Want to Garden? Complete the Master Gardener Program.

I am always amazed at how many people don’t know about the Extension Service.

I grew up on a farm and was very active in 4H.  I was active all 9 years from Grade 4 until I graduated from High School with cooking, sewing and livestock projects. I earned a scholarship at Oregon State through the Extension Service, (I was the first recipient of the Esther Taskerud Scholarship).  After college, I was a 4H leader for a Sewing Club in Lake County, and later a Livestock Leader in Linn County. 4H and the Extension Service have been a big part of my life.

Now, I ask my customers if they are familiar with the Extension Service through Oregon State University. About 80% say they are not. I explain in Oregon they are an outreach extension of Oregon State University. (GO BEAVS!)

OSU  Extension offers a great educational program through their Master Gardener Program. You have to apply, and there is a time commitment and the obligation to volunteer with the program.

Master Gardener™ training classes are taught by OSU extension agents and horticultural experts. The program offers basic, practical courses in plant science and home horticulture. Classes include basic botany, methods for growing vegetables, lawns, fruit trees and landscape plants, pest identification and control methods, soil management and plant nutrition, and diagnosis of plant problems. The actual courses offered vary depending on local needs and interests. Classes are held during the winter months from January through April.

Curriculum:

• Climate of Central Oregon

• Composting

• Integrated Pest Management

• Vegetable Gardening

• Soils

• Botany

• Plant Damage & Disease

• Weed I.D./control

• Pruning

• Waterwise Gardening

• Firewise Landscaping

• Pesticide Safety

• Pollinators

• Fruit trees

The cost of the program is $280 for the class of 2026. Partial scholarships are available, call 541-548-6088 to request more information. The deadline to apply is January 31, 2026. Space is limited.

More Information on the Master Gardener Program