Sign Up for the Master Gardener Volunteer Program

Garden Update
Week of Oct. 17, 2022
Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator 

Sign Up for the Master Gardener Volunteer Program

Many Nebraska Extension Master Gardener Volunteers (NEMGV) are winding up their projects for the 2022 gardening season.  The Master Gardeners who manage the Growing Together Nebraska gardens have donated 536 pounds of produce to food pantries in Washington County and 2858 pounds in Dodge County, boosting access to fresh food for the food insecure. Master Gardeners work in after-school garden programs, teach others about good gardening practices through the horticulture helpline, and promote healthy pollinator habitats through demonstration gardens. 

NEMGVs are taught the newest University-led education one can receive.  So, are Master Gardeners just about pulling weeds and making things pretty?  Absolutely not! Master Gardeners are first and foremost teachers, reaching people where they are to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life for Nebraskans.

Extension Master Gardeners have a long history of helping people and communities in Nebraska. Starting in 1976, volunteers have been educated in a wide range of all things garden, extending from horticultural insects to soils to plant diseases.  Education is virtual, allowing Master Gardeners access to quality programs from their home computer, bridging remote locations and long distances. 

Who are Nebraska Extension Master Gardeners? They are your neighbors...community members...they are the new people in town, or they have grown up here... they are young, old, and every age in between...they have lots of gardening experience or very little.  No matter the differences of how, where, and why people are called to the Master Gardener Volunteer program, there is one common thread—a love for gardening that spills over into sharing with others.   

If you’d like to make a difference in your community or you have a love of gardening you’d like to share with others, then please consider attending an informational meeting for the 2023 NEMGV program.

                November 15, 5:30 pm, Dodge County Extension Office, 1206 W. 23rd St., Fremont NE

The informational meeting provides answers about the classes and volunteer requirements. If you have questions or would like to learn more, feel free to contact me at kcue2@unl.edu, or by calling 402.727.2775. 

Find more horticulture information by going to the Dodge County Extension Trees, Plants and Insects web page.  

Master Gardeners Harvest at GTN Garden
Photo: Nebraska Extension Master Gardener
Volunteers harvest at the Growing Together Nebraska Garden