Master Gardener Training
OSU Master Gardeners™ are Highly Trained Volunteers. Master Gardeners™:
- Are trained by OSU Extension Service faculty and industry professionals.
- Receive 60-70 hours of instruction over a 10-12 week period during the winter (programs differ from county to county, depending on community needs).
- Volunteer at least an equivalent number of hours during their first year as a Master Gardener.
- Help maintain Master Gardener programs in 30 of Oregon's 36 counties.
OSU Master Gardeners™ Educate and Serve Oregonians. Master Gardeners™:
- Provide non-biased, science-based gardening information to the public.
- Diagnose plant problems and provide sustainable solutions to Oregon gardeners.
- Design and present education programs on subjects of interest to Oregonians including:
- Integrated pest management (IPM) practices,
- Yard waste management and composting,
- Water quality protection,
- Gardening with children, youth, seniors and the physically challenged.
- Provide a window to research and education at Oregon State University to Oregonians.
OSU Master Gardeners™ Make a Difference!
- A total of 3,206 volunteers donated 111,899 hours of service to the OSU Master Gardener™ program in 2006 - the equivalent of an additional 71 OSU Extension employees with a monetary value of $2.3 million!
- OSU Master Gardeners™ had direct contact with 113,047 Oregonians in plant clinics and education programs.
Master Gardener Training is currently conducted out of Extension Service offices in 30 Counties. Although these counties offer courses on topics such as basic botany, entomology, and plant disease, programs are tailored to the different climates, soils and local needs of individual counties. Thus, the Master Gardener™ training in different areas will provide specific information to Master Gardener™ trainees about gardening in their own bioregion.
Master Gardener™ training typically takes place in the winter months (January-March), although the exact timing varies by county. If you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener volunteer, contact your local Extension Office. You will be asked to fill out a brief application, and to perhaps meet with your local Extension Agent and/or current Master Gardener volunteers. At that time, your Extension Agent and/or the Master Gardeners will discuss with you the basic outline of the course, volunteer commitments and opportunities within your region, and any other aspect of Master Gardener training that you might have questions about.
To learn more about being a Master Gardener volunteer, you can read Oregon State University Extension Service publication EM 8749, entitled ‘An Introduction to Being a Master Gardener Volunteer’. You can also access the Master Gardener Program Brochure, EM 8723, ‘The Oregon Master Gardener Program’, to learn more about the program. To learn more about Master Gardener activities, specific to your county or region, please contact your local Extension office.
There is also a Master Gardener Online training course offered in partnership with OSU Extended Campus.
