but do not report adequate ACT and CEU hours for the year, only your name (no picture) will appear in the Master Gardener of Hamilton County Membership Directory.
For more information about approved Projects, go here. For information about submitting a project for approval, go here.