By Sheri Dorn

The Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteer program is celebrating its 45th anniversary with signature events throughout 2024, culminating in the Georgia Master Gardener Association’s annual conference Oct. 4-5.

Hosted on the University of Georgia Griffin campus, the event’s theme is “Think Globally, Grow Locally” and will feature research tours, presentations and workshops hosted by Master Gardeners from Henry County and the Georgia Master Gardener Association. Registration is limited and early bird pricing ends Sept. 20, so sign up soon to ensure you have a seat.

The Master Gardener program first started in Georgia in 1979, following its creation in Washington state in 1973. Butch Ferree, retired UGA Cooperative Extension specialist, and the late Newton Hogg, Extension agent in DeKalb County, first introduced the state program by training an initial class of 140 people in metro Atlanta. Since 1979, more than 16,000 people have become Master Gardener Extension Volunteers (MGEVs), contributing more than 4.5 million volunteer service hours.

Becoming a Master Gardener

As representatives of UGA Extension, MGEVs must apply and submit to a background investigation before completing intensive horticultural training to support volunteer projects. To maintain their active status, MGEVs volunteer 50 hours the first year following training and must contribute at least 25 service hours each year thereafter. Georgia MGEVs use an online record-keeping system to track their accomplishments.

While the service projects and educational events MGEVs support have stayed largely the same, other aspects of the program have changed. When the program began, there was no textbook for the training class. Lectures were given in classrooms using 35mm photo slides and projectors. In time, a course notebook was fashioned from Extension publications. Eventually, the handouts turned into well-written chapters providing in-depth coverage of basic horticulture topics including  soils and the care of vegetables, annuals and perennials, turf, trees and shrubs.

MGEVs complete at least 50 hours of classroom training to prepare for their volunteer role. Over the years, the MGEV curriculum has changed according to public needs, adding topics including composting, weed science, irrigation and basic public speaking techniques.

Adapting to change

During drought conditions in the early 2000s, the program added a unit on water-smart techniques for MGEVs to teach wise water use and stewardship to communities. While MGEV training still covers these basic subjects, the curriculum has expanded to include topics including native and invasive plants, the benefit of plants to people, gardening with youth, rain barrels and rain gardens, pollinators and more.

Technology has left its thumbprint on the MGEV program, too. From video tapes and CDs in the 1990s to digital photography and portable video equipment in the early 2000s, Extension specialists were able to share vastly improved training materials for MGEVs. Soon thereafter, the first virtual statewide training was coordinated by UGA-Griffin, providing essential support to smaller MGEV programs a distance from campus. Now, virtual programming has become the norm for MGEV training classrooms, allowing great flexibility for Extension specialists and agents who continue to train and prepare MGEVs to support Extension programming.

Offering guidance to the community

As horticultural issues in Georgia have expanded and programming has grown to address concerns for residential property owners, Extension established advanced training in the early 2000s. Volunteers attended specialized on-campus training in topics including plant troubleshooting and water stewardship that equipped them to better support public services and programs like plant clinics, landscape maintenance workshops and youth gardening programs.

While program standards have changed over the years, Master Gardeners remain people who care deeply about sharing gardening knowledge with their communities. If asked for help, they answer. If they have extra plants, they share. If they see a spot that needs perking up, they plant a garden. UGA Extension values Master Gardeners’ passion for horticulture and energy to educate.

UGA Extension offices in 60 Georgia counties offer the Master Gardener program. Last year, 2,036 active volunteers contributed nearly 160,000 volunteer hours and made more than 1.2 million contacts, sharing timely information about selecting and caring for ornamental plants and gardening for home food production. These hours include strategic community and youth projects determined at the local level.

To get involved with the Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteer program, visit extension.uga.edu. To register for the annual conference for the Georgia Master Gardeners Association, visit georgiamastergardeners.org.