Master Gardeners

The Master Gardener Program is a national program of trained volunteers who work in partnership with their county Cooperative Extension offices to extend gardening information to the local community. Over 1,500 volunteer Master Gardeners in New York State contribute educational services to meet the outreach mission of Cornell, influencing many thousands of consumers on horticultural issues. Up to their elbows in dirt, Master Gardeners see soil as the base for germination of seeds destined to become beautiful plants, blooming in their maturity. So in turn Master Gardeners have cultivated their involvement in the community with hope of creating an ideal growing medium for Yates County youth.

What do Master Gardeners do in New York State?

Projects and functions carried out by Master Gardeners are based on the educational priorities of individual counties, differing from county to county. Some of the ways in which Master Gardeners have been involved in New York State are:

Answering horticultural inquiries on the phone
Writing articles about gardening
Setting up demonstration projects in public places
School gardens
Community improvement projects
Historic garden restoration
Horticultural therapy
Organizing plant sales
Organizing public events
County fair informational booths
Providing advice at garden centers

Each Master Gardener takes a ten-week course (one day per week) from the Cornell Cooperative Extension which gives a basic understanding of horticulture and knowledge of where to find horticultural information utilizing the Extension’ own library, Cornell resources, and the web. Course topics include plant nutrition, soils, vegetable, fruit culture, trees, shrubs, lawns, diseases and insects that affect plants, pruning and more.

For more information on becoming Yates County Master Gardener, contact CCE-Yates County at (315) 536-5123. Or, click here to download an informational brochure!

Last updated May 15, 2020

Gardening

NYS Master Gardeners

Learn more about the NY State Master Gardener Volunteer Program by visiting their pages on the Cornell University website!

Benefits of the Master Gardener Program

Through the Master Gardener training sessions and workshops, you'll become a more knowledgeable gardener. You will receive publications, seeds and other related material. You will be able to attend regular Master Gardener workshops around the state as well as state and national Master Gardener conferences. You will travel with other Yates County Master Gardeners to interesting gardens and nurseries. And finally, you will meet lots of people who share your love of gardening.

Benefits to the Community

As a Master Gardener volunteer, you are expected to share the knowledge you gained in the training sessions with other gardeners in the community. You can do this by participating in a variety of ways. Every time you answer a gardening question from a friend, you extend the knowledge you have gained. The Cooperative Extension Horticulture Program offers many volunteer opportunities, or volunteers can design their own projects to benefit the community. Volunteer hours are flexible depending on interest and time available. Travel expenses are tax-deductible.