Master Gardener
Encyclopedia
Master Gardener programs (also known as Extension Master Gardener Programs) are volunteer programs to advise and educate the public on gardening
and horticulture
. In the US, groups are affiliated with a land-grant university
and one of its cooperative extension service
offices. Canadian Master Gardener groups have different organizational structures, including incorporation as a charitable non-profit (Ontario) and universities (Saskatchewan.) Typically, Master Gardeners receive extensive training and then provide information to the public via phone or email helplines, speaking at public events, writing articles for publications and the internet, and partnering with other community programs, gardens, and educational facilities..
Master Gardeners are active in all 50 states in the United States
and four Canadian
provinces. [site needs updating.] According to the 2009 Extension Master Gardener Survey, there are nearly 95,000 active Extension Master Gardeners, who provide approximately 5,000,000 volunteer service hours of per year to their communities. Once volunteers are accepted into a Master Gardener program, they are trained by cooperative extension, university, and local industry specialists in subjects such as taxonomy
, plant pathology, soil health
, entomology
, cultural growing requirements, sustainable gardening
, nuisance wildlife management
, and integrated pest management
.
Cooperative Extension in the greater Seattle area to meet a high demand for urban horticulture
and gardening advice. The first trial clinic was held at the Tacoma Mall in 1972. When that was successful, the Master Gardeners Program was officially established, a curriculum created, and training began in King County
and Pierce County
in 1973. The concept then spread to other U.S. states and Canadian provinces.
and the eXtension Consumer Horticulture National Committee provide a limited amount of national leadership, the program is mainly county based with statewide coordination. In Canada, the programs are organized provincially with member groups and individual Master Gardeners providing services in local areas.
Gardening
Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...
and horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
. In the US, groups are affiliated with a land-grant university
Land-grant university
Land-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
and one of its cooperative extension service
Cooperative extension service
The Cooperative Extension Service, also known as the Extension Service of the USDA, is a non-formal educational program implemented in the United States designed to help people use research-based knowledge to improve their lives. The service is provided by the state's designated land-grant...
offices. Canadian Master Gardener groups have different organizational structures, including incorporation as a charitable non-profit (Ontario) and universities (Saskatchewan.) Typically, Master Gardeners receive extensive training and then provide information to the public via phone or email helplines, speaking at public events, writing articles for publications and the internet, and partnering with other community programs, gardens, and educational facilities..
Master Gardeners are active in all 50 states in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and four Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
provinces. [site needs updating.] According to the 2009 Extension Master Gardener Survey, there are nearly 95,000 active Extension Master Gardeners, who provide approximately 5,000,000 volunteer service hours of per year to their communities. Once volunteers are accepted into a Master Gardener program, they are trained by cooperative extension, university, and local industry specialists in subjects such as taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
, plant pathology, soil health
Soil health
Soil health is an assessment of ability of a soil to meet its range of ecosystem functions as appropriate to its environment.- Aspects of soil health :The term soil health is used to assess the ability of a soil to:...
, entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
, cultural growing requirements, sustainable gardening
Sustainable gardening
Sustainable gardening comprises a disparate group of horticultural interests that share, to a greater or lesser extent, the aims and objectives associated with the international post-1980s sustainable development and sustainability programs...
, nuisance wildlife management
Nuisance wildlife management
Nuisance wildlife management is the term given to the process of selective removal of problem individuals or populations of certain species of wildlife. Other terms for the field, include "Wildlife Damage Management , "Wildlife Control", and "Animal Damage Control" to name a few...
, and integrated pest management
Integrated Pest Management
Integrated pest management is an ecological approach to agricultural pest control that integrates pesticides/herbicides into a management system incorporating a range of practices for economic control of a pest...
.
History
The first Master Gardener program was founded by Washington State UniversityWashington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
Cooperative Extension in the greater Seattle area to meet a high demand for urban horticulture
Urban horticulture
Urban and peri-urban horticulture includes all horticultural crops grown for human consumption and ornamental use within and in the immediate surroundings of cities. Although crops have always been grown inside the city, the practice is expanding and gaining more attention...
and gardening advice. The first trial clinic was held at the Tacoma Mall in 1972. When that was successful, the Master Gardeners Program was officially established, a curriculum created, and training began in King County
King County, Washington
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....
and Pierce County
Pierce County, Washington
right|thumb|[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] - Seat of Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of Washington. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory...
in 1973. The concept then spread to other U.S. states and Canadian provinces.
External links
The National Extension Master Gardener website is located at http://www.extension.org/mastergardener. There is also a National Extension Master Gardener Blog at http://blogs.extension.org/mastergardener. While the USDA's National Institute of Food and AgricultureNational Institute of Food and Agriculture
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture is a U.S. Federal government body whose creation was mandated in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. It is intended to consolidate all federally-funded agricultural research, and will be subordinate to the Department of Agriculture...
and the eXtension Consumer Horticulture National Committee provide a limited amount of national leadership, the program is mainly county based with statewide coordination. In Canada, the programs are organized provincially with member groups and individual Master Gardeners providing services in local areas.