How to Join
Are you interested in learning about gardening in Central Oregon? Are you willing to share your time and knowledge with your community? Become an OSU Master Gardener™ volunteer!
Now Accepting Applications for the 2025 Central Oregon Master Gardener Program
The Oregon State University (OSU) Master Gardener™ Program in Central Oregon is entering its 44th consecutive year, serving Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson Counties. This program has trained hundreds of VOLUNTEERS and they, in turn, have reached thousands of clients within our communities. This is a volunteer training program with the expectation you will continue to volunteer during and beyond your certification. If you will not be able to volunteer then we recommend you attend our community education gardening classes and workshops throughout the calendar year. Complete our online form at https://forms.gle/MjctU5HWJECadFbP9 to add yourself to our mailing list and get notified when gardening classes are announced.
The OSU Extension Master Gardener Program educates Oregonians about the art and science of growing and caring for plants. The program targets individuals interested in learning and sharing research-based gardening information. Currently, the program has over 90 active volunteers who find the program educational, fun, and very rewarding.
OSU Master Gardener trainees receive 48 hours of intensive classroom training followed by 48 hours of experiential learning. The OSU Master Gardener Program consists of two parts:
- Classroom training (hybrid in person and online in 2025)
- Experiential learning in the plant clinic and community outreach activities.
An individual must complete both parts to successfully become an OSU Master Gardener by October 31, 2025.
Classroom training dates are listed in the application. The cost of the program is $280 for the class of 2025. Partial scholarships are available, call 541-548-6088 to request more information. The deadline to apply is January 10, 2025. Space is limited.
Part 1: Classroom Training
Once you apply and have been accepted, you will be considered an OSU Master Gardener™ trainee. As a trainee, you will participate in weekly hybrid (both in person and online combined) training conducted by qualified OSU Extension faculty, specialists, and certified OSU Master Gardeners™. Training days occur once a week for 8 weeks. Please consider these dates when applying, keeping in mind that you are required to attend a minimum of 7 classes in person. For 2024, these are the training dates:
Location: OSU/Deschutes County Extension Service, 3800 SW Airport Way, Bldg. 3, Redmond, OR
Time: 9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Dates: In person classes will be on Wednesdays, January 29 – April 9, with no class on Feb 26 and Mar 26.
There are several gardening topics covered during classroom training including:
- plant health
- pruning
- pesticide safety
- insects
- weeds
- plant disease
- diversity, equity and inclusion
- vegetable gardening
- climate
- soils
- botany
- turf grass
- plant damage
- composting
- water-wise gardening
Part 2: Experiential Learning/Volunteer Hours
As with any other learning process, hands-on experience is always beneficial and quite fun! In addition to classroom training, trainees are required to volunteer a total of 48 hours in experiential learning to complete their training. This involves working at the OSU Demonstration Garden in Redmond (3 hours required) unless physically unable. The remaining 45 hours of your experiential learning is completed through a variety of community outreach activities (see application).
At the completion of your experiential learning, you will become a certified OSU Master Gardener™. You will need to re-certify on an annual basis to keep your certification status. The OSU Extension Service reserves the right to interview applicants by phone or in person for final selections.