How do I go about participating in the Master Gardener program? Have you ever heard about the Extension Master Gardener program, but did not know what the program was about, or how to participate? Here is information that introduces the public to the program and helps recruit gardening enthusiasts to join in Nebraska.
Anyone interested in the Extension Master Gardener program does not have to be a perfect gardener to participate, unlike the misconception that the public may have.
A desire to learn about aspects of the horticulture world and the willingness to share that knowledge with others in their communities are the qualities that Nebraska Extension is looking for in prospective Master Gardener volunteers.
A little history
The Master Gardener program was first implemented by Extension educators at Washington State University in 1972 to help answer the many gardening and landscape questions that would come to Extension offices across the state.
In return for training volunteers who were interested in helping, Extension offered a specific training course on a variety of horticultural topics for these volunteers to give nonbiased, scientific-based recommendations to the people they assisted.
In trade for the Extension-based horticulture training, these volunteers donated a specific amount of volunteer hours on Extension-sponsored educational programs in return for certification purposes with the Extension Master Gardener program.
The program in Nebraska has been active since its establishment in 1976, reaching thousands of people and horticulture industry professionals across the state and the U.S. in face-to-face, news media and social media outreach through demonstrations, educational programs and information sharing.
The number of the volunteer hours collected each year — and the value of those hours — is the equivalent of 12 Extension educator positions, more than the number of Extension educators who serve the horticulture field across Nebraska in a year.
The Extension Master Gardener program is a wonderful example of recruiting, training and empowering volunteers who are interested in horticulture into trained, program-certified volunteers who extend the reach and diversity of the Nebraska Extension horticulture program.
The program is another example how Nebraska Extension is truly the “front door to the university” across Nebraska, where local people are empowered to be part of Nebraska Extension’s outreach and success.
How to join
Applications to join the Extension Master Gardener program are available in December and close in mid-January. The online application will be available to complete at mastergardener.unl.edu, as well as materials about general aspects of the program.
Training each year extends from January through March in most training groups across the state. The initial fee for new volunteer trainees covers the manuals, T-shirt, name badge and program fees. Fees for volunteers in their second year and beyond are much lower to cover state program fees and local program support.
To inquire about the Extension Master Gardener program, ask your local Nebraska Extension county office to place you in contact with the Extension Master Gardener coordinator in your region. Learn more by emailing [email protected], or by calling the Nebraska Extension office in North Platte at 308-532-2683.
Lott is a horticulture Nebraska Extension educator based in North Platte.
Farm and Garden: The Nebraska Extension Master Gardener program trains volunteers who work in their communities.
