CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 10/08/20

Georgia Master Gardener program seeks public input

By Josh Paine

You may have relied on advice from a Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteer in the past. Now they want your input to make plans for the future.

A number of novice gardeners, or gardeners who haven’t gotten their boots in the dirt recently, have reached out to Master Gardeners for recommendations during the pandemic. These new gardeners may also have tuned in to Master Gardener webinar presentations or connected via social media to stay engaged with other gardeners.

“People turn to plants and gardening because it makes them happy, it can provide a source of food, it gives them a sense of accomplishment and it’s something they can do alone or as a family,” explained State Master Gardener Coordinator Sheri Dorn, who is based at the University of Georgia Griffin campus.

The volunteer program, coordinated by UGA Cooperative Extension, reached its 40-year milestone in 2019. Now Dorn and other program organizers want public input as part of their comprehensive strategic planning process to shape the next decade.

“Citizen participation is critical to Extension,” said Dorn. “Plants and horticulture have been huge this year due to the pandemic, and people may not know that we have this unique volunteer program. People with enthusiasm for gardening can partner with us to increase their knowledge and also help others, so we’re looking for people who may be interested to give us input for future Master Gardener program development.”

A statewide survey is currently open to the public for anyone who is not already a Master Gardener and may be interested in the program or its services, including those who may already be an Extension program supporter or stakeholder. Survey topics include Master Gardener program training format, projects and initiatives, personal environmental attitudes, continuing education and advanced training, marketing of the program and more.

Currently, about 60 county Extension offices throughout the state offer the Master Gardener program. Last year 2,330 active volunteers logged nearly 180,000 volunteer hours and more than 1.1 million contacts, disseminating timely information about the selection and care of plants for ornamental value, recreation and home food production. These hours also include strategic community and youth projects determined at the local level.

“As we adapt and transform our program to anticipate the needs and interests of a digital community, we will still maintain the relationships and social connections unique and essential to the volunteer experience,” said Dorn. “Master Gardeners love to be together. They crave personal interaction and love to share food and go on trips — the social element can’t ever go away.”

There is a strong demand for horticultural recommendations from consumers around the state. Ornamental horticulture is big business in Georgia, contributing $8 billion to the economy and 83,000 jobs, according to the UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development.  

Becoming a Master Gardener Extension Volunteer is a big commitment. As representatives of UGA Extension, volunteers must complete an application, training and a background investigation in preparation for supporting volunteer projects. MGEVs volunteer 50 hours the first year following training and must contribute at least 25 service hours each year thereafter to maintain their active status. Georgia MGEVs use an online record keeping system to track their accomplishments.

Participation in the survey is anonymous and open to all adult residents of Georgia through the end of October at tinyurl.com/StratPlanPublic. As an incentive to participate, drawings for free soil samples will be held after the survey period closes.

To learn more about the Master Gardener program, visit gamastergardener.org.

Josh Paine is a marketing specialist with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Authors:
Josh Paine
Experts/Sources:
Sheri Dorn
A statewide survey is currently open to the public for anyone who is not already a Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteer and may be interested in the program or its services. A Master Gardener, pictured here, takes photographs of insects at the UGA Research and Education Garden in Griffin. (file photo)
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
Peach growers are looking forward to a fruitful season as the weather this winter and spring have been near-perfect for the sensitive crop. This year is projected to be a much-needed comeback from the disastrous season they experienced after a late freeze in March 2023 took out more than 90% of the state's crop. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA) CAES News
Growers hopeful 2024 peach season will rebound from disastrous 2023 04/10/24 Emily Cabrera
Last year, the peach industry lost $60 million due to the late freeze that hit much of the Southeast in mid-March 2023, said Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent for Peach and Taylor counties. With no freezing temperatures in the forecast and hope for strong pricing during the upcoming season, peach growers are looking forward to a much-needed rebound year.
A mug of UGArden's chamomile tea. CAES News
UGArden herbal tea program launches sales in campus dining halls 03/21/24 Jordan Powers
The door to UGArden’s herb drying room leads to an olfactory explosion — sharp peppermint, earthy tulsi, sweet calendula and floral chamomile mix into an herbal perfume that would undoubtedly have tea drinkers reaching for their kettles. Now University of Georgia students will be able to get a taste of UGArden’s chamomile tea, along with a selection of the student community farm’s other herbal teas, with their campus meals as the UGArden medicinal herb program expands into UGA dining halls this spring.
UGA horticulture course teaches fundamentals of floral design CAES News
UGA horticulture course teaches fundamentals of floral design 02/08/24 Jordan Powers
As students filter into Julie Campbell’s Tuesday morning lab, they are greeted by bins of sharp tools lining cold, stainless steel tables. It’s dissection day, but not the kind you may expect. This is “Floral Design and Management,” or HORT 3030, and today’s lesson is the anatomy of a flower. Students pass pale pink carnations and delicate yellow-and-orange Alstroemeria around the room as Campbell, assistant professor in the University of Georgia Department of Horticulture, begins a lecture on plant morphology.
At a recent event hosted by City of Refuge, 10 fellows packed 1,200 bags for students who are dealing with food insecurity. (Photo by Wes Mayer) CAES News
UGA program addresses food insecurity in Athens 01/18/24 Kristen Linthicum
The University of Georgia’s Office of Service-Learning has established longstanding partnerships with community organizations to help address local food insecurity. Last September, the office launched the AmeriCorps Community Food Fellows program to further support these organizations. Since then, the 20 fellows have connected with organizations across the Athens community, serving daily meals at Our Daily Bread, harvesting food at UGArden, packing meals with Campus Kitchen, and delivering meals to families served by the Athens Community Council on Aging.
Controlled environment agriculture CAES News
CAES alumnus joins UGA-Griffin to expand food production through controlled environment agriculture 01/10/24 Ashley N Biles
For plant breeder Andrew Ogden, things are looking up. Way up. A new assistant professor in the University of Georgia Department of Horticulture at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Ogden focuses on breeding members of the cucurbit family — namely melons and squash — in a vertical greenhouse environment. An asset to the UGA Griffin campus, Ogden joins the college's controlled environment agriculture research team, which was formed to support the ever-expanding green industry.
CFMG Habitat CAES News
Central Fulton Master Gardeners celebrate 500th Habitat for Humanity landscaping project 12/12/23 Jordan Powers
On a stormy day in September 2009, a crew of Central Fulton Master Gardeners were nearly knee-deep in mud, installing landscaping on their first house for a partnership with Atlanta Habitat for Humanity. It was not how anyone envisioned the project kick-off. More than 14 years later, CFMG has maintained its commitment to the organization, completing its 500th Habitat project — a fitting milestone as the national Extension Master Gardener program celebrates its golden jubilee this year.