I was involved in a neighboring county’s Master Gardener group before getting certified. It is WELL worth the hours of classwork, but to be honest members of the group, having varied interests and expertise have taught me as much as the classes....It is a continuious growing experience...
I would have never thought to solve a bug problem with soil testing and augmentation of the soil instead of spray, but it works.
OTOH the gardner clubs in my county tend to be the white glove sun-hat variety.
My current group has couples-singles, young-old , those who live in town, rural area.....Just plain ol good, God fearing-loving folks...We laugh lots and support each other though the difficult paths of life.
I am just a novice gardener and can't wait to post the thread every Friday morning because I know there are a bunch of FReepers going to post answers to problems or just share their experience and expertise.