Become a Master Gardener

Thank you for your interest in becoming a south London Master Gardener

The Volunteer role

engaging with the public at West Norwood Feast

• Master Gardeners help bring together growing groups and initiatives unique to Wandsworth, Lambeth, and Southwark, and fringes of boroughs beyond (Lewisham, Bromley, Croydon, Merton and Kingston Upon Thames).
• Each has their own innovative ways of promoting the benefits of growing your own, such as events, talks, articles, and through community groups and schools.
• Each Master Gardener supports 10 households or groups beginning to grow their own food, offering seasonal advice and support for 12 months.
• Volunteers ‘graduate’ as Master Gardeners after 30 hours a year volunteering (about half a day a month). Most continue beyond.
• They feedback their hours, activities, successes and problems to their south London volunteer co-ordinator, Fiona Law.

Support

training together

• full Master Gardener foundation training (two-day course) supported by dedicated manual and interactive website
• ongoing extra training days
• peer support from other volunteers
• socials and seed swaps
• active support from the co-ordinator,  including one-to-one guidance, in-service training, weekly newsletters and factsheets
• part of a community of Master Gardeners promoting food growing around the UK.
• free resources: badge, clothing, safe working policies, insurance, expenses, awards, Garden Organic membership and discounted Grow Your Own magazine subscription

Please contact Fiona with any questions and application requests. Since Master Gardeners work with the public, we carry out reference checks.

Click here to read about our foundation training in April 2011,
and here to read about our training in September 2011.

Not in south London? We have Master Gardeners supporting food growing in Islington. If you’re further afield, see our other areas, or contact us to help us start a Master Gardener programme near you.

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