Master Gardeners spill the dirt sometimes

There are many ways to pursue your love of gardening besides getting your hands in the dirt. One of the best known is the Master Gardener program, an organization that is often misunderstood. 

First of all, you do not already have to be an experienced and knowledgeable gardener to join them. They will train you to become a Master Gardener, no matter what level of gardening knowledge you have at the beginning, even if your “garden” is a cluster of succulents in terra cotta pots sitting on your patio.

Secondly, the role of a Master Gardener is basically educational. You simply have to enjoy gardening and be willing to learn from great teaching gardeners and then agree to share your new gardening know-how with others in your community.

It began with answers to homeowners questions

The first Master Gardener program was founded in 1973 by Dr. David Gibby of Washington State University Cooperative Extension in the greater Tacoma area to meet a high demand for urban horticulture and gardening advice. Until then, County Co-op Extension officers in states across the nation focused on providing up-to-date information to commercial growers and farmers about how to make their farms (which were and are business enterprises) more successful. But then homeowners began to call, asking for advice.

Homeowners, however, were looking for very different information and asking different questions than the farmers. Typical queries might be: which plants would produce the largest flowers, how to combat pests on tomato plants and which shrubs grow best in a specific neighborhood.  Rather than hiring additional government employees to help homeowners with their specific questions, Gibby set up a training program for volunteers who could then offer advice to home gardeners and people in their neighborhoods. In some communities, Master Gardeners also create demonstration gardens to show which plants grow best in that locale and they offer classes.

Because gardening conditions vary significantly from place to place, as the Master Gardener concept spread across the country the training programs were customized for local conditions by local County Co-op Extension agents. Today, many are connected with state universities, rather than County Co-op Extension offices which continue to focus on commercial agricultural interests.

An intensive learning program

I took the multi-month-long Master Gardener training in Clark County (Las Vegas) and can tell you it is intensive. Prior to starting the Master Gardener program, I had taken several gardening classes in Santa Barbara, California — a seaside town with a very different gardening environment than Las Vegas in the Mojave desert. So much new information to learn! After I finished the training and began fielding questions from people who were gardening in the desert for the first time I developed a successful website about gardening in a hot, dry desert climate, Hot Gardens, to reach an even larger universe of would-be desert gardeners. For that I thank the Clark County Master Gardeners.

If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a Master Gardener, go here and search for the Master Gardener program in your state or county.

Other gardening-related activities you can do

Clip and talk at a botanical garden

Botanical gardens, while often underwritten in part by local governments, really survive through the generosity of many volunteers.  Some supporters donate money. Others donate their time actually working in the garden—weeding, planting, pruning—under the supervision of the head gardener. Still others work in the gift shop or lead educational tours of the garden. Contact the garden near you to learn about the volunteer opportunities they have.

Gather seeds for others

Many public libraries around the country offer seed libraries where people can “check out” locally grown and harvested seeds to plant and grow at home. There is no requirement that you return seeds from the plants once they have grown, although that is greatly appreciated. The goal is to create seed stocks acclimated to local conditions all across the nation which is especially important as we all, including plants, experience major climate changes.

As part of the seed library, there are usually people associated with the library (not necessarily library staff) who support gardeners from beginner to expert, and teach how to grow, harvest, and save seeds. Often these support gardeners are Master Gardeners.  As a footnote: at the Pima County Library in Tucson where I live, the seed packets are stored in those old, massive, wooden card catalogs—the ones now obsolete because of modern search engines. I have two packets of local nasturtium seeds ready to plant once the temperature cools down below 90F.

Little Free Plant Stand

You may have heard, seen–or even used–the Little Free Libraries. They are those small boxes erected in front of homes where a homeowner or neighbors deposit books to be given away for free to anyone who wants a book. Often a sign on the box requests that you “take a book, donate a book” which means it is like a book exchange that runs on an honor system.

Little Free Plant Stands are similar. It’s like a public neighborhood plant swap that operates by itself unattended. It’s an ideal way to freely exchange plants, etc. with local fellow gardeners without having to spend much time doing it.

Many people use old bookcases for their plant stands. Other stands can be as simple as stacked bricks with boards spread across like improvised bookshelves. 

If you plan to set up one of these, you will need to get things started by placing plants, cuttings, seeds, old worn pots, gardening books or tools–whatever you have to spare–on the shelves of the little stand. Include a sign that reads: Free.

Be mindful that your city or Homeowner’s Association may have rules about stacking stuff in front of your home. While the underlying idea is to exchange plants and gardening items – take one, leave one—it may turn out that you have more takers than givers and everything could be gone overnight. One solution may be using a “drinks cart” or tea cart with wheels that can be rolled out in front of your home during the day and back inside at sunset. Check Facebook for listings of Little Free Plant Stands in your area for other ideas of how to construct a stand and what to put out on it.  You may even want to connect with other free plant stand people in your area to arrange a Saturday Plant Swap for the neighborhood.