Organic Master Gardener Course

Be prepared for a major shift in paradigms! This is a gardening course, and so much more. Students have called it "life changing" - because once you truly understand the connection between soil health, plant health, human health and environmental health you will look at the world with different eyes.

This course is intense - challenging - inspiring!

• Learn to create fabulous food and ornamental gardens without pesticides and other harmful chemicals
• Become a SOUL Organic Master Gardener and share your knowledge with others through mentorship programs, workshops, talks and many other creative ways
• Gain essential skills to start or enhance your own business in the rapidly growing organic land care industry
• Prepare to write the SOUL Organic Certification exam for land care professionals
• Earn generous Continuing Education Credits to maintain your industry certifications (ISA, CNLA, BCSLA, SOUL)

Everyone is welcome. No previous experience required. Just come, learn and have fun. This is a practical experience-based course consisting of lectures and hands-on exercises. To receive a Certificate of Completion students must attend all sessions and satisfactorily complete all assignments and quizzes.

The SOUL Organic Master Gardener Program follows in the footsteps of the highly successful Master Gardener programs in North America. Please download the SOUL Organic Master Gardener brochure to find out more about this fabulous program!

Organic Master Gardener ^®is a registered trademark of Gaia College.

This program partially satisfies the requirements of the Diploma in Organic Land Care

Student Comment

Thank you very much for the awesome courses. They have made me a gardener.
Shane Tillapaugh, Eco Island Gardenscapes, Courtenay, B.C.

Student Comment

Thanks again for doing such a great job with the OMG course. It’s provided lots of great resources that I’ve been able to pull from. Just recently the local community gardeners were asking us... and whether or not it truly is organic. Between the resources on the Gaia website and Soul, I was able to answer all their questions and provide them with the tools for more educated opinions around labeling. That’s just one example, I use the information the course provided weekly, and my position at LEPS doesn’t focus on gardening!
Kim Greenwood
Special Projects Coordinator
Langley Environmental Partners Society

Payment Options

By Mail				On-line
Cheque drawn on a Canadian bank
Money order in Canadian funds

At this time, there are no prerequisites for this course.

Student Comments

I have to tell you how much I am enjoying these classes. Up to now I've taken other courses which have covered much of the same material, but this time things are really clicking. I'm understanding more and retaining more of the information. I'm more aware of the implications of going organic not just in gardening but in other aspects of my life. It's like an epiphany. It sounds silly when I write it down, but it's made me so much more aware. Thank you.
Barb Bancroft, Vancouver

Thank you again for an awesome Organic Master Gardener Course. I feel very fortunate to be amongst the first graduating class. As I have said to you in person, the course has been life-changing for me, giving me a deeper, richer, more respectful and more aware relationship with my planet, ecosystem, and personal life.
Anne Finlay, Victoria

There are no exams in this course, as the emphasis is on developing practical skills and the ability to synthesize information.

To receive a Certificate of Completion students must attend all sessions and satisfactorily complete all assignments.

Student Comment

Thank you so much Heide, for your advice on this matter and also for the fabulous programs you have compiled.  The OMG really sparked my passion for gardening/landscaping into full flame.  I look forward to meeting you one day. The OMG has provided me with a new way to 'dig' my work, a challenging way to look at our whole industry.  I think this "Shifting Paradigm" is timely and necessary for those of us who love and honor Mother Earth!
Valerie Deakin

Today was our first class! I'm so impressed with the course material. Lots of substance and no fluff, just the way I like it! We viewed your DVD today on pesticides and it was so clear and concise. Thank you!
Tara Qua, Gabriola Island

Required Text

Texts are included in the fees. Some handouts are provided in class. Additional handouts will be provided on-line at the course website.

Hermary, Heide, Working with Nature - Shifting Paradigms, Gaia College. Particularly designed to lead the student through the paradigm shift that is necessary before he or she is capable of truly holistic thinking.

Access to our extensive online resource library is included in the tuition.

Required Supplies

Students require bypass pruners for the pruning practice, and basic gardening tools for the garden bed installation and composting classes. All other materials will be supplied.

Student Comment

The course has given me a larger vision: the ability to stand back and assess those practical aspects of drainage, soil structure, irrigation needs, compaction concerns, site features and utilization, plant health and landscape protection. These practical aspects must continuously be related to the ever-present consideration of nature's need to strive towards a more balanced approach.Working with nature has more meaning for me, and, I hope, for those students with whom I interact.
Laurie Hardy, College Instructor

Attendance at this program earns you the following Continuing Education Credits (CECs):

International Society of Arboriculture: Certified Arborist
Pre-approved:
30 Credits

International Society of Arboriculture: Board Certified Management Arborist
Pre-approved:
30 Credits (Science 15, Practice 15)

B.C. Society of Landscape Architects
As per Society guidelines - eligibility of this program has been confirmed

SOUL Certified Organic Land Care Professional
Full required credits for 3-year certification renewal

Canadian Horticultural Technician
Full required credits for yearly certification renewal

Student Comment

I have found the program extremely helpful in operating my business. I now have a lot more knowledge and the confidence to make the right choices.
Michael Cowan, Organic Landscaper