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Green School Colorado Gardening Courses from CSU Extension

Green School FAQ

General FAQs

What’s the difference between your online gardening programs?

Green School is an online certification program offered through CSU Extension that offers several options for learners to choose from. Green School options include a certifying FULL PROGRAM offered once per year and multiple SHORT COURSE options open throughout the year to meet anyone’s needs. Regardless of the course, you’ll learn current, science-based gardening information provided by CSU Extension horticulture experts. Additionally, CSU offers Certified Gardener Online for those not in Colorado or who just want to take a couple online gardening classes.

There are significant differences between our gardening programs and you should carefully choose what works best for you:

  • Green School Full Program: Our most in-depth and popular online offering is the 14-week Green School Full Program, offered once each year. Green School is a mix of self-paced online classes and live web-based review sessions that include instruction and Q&A from CSU Extension experts. Topics include Soils, Fertilizers, and Amendments, Botany, Tree Identification, Planting and Care, Lawn Care, Weed Management, Entomology, Plant Pathology, Colorado Gardening Challenges, Vegetables, Fruit Trees, Small Fruits and Berries, Pruning, and Irrigation. All topics are specific to gardening in Colorado. Students completing the course requirements earn a Certified Colorado Gardener certificate.
  • Green School Short Courses: Each short course includes five individual lessons. Registration is open year-round. Lessons are self-paced and students have access to content for one year. There are no live review sessions, but students have direct access to instructors through email. Students who complete course requirements earn a certificate of completion, not a Certified Colorado Gardener certificate. There are four different short course options:
    • Colorado Gardening Foundations: Soils, Entomology, Tree Care & Planting, Colorado Gardening Challenges, Irrigation
    • Landscape Management Basics: Soils, Lawn Care, Weed Management, Irrigation, Tree Care & Planting
    • Plant Diagnostics: Soils, Botany, Integrated Pest Management & Plant Diagnosis, Entomology, Plant Pathology
    • Growing Food: Soils, Vegetables, Small Fruits, Tree Fruits, Entomology
  • Certified Gardener Online: We offer general, non-location specific classes that could be useful for any gardener. These are 100% self-paced. No assignments and no live classes. Register any time for individual short courses or complete them all. Prices vary.

What is the difference between a Certified Colorado Gardener and a Colorado Master Gardener?

All who complete the Green School Full Program course requirements will earn a Certified Colorado Gardener certificate. Colorado Master Gardeners are volunteers who have applied through their local/county CSU Extension office, have been accepted into the county Master Gardener program, and who have successfully completed the Green School Full Course requirements. Not all counties in Colorado offer Master Gardener programs, but anyone with an interest in learning about gardening can participate in Green School. Green School Full Course is the same training for both Certified Colorado Gardeners and Colorado Master Gardeners. Colorado Master Gardeners have additional requirements including actively volunteering in their communities.

  • Certified Colorado Gardener: Those who have completed the Green School Full Course requirements. No volunteer commitment required to earn certification.
  • Colorado Master Gardener: The Colorado Master Gardener (CMG) program is a volunteer program that requires an application, interview, reference checks and a background check. CMGs serve as volunteers through a local CSU Extension office. CMGs commit to required volunteer service hours and continuing education annually. Volunteers serve 50 hours in their first year followed by 24 hours in subsequent years. CMG Apprentices are those who have been accepted into the CMG program, have completed Green School Full Course, and are working towards their volunteer commitment. Once a CMG Apprentice completes their volunteer commitment they earn their Colorado Master Gardener certification. A Colorado Master Gardener remains active by volunteering and participating in continuing education opportunities annually. The program offers unique opportunities to learn and educate about gardening in their local community through various projects, helpdesks, and public events.

Are there prerequisites prior to enrolling to Green School?

There are no prerequisites for CSU Green School. You just need reliable internet and a computer, tablet or smart phone to access courses. To access Green School trainings as a Colorado Master Gardener apprentice, you will need to apply and complete the required interview and background check. Once accepted, you’ll be given access to register and pay for Green School as a volunteer.

Is Green School accredited?

The Green School program and courses are offered through the Office of Engagement & Extension at Colorado State University, an accredited institution, which ensures that the course/program has gone through a comprehensive process that evaluates content quality. Our courses are all developed by faculty, staff and specialists employed by CSU and all course content is peer-reviewed. However, our noncredit programming is not accredited separately from the University accreditation.

How do I apply to become a Colorado Master Gardener?

You can find out more about this process at ColoradoMasterGardener.org. Click on “About” and then “Become a Master Gardener.” If you’d like to find out more about your local county program, contact information is listed on the website.

If I complete Green School now, can I become a Colorado Master Gardener later?

We regularly have folks that complete the Certified Colorado Gardener program and then at a later date apply for the CMG program in their local county. This is an option within 3 years of successfully completing the Certified Colorado Gardener (Green School) training. We do not provide refunds for the price difference if you choose to become a CMG later, but you will have free access to re-take all online training classes if desired. Additionally, we offer continuing education classes to all CMG volunteers annually, both at the state and local level.

How do Short Courses work?

Each Short Course includes five lessons. We have four different options:

  • Colorado Gardening Foundations: Soils, Entomology, Tree Care & Planting, Colorado Gardening Challenges, Irrigation
  • Landscape Management Basics: Soils, Lawn Care, Weed Management, Irrigation, Tree Care & Planting
  • Plant Diagnostics: Soils, Botany, Integrated Pest Management & Plant Diagnosis, Entomology, Plant Pathology
  • Growing Food: Soils, Vegetables, Small Fruits, Tree Fruits, Entomology

For instance, the ‘Growing Food’ course gives you access to five lessons (soils, vegetables, small fruits, tree fruits, and entomology). All courses are self-paced and you have access to the courses for one year.

Are course lessons customizable?

No. We cannot offer customized lesson bundles. You are welcome to registered for two or more Short Courses, but please know that some overlap content (for instance, the Soils class in offered in all four Short Courses). If many Short Courses (and lessons) interest you, you’re better off registering for Green School Full Program, so you have access to all 14 lessons. You will earn a certificate of completion for each Short Course you complete, but you cannot earn a Certified Colorado Gardener certificate by completing Short Courses.

I’m interested in a career in horticulture. Are there other course options?

Yes! CSU has excellent horticulture academic programs, including three online programs:

Pricing & Payment FAQs

Why is there a price difference between programs?

We subsidize the price of Green School training for our CMG volunteers, since they’ll be required to provide 50 hours of service in their first year following training. If a volunteer does not complete their service hours, they are billed $15/hour up to $345. We know many people cannot commit to volunteer service, so we offer Green School to non-volunteers at a non-subsidized rate of $545.

Do you offer scholarship for Green School?

Yes! We offer need-based scholarships both for Colorado Master Gardener and the Green School Full Program. Both are eligible for a 50% discount on training but are subject to availability and are only offered to those who apply by the deadline. CSU employees and county employees are automatically eligible for a 50% discount.

Do you offer refunds?

No. Unfortunately, we cannot offer refunds. Please ensure you’re prepared to commit to the program before registering and paying.

Can I use GI bill or other sponsored funding to pay for Green School?

The GI Bill only applies to academic credit courses. Green School is a non-credit program. Students have inquired about military discounts for noncredit courses in the past, but unfortunately, we’ve never offered any special tuition rates for the military. If you have another sponsoring source (employer, partner/family member, AmeriCorps, etc.) we can accept sponsored payments. Please contact greenschool@colostate.edu for information.

Can I ‘gift’ a registration?

We have limited options for gifting registration but will try to work with you. Please contact us at greenschool@colostate.edu to learn more.

Can I pay with a check?

Our standard payment process during registration is using a credit card. If you need to pay with a check, you can start your online registration and mail a check (payable to: “Colorado State University”) to:

Colorado State University Online
Division of Continuing Education
Colorado State University
1040 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1040

Your registration will be in pending registration status until the check is received. Once processed, you’ll receive the Canvas login information via email with instructions on how to access your course(s).

Green School FAQs (After You Enroll)

Where can I find the full course schedule?

The detailed schedule can be downloaded from CertifiedColoradoGardener.org

What is the workload like for Green School?

We have a clear start and end date on our schedule but you’ll note the last month of classes are all optional plus we’ve got a couple “off/break” weeks included in the schedule to keep everyone on-track. Our goal is for you to be successful and learn as much as possible.

The first week of class provides an overview of the course, requirements, how to access/complete online classes AND an introduction to CSU Extension. We strongly recommend scheduling time to complete online trainings and weekly live class reviews. Weekly reviews are recorded and posted promptly if your schedule doesn’t align – it’s OK.

Most classes require up 4-6 hours to complete. The first month contains the longest classes (soils, botany, & trees) in terms of reading and online class content. To support students, we have several “off or catch-up” weeks scheduled to help you ease into the swing of things and have some breaks.

It might also be helpful to know that you’ll have access to all classes and course recordings for a full year.

What are the weekly live reviews?

Following online classes, we offer two sessions for students to join us online for a live class review including Q&A with a subject-matter expert. These are offered Wednesday evenings and Thursday mornings – students are only expected to attend ONE of the sessions. A recording will be available if you have to miss and a complete Q&A document is provided for most sessions.

Will I need to be on camera?

No need to dress up or worry about camera and microphone technology – we don’t allow students to share video because we’ve found it to be distracting and sometimes difficult to manage. Instead, we utilize the Q&A feature in Zoom as well as the Chat box to connect.

Do you take role?

We also don’t take role. These live sessions are highly encouraged – but optional to attend live. You can always watch the recordings.

How long can I access course materials online?

You’ll have access to individual courses for one year from the time you enroll. The Full Program and review sessions occur from November to March. You’ll have access to Full Program course content until March of the following year.

What should I know about the Final Exam?

You’ll have unlimited time to complete 50 multiple choice questions. We recommend completing the test in one sitting – but you can leave and come back to the final in multiple sessions. It is open book, open note and researching is encouraged. You have ONE try and you must pass with a 70% or better to earn your certificate. Since the test is open-book, open-note and researching is encouraged, we feel this is very fair.

How do I earn a certificate?

To obtain certification, trainees in the full course must complete 8 online classes and pass the comprehensive final (open-book, research encouraged) with a 70% or better.

Upon completion of the course, you’ll receive a Colorado Gardener Certificate. However, because there is no subsequent volunteer commitment, participants do not become Colorado State Extension Master Gardeners. The title of ‘CSU Extension Master Gardener’ is a federally registered mark and only to be used for CSU Extension events and purposes.

The Colorado Gardener Certificate may be displayed in a place of business and used in business marketing.

Short Course participants will receive a Certificate of Completion for the specified short course. All courses must be completed to earn this certificate.

What if I can’t finish the course in the schedule provided? Can I defer to a later semester?

While we can’t transfer you to the next semester, you do have access to all of the curriculum, online courses and ALL recordings for a full year. This means, you can catch-up and watch everything within one year of starting. AND if you have questions along the way, you can still contact any instructor listed in Canvas by subject/course.

Are there resources outside of Canvas I can access?

Oh yes! We’ve got so much information and many excellent resources that will be shared as we go through the course. Here are a few available for free: