Author: Annette Heisdorffer
Major Program: Master Gardener
Gardening is a popular hobby which results in an increase for the demand of horticultural information. With the help of trained Extension Master Gardener volunteers, who deliver science-based horticultural information, the Horticulture Extension Agent is able to reach more clientele with information on growing and maintain vegetable gardens and landscape plants. They are a vital part of the outreach of the Cooperative Extension Service into the community. In addition, the Extension
Author: Bethany Wilson
Extension Master Gardeners (EMG) are volunteer educators serving across the country in local communities. Backed by the University of Kentucky, Kentucky EMGs are dedicated to outreach and on a mission to support successful gardening through science-based horticulture information. Nine new EMGs In-Training were trained during Fall 2023 in Pulaski County. EMGs are required to volunteer hours of service back to the community or in efforts that help Cooperative Extension. During 2023-24,
Author: Matthew Chadwick
The problemMaster Gardner's look for local service project that can have a lasting impact on the community by providing educational opportunities, impacting community behavioral changes, working with other groups, and promoting the progress of extension. The educational program responseA community composting pilot project. The participants/target audienceCommunity members, local environmental groups, and community leadership. Other partners (if applicable)The National Bo
Author: Benjamin Prewitt
The Whitley County Cooperative Extension Service noticed that there wasn't any available clubs or programs for the youth in our county that involved Horticulture. After a very successful first graduating Master Gardener Class it was decided that it would be an amazing opportunity to co-partner with the 4H Program to offer up a Jr Master Gardener Club for the youth in our county. The recently graduated Master Gardeners would serve in volunteer roles to a
Author: Sharon Flynt
The problemVolunteers play a crucial role in Extension programs, contributing their time, talents, and skills to provide instruction, research, and public service.The educational program responseThe Scott County Extension Master Gardener Prgram's dedicated volunteers are part of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension program. They engage with local citizens, delivering up-to-date, research-based information. In the fiscal year 2023-2024, the Scott County Cooperative Extension Master Gardene
Author: Adam Leonberger
Current research indicates numerous pollinating insect species are threatened or in decline. The USDA states that about one third of global food supplies depend on pollinating insects. There are many simple steps homeowners can take to encourage pollinators in backyard gardens. To provide more education around the topic, horticulture agents from Fayette, Franklin, and Woodford counties planned our annual Extension Master Gardener Conference to focus on pollinators. We selected and tapped speaker
Author: Bryce Roberts
With the continued growth in population in Spencer County, the number of horticulture questions continues to increase. Over the past few years, there has been some interest in starting a Master Gardener program to help educate our local residents in proper horticulture techniques. In January 2023, the Spencer County Master Gardener program started. Master Gardener is a volunteer dri
Author: Kelly Jackson
Interest in vegetable gardening, especially among younger generations, has seen a resurgence in recent years, as evidenced by the increase in garden phone calls to the office. To address this need, the Christian County Master Gardeners organized a team of volunteers to focus on expanding vegetable information outreach of University resources. The educational efforts were targeted to reach audiences where they are. This included the high school agriculture classroom, a local brewery, Lowes, a loc
Master Gardeners is a program run by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service to train citizens in many areas of horticulture. Upon completing the Master Gardener education program, participants return 40 hours of community volunteer service through organized projects within one year to earn the title of Master Gardener and 15 hours annually to maintain their volunteer status. During the 2023 program year, Master Gardeners volunteered:681 hours of service in planting and maintain
Author: Erika Wood
In the past several 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
Gardening is a wonderful time for people of all ages for those to spend family time together, learn where their food comes from, or even just enjoy the outdoors. This was a hope that our Junior Master Gardener leaders had for the youth that signed up to participate. The Jr Master Gardeners program in Christian County became a partnership with the Master Gardeners as two of the more experienced members volunteered to lead the program.The Master Gardener leaders participated in the Jr Master Garde
Author: Nicole Rhein
Home gardeners regularly call the Marshall County Extension Office asking how to properly take care of plants they have acquired. Often times, the plant information provided by a retailer fails to provide the necessary instruction needed to successfully grow the plant or has misleading/incorrect information.The Marshall Master Gardener Association (MMGA) offers a plant sale annually. This event has three goals. 3.) Provide an outlet for the community to purchase affordable plants with the intent
Author: Lorin Fawns
The Master Gardener program in Mason County has expanded to include more members, urging them to take on leadership roles within the community. Over time, Master Gardeners have dedicated countless hours to support a variety of programs. Lately, the program has broadened its scope, with Master Gardeners leading more than over a dozen different programs at locations such as the library, senior center, and Extension Office. Through their involvement, members have evolved and contributed to enhancin
Author: Mary Dossett
The Lakes of Paducah reached out needing to get their residents more involved in hands-on activities that involve gardening. Three master gardener, The Horticulture Agent, Horticulture Assistant, and several office staff of the center volunteered to help. Bud Qualk, Master Gardener president, lead the program and educated the residents about the plants he brought. The volunteers handed out three different types of plants and the residents placed them in the planters. They wore their homemade der
Author: Tyson Gregory
The Woodford County Extension Master Gardener program addressed the need for more volunteers and leadership by re-implementing a 14-week training program co-lead by the Woodford County Horticulture Agent, Tyson Gregory, and the Frankling County Horticulture Agent, Adam Leonberger. This program provided interested residents of central Kentucky with a deep dive into core horticultural principles and related scientific disciplines.Eighteen residents successfully completed the program and became Ext
Author: Steven Mobley
The Kentucky Extension Master Gardener Program was created to meet an increase in requests from home gardeners for horticultural information. This increase derives primarily from the urban and transient nature of modern American life. As the population of Laurel County and the number of larger subdivisions has increased, so has the need for additional resources to provide gardening-related assistance to our community. To meet this need, the Laurel County Horticulture agent, Steve Mobl
Author: Robert Brockman
In a county as populous as Boone County (population 139,000), it is impossible for Cooperative Extension Service personnel to interact with and teach all members of the community. To address this, we need passionate and well trained volunteer leaders. The Master Gardener Volunteer program allows Boone County CES to formalize this volunteer leader position. It also provides the framework to train members of the public in a way so that they are knowledgeable on relevant horticulture topics.Boone C
Author: Deborah Stumbo
The problem-- Due to a lack of access to heirloom seeds the Master Gardeners want to start an Annual Seed Swap and one was started and continued for 12 years nKnowledge gained from the various seed keepers and sellers has added tremendously to the knowledge and pockets of our local seed keepers and brought various interested partied in from across the nation.Participants included 5 Asians (local now), 2 Native American Indians, 3 Multi national including Hispanics as wells right at 400 local par
