Master Gardeners Help Provide Solutions for Gardeners

For over 50 years, the Extension Master Gardeners (EMG) program has been training volunteers across the nation who have a passion for horticulture and assisting with gardening education in their community. Today, Extension Master Gardener programs can be found in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This work is supported in part by the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture's capacity funding.

What was established in 1973 in Washington state has grown to more than 77,000 experienced and 12,500 new Extension Master Gardeners.

EMG volunteers share their gardening knowledge by teaching workshops, managing demonstration and community gardens, speaking at events and staffing garden information helplines. According to the most recent reports, the more than 89,000 EMG volunteers contributed 4.9 million hours in community volunteerism in 2023, valued at $157 million in donated time nationwide. These volunteers collectively reached 10 million people through their work.

Extension Master Gardeners also donated over 1 million pounds of produce to communities in need, estimated at $2.3 million in donations. In many states, EMG volunteers work garden helplines, answering questions from the public. The Extension Master Gardeners information helplines provide individuals with the opportunity to ask EMG volunteers gardening or landscaping questions and receive research-based answers specific to their location.

EMG Helpline Impacts

• The University of Vermont Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program aims to develop and promote effective education and outreach programs to improve IPM practice. With the help of the Master Gardeners Helpline, 63% of helpline clients implemented the IPM strategies recommended and 61% reduced or avoided the use of pesticides, saving $137 per client on pesticide costs.
• The Alabama Extension Master Gardeners Helpline answered over 168,000 garden questions, which totaled a reach of 311,253 public contacts, according to the 2022 Impact Report.
• Penn State University Extension Master Gardeners answered over 3,000 questions related to garden planning, plant propagation or plant selection. Ninety-four percent of hotline users found the information they received useful, according to the recent impact report.
• The number of gardening questions to the Oregon State University "Ask Extension" service has grown almost 600% from 6,203 questions in 2019 to 41,676 in 2022. Master Gardener volunteers answered almost 90% of the questions in 2022.

Learn more about the impacts of the Extension Master Gardeners program: