EUGENE, Ore. — When the Oregon State University Extension Service Master Gardener Program launched in 1976, Pat Patterson wasn’t the one in her family who planned to sign up.
Her husband, Robert, was.
“He was going to take the course,” Patterson said. “We were both graduate assistants at the University of Oregon and his classes conflicted, and so I just walked in and took his place. Talk about fate.”
That moment set Patterson on a path that has spanned five decades. Now 87, she remains the program’s longest-serving volunteer — still answering gardening questions from her home on a 10-acre farm near Noti.
The Master Gardener Program educates Oregonians about the art and science of growing and caring for plants. Operating in 27 counties, Oregon State University Extension Service trains thousands of volunteers who serve as educators, neighbors and on-the-ground researchers in their communities.
Master Gardener volunteers provide science-based, sustainable gardening information through plant clinics, workshops and community projects — helping Oregonians grow food, steward natural resources and make informed decisions in a changing environment.
The program began in 1976 in Lane County and the Portland metro area with just a few dozen participants. Today, it is a statewide network connecting university research with communities across Oregon.
From the start, Patterson said, the program was different than a garden club.
“A garden club is a social club basically made up of gardeners who swap their stories, do garden sales and so forth,” she said. “Ours requires constant retraining every year. We must recertify, because science changes. It was like going to college. So, it was a very, very deep learning curve, even though I had been gardening for most of my life. I had not been gardening scientifically.”
Early days: meeting a growing need
Patterson was part of a cohort of about 20 volunteers in Lane County. There were no fees, and much of the instruction came from university faculty as OSU Extension built the program from the ground up.
After training, volunteers didn’t staff formal clinics. Instead, they set up wherever they could.
“We would go to any venue that would give us a table,” Patterson said. “We’d sit there with our manuals, and people would come ask us questions. It was kind of scary at first.”
At the time, demand for reliable gardening information was high.
“There was a huge amount of information out there that was not good,” she said.
That need continues today, Patterson said, as gardeners navigate misinformation online, climate variability and evolving best practices.
Inside the Extension office, the program quickly formed strong connections across disciplines.
“It became a very close family,” Patterson said. “We were connected to forestry, to home economics and 4-H — everything.”
From generalists to specialists
As the program evolved, so did its approach to education.
“What we are now is a club of specialists,” Patterson said. “That wasn’t before. We were all generalists before; now we’re all specialists.”
Patterson’s own role expanded over time. After completing the program, she was hired as a horticulture assistant in Lane County, a position she held until 2006.
“I retired being in the office as a paid person,” she said, smiling.
Her volunteer work never stopped.
Through the online “Ask Extension” service, Patterson has answered more than 23,000 gardening questions — part of what she estimates are tens of thousands of volunteer hours.
That kind of service, replicated by volunteers across the state, represents a significant public value: extending university expertise into communities, often at no cost to residents.
“Pat is an amazing person and has always been a joy to work with,” said Erica Chernoh, OSU Extension horticulturist and Master Gardener coordinator for Lane County. “She has jumped into just about every volunteer role out there, from teaching classes to leading committees to hosting a radio show.
“She has a wealth of horticultural knowledge, and her commitment to teaching and community building has strengthened our program and built long-lasting partnerships that continue to this day,” Chernoh said.
Gardening for everyone
One of Patterson’s most lasting contributions has been her work in adaptive gardening.
A longtime member of the Lane County Master Gardener Association’s adaptive gardening committee, she has helped make gardening more accessible to people with a wide range of abilities — from physical limitations to time and space constraints.
“I felt it was really important to allow people to garden no matter what,” she said. “No matter what their physical abilities were, no matter what their mental abilities were, no matter what their time abilities were — there was a way to get around it.”
Her approach reflects broader changes in gardening science and practice, including a shift toward sustainability and working with natural systems instead of relying on chemicals.
“I’m happy to say that science has changed,” Patterson said.
Instead, she emphasizes practices that support soil health, biodiversity and long-term resilience.
“Garden smarter, not harder,” she said.
A lifelong connection
Patterson’s knowledge of plants stretches back decades, shaped by a lifetime of gardening and learning. She has taught classes, contributed to plant clinics and remained active in the gardening community even in retirement.
“Gardening is so great,” she said. “There’s always something you don’t know.”
Of the original Lane County cohort, Patterson was one of three who remained active for decades. She and fellow volunteers Juanita Manley and Phoebe Staples referred to themselves as the “Three Musketeers.”
Today, Patterson is the last surviving member of that original group — and the Master Gardener with the most years of service in the program’s history.
Why it matters now
As the Master Gardener Program marks its 50th anniversary, its role continues to grow in importance.
Across Oregon, residents are turning to gardening for food security, environmental stewardship and personal well-being. At the same time, they face new challenges — from climate change to invasive pests — that require reliable, science-based information.
Master Gardener volunteers help meet that need, serving as a bridge between university research and everyday practice.
For Patterson, that mission has been deeply personal.
“This has been my life and my family,” she said.
“I’m amazed at how much Extension has changed over those 50 years,” she said. “It has grown in ways that we would never have guessed.”
Still, the core remains the same: helping people succeed, one garden at a time.
From her farm outside Noti, Patterson continues that work — answering questions, sharing knowledge and staying engaged.
“Use it or lose it,” she said. “The more you’re challenged, the better chance you have of staying engaged.”
