Extension
It Starts With Us
Author: Nicole Rhein
Major Program: Master Gardener
The Marshall Master Gardener Association has worked diligently to bring quality research based information to the people of Marshall County. In an effort to meet this goal, the gardener's present a gardening series at the local library yearly. The programs teach clientele about timely gardening topics. The gardeners hope the clientele will use the information they learned successfully in their home gardens. Pictured: Master Gardener, Johnnie Davis presenting information on Herbs at the
Author: Keith Hackworth
Major Program: Master Gardener
The Floyd County Extension Master Gardeners continues outstanding programs and community service. At this point in the year, thirteen master gardeners have completed 407 volunteer hours and reached 2,817 individuals through their efforts. Several are doing community service projects by working with raised bed gardening at nursing home facilities, senior housing sites, and low income housing centers. Most have manned our educational booth at the local farmers market, providing nutritional and edu
Author: Sarah Imbus
Major Program: Master Gardener
Celebrating 20 years of beauty and education, Lakeside Commons Educational Gardens has been a county jewel. Lakeside Commons’ mission is to serve as an educational garden for hands-on interactive learning for all citizens in Campbell County and neighboring Greater Cincinnati. Plants and growing techniques shown in the garden are based on research by the horticulture staff and volunteers. The educational gardens represented are the rose garden, which features over 110 different varieties, v
Author: Erika Wood
Major Program: Master Gardener
In the past three years, the Pennyroyal Master Gardener Association has held a spring and fall plant swap at the Hopkins County Farmers Market. The purpose of the fall plant swap was to give the community an opportunity to come swap plants with one another. Participants brought plants they were willing to give away and then could pick from plants donated by other participants to take home. A wide range of plants were brought to the swap and included the following: herbaceous pe
Author: Adam Leonberger
Major Program: Master Gardener
The Kentucky Master Gardener Program is an intensive thirteen week series of classes focusing on various aspects of horticulture. While it does benefit the participants, the primary goal is to train new volunteers to be better gardeners and stewards of the land, as well as grow in their leadership skills and in community involvement. Each person who completes the program must return 40 hours of community service through the Cooperative Extension Service during the first year after the completion
Author: Adam Leonberger
Major Program: Master Gardener
Capital Area Extension Master Gardeners have held an annual plant sale for over 10 years. This sale not only provides the bulk of the revenue for outreach activities and an academic scholarship, but also provides an opportunity for county residents to obtain plants at a very affordable price. The Covid-19 pandemic forced the traditional in-person plant market. The Capital Area Extension Master Gardeners worked closely with the Franklin Co Extension staff to successfully transiti
Author: Erika Wood
Major Program: Master Gardener
In September of 2019, a new master gardener class was conducted at the Hopkins County Extension Office. In order to become a certified master gardener volunteer, gardeners must undergo a minimum 12 week training, which consists of 24 hours of core subject courses including: Cooperative Extension/Volunteerism, Botany, Soils, Plant Pathology, Entomology, and Pesticides/Pesticides Safety/Environmental Issues. Optional classes such as Annuals and Perennials, Home Vegetable Gardening, Com
Author: Laura Maggard
Major Program: Master Gardener
Lawrence County Master Gardener President was up late one night thinking of project ideas for the Master Gardener Club to complete in the months ahead. She started thinking of projects that could be mobile that the group could take around to schools, nursing homes, and other facilities. That night she came up with the idea of a mobile sensory garden. She immediately approached the club about it to get feedback. All members were on board and ready to get started. Once all the fine details were fi
Author: Kathryn Wimberley
Major Program: Master Gardener
SITUATION:Demand for home horticulture information continues to increase for Kentucky county Extension offices. The Kentucky Extension Master Gardener (EMG) Program develops trained volunteers to assist county Extension staff in meeting this need for research-based information and public outreach.STATEMENT: Paducah Parks hosts an annual Holiday Market of the Farmers Market program. Each year the Horticulture Agent is asked to provide an educational booth at this Holiday Market. In keeping w
Author: Andrea Stith
Major Program: Master Gardener
The Kentucky Extension Master Gardener program is a volunteer organization dedicated to teaching and training people about horticulture related topics. This program is a part of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service and assists county extension agents in providing education and outreach in the community. Master Gardeners are required to undergo training and complete 40 hours of volunteer service in their first year before becoming certified. After the first year, Master Garden
Author: Stephen Lewis
Major Program: Master Gardener
The Master Gardener state conference was hosted in Jefferson County for the first time at the Parklands of Floyd's Fork on September 18, 2019 - September 20, 2019, in the Gheens Foundation Lodge. The theme for this year's conference was Urban Parks and Gardens: Past, Present, and Future. Our featured speakers were Rick Darke and Tom Smarr, well-respected landscape design consultants. Both have worked together on the design of the Woodland Gardens at Broad Run Park at the Parklands a
Author: Annette Heisdorffer
Major Program: Master Gardener
Gardening is a popular hobby. The Extension Master Gardener volunteers provide the horticulture Extension agent with the ability to reach more people with gardening interest in the community with science-based information. The 2019 Extension Master Gardener Class was conducted in the fall over 14 weeks. It was taught by the Daviess County Extension Agent for Horticulture Education and University of Kentucky Extension specialists. Soil testing is one of the topics and an i
Author: Sharon Flynt
Major Program: Master Gardener
“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in”. Author UnknownIn 2018-2019, Scott County Extension Master Gardener volunteers helped their neighbors, served their communities, and provided their expertise through the Scott County Cooperative Extension Horticulture Program. During this time, Scott County Master Gardeners donated approximately 450 hours b
Author: Erika Wood
Major Program: Master Gardener
The Master Gardener program is a volunteer organization dedicated to teaching and training people about horticulture related topics. This program is a part of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service and assists county extension agents in providing education and outreach in the community. Master Gardeners are required to undergo training and complete 40 hours of volunteer service in their first year before becoming certified. After the first year, Master Gardeners ar
Author: William Crawford
Major Program: Master Gardener
Like most of the country, direct personal access to Extension professionals by the operators of urban gardens and other farm enterprises is limited due to travel restrictions and health concerns related to the Covid 19 pandemic. The founder and operator of the grass roots community driven agricultural production entity known as the Russellville Urban Gardening Project in the heart of one of the lowest socio-economic areas of Logan County, is struggling to get ground broke for Spring planti
Author: Faye Kuosman
Major Program: Master Gardener
Certified Extension Master Gardeners (EMG) play crucial roles in county extension offices throughout the state of Kentucky. After receiving training and certification, they are expected to serve their communities by conducting educational programs and service projects in addition to continuing education. An important component to the program nationally is leadership development, however there is no official leadership development training for EMG in most Kentucky counties.Because these volunteer
Author: Faye Kuosman
Major Program: Master Gardener
The Extension Master Gardeners (EMG) Program is a volunteer management and outreach program of the Cooperative Extension Service. It is an intensive fifteen week horticultural training for individuals who then volunteer as Master Gardeners in their communities. Based on data from 2015 and 2016, 50 counties in Kentucky have EMG programs that engage 1,445 active volunteers across the state.The Woodford County Extension Horticulture Agent partners with the Franklin County Extension Horticulture Age
Author: Jamie Dockery
Major Program: Master Gardener
The Master Gardener program is a CAFE featured program and a major initiative for participating counties. Many Master Gardener volunteers assist county agents by accepting samples, completing homeowner site visits, fielding phone calls from homeowners, and/or providing general diagnostic assistance. As diagnosis of plant problems is a challenging and often intimidating process, many volunteers are timid to participate in these programs. In order to provide Master Gardeners with additional educat
Author: Kimberly Leonberger
Major Program: Master Gardener
The Master Gardener program is a CAFE featured program and a major initiative for participating counties. Many Master Gardener volunteers assist county agents by accepting samples, completing homeowner site visits, fielding phone calls from homeowners, and/or providing general diagnostic assistance. As diagnosis of plant problems is a challenging and often intimidating process, many volunteers are timid to participate in these programs. In order to provide Master Gardeners with additional educat
Author: Kimberly Leonberger
Major Program: Master Gardener
The Master Gardener program is a CAFE featured program and a major initiative for participating counties. Many Master Gardener volunteers assist county agents by accepting samples, completing homeowner site visits, fielding phone calls from homeowners, and/or providing general diagnostic assistance. As diagnosis of plant problems is a challenging and often intimidating process, many volunteers are timid to participate in these programs. In order to provide Master Gardeners with additional educat
Author: Adam Leonberger
Major Program: Master Gardener
Kentucky’s spectacular environment and beautiful landscapes have helped to shape our economy, culture, and history. The demand for information from Franklin County residents has risen sharply as the society has focused more on climate change and failing ecological systems. These residents understand that it is everyone’s responsibility to be good stewards of the land to protect and restore our natural resources’ quality and diversity that make Kentucky a great place
Author: Gina Ligon
Major Program: Master Gardener
Boone County: Advanced Master Gardener ProgramMaster Gardener volunteers are asked horticulture related questions when serving the community. To refresh their memory of the material they learned in their Master Gardener Program, re-certified Master Gardener volunteers had the opportunity to enhance their landscape problem- solving skills, review the Kentucky Master Gardener Manual, and presented their landscape design to other Master Gardeners. Each week eighteen Master Gardener&rsqu
Author: Gina Ligon
Major Program: Master Gardener
Boone County: Master Gardeners Staying ConnectedMaster Gardeners Staying Connected was a virtual program developed to keep Master Gardener volunteers engaged, once the Covid-19 regulations began. Forty-seven Master Gardener volunteers are invited weekly to engage using zoom. During our staying connected zoom meetings, Master Gardener volunteers have the opportunity to educate others about plants in their in their yards and University of Kentucky horticulture publication review.Allow
Author: Bethany Wilson
Major Program: Master Gardener
Since 2000, the Extension Master Gardener (EMG) Program has been offered to Pulaski County and surrounding counties. Master Gardeners are required to volunteer hours of service back to the community or in efforts that help Cooperative Extension. Over the course of this fiscal year, the Lake Cumberland Master Gardeners have volunteered almost 1150 hours of community service. Using hourly wage data from the Independent Sector, this amounts to roughly $
Author: Sarah Imbus
Major Program: Master Gardener
Programming this year has been challenging locally, state, nationally, and internationally as we as nation and communities strategize creative ways to continue to be a resource for families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Extension more so than ever, has stepped up forces to continue to provide to communities and families. As more people are staying home, horticulture has increased contact with individuals interested in improving their home landscape, growing the
Author: Kelly Jackson
Major Program: Master Gardener
Master Gardeners is a program run by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service to train citizens in many areas of horticulture. Upon completion of the Master Gardener education program, participants are expected to return 30 hours of community volunteer service through organized projects within one year to earn the title Master Gardener and 15 hours annually to maintain their volunteer status. During the 2019 program year Master Gardeners volunteered:466 hours of service in planti
Author: Annette Heisdorffer
Major Program: Master Gardener
Green River Area Extension Master Gardener Association plays an integral role in Daviess County. In the fall of 2019, we conducted an evaluation of individual and community-level impacts of GRAEMGA. We found that individuals participating not only increased their garden and environmental education competency, but they also gained leadership skills in teamwork, communication, and working with diverse populations. They also developed new social networks with organizational partners and fellow volu
Author: Kara Back
Major Program: Master Gardener
The motivation and retention of volunteers are increasingly important to organizations that depend on adult volunteers (Van Horn, Flanagan, & Thomson, 1999). Effective training programs enable volunteer leaders to develop sets of skills, receive rewards, and experience social affiliation. These are all key motivators for adult volunteer leader participation and retention (Hall, 1995; Rouse & Clawson, 1992). A considerable amount of time and resources, on the part of both volunteer a
Author: Amy Aldenderfer
Major Program: Master Gardener
Hardin County has almost 40,000 households with over 105,000 residents. Extension Master Gardeners enable residents to access research based information as an extension to the county Horticulture Agent. The Extension Master Gardener Program consists of 12 classes of intense training in various areas of interest to a horticulture enthusiast. Each member was required to prepare a 10 minute presentation on a horticulture or Extension topic of personal interest. After the classroom traini
Author: Deborah Stumbo
Major Program: Master Gardener
Due to the Covid-19 virus, there are many individuals interested in gardening and producing as much vegetables as possible. Most inquirys are from individuals that had never grown a garden before and think it takes a large amount of land to develop a home garden. The Master Gardeners decided to develop a small "demo garden" on the Extension facility grounds. The Master Gardeners designed new areas and developed some existing raised beds to demonstrate how a small area
Author: Lori Bowling
Major Program: Master Gardener
Extension Master Gardener volunteers help to expand the outreach efforts of the Horticulture program in Boyd County. They are a vital part of Cooperative Extension Service in the community by helping to present educational programs using their gardening experiences and knowledge they have gained through the Master Gardener class and the educational programs they have at their monthly meetings. They volunteer to help plan and execute such extension programs as Farmers Market, the Holi
