University of Kentucky
Master Gardener Manual
The Master Gardener Program
The Master Gardener Program was created by Extension to meet an enormous
increase in requests from home gardeners for horticultural information.
This increase derives primarily from urban and transient nature of modem
American life. Fifty years ago, an Extension agent dealt with questions
of a few hundred farm families. In many regions, however, land that once
constituted a single farm now encompasses several subdivisions,
increasing the number of families an Extension office must serve by the
hundreds. In addition, many of these new families are recent arrivals,
and are unfamiliar with the grasses, shrubs, trees, diseases, etc, which
comprise the microenvironment of their new urban or suburban home. They
will often call their local Extension office for advice on what to plant
and how to care for it.
Consequently, the Master Gardener Program was created in 1973 in the
state of Washington. Since then it has spread nation wide. Master
Gardeners have become a vital part of Extension’s ability to provide
consumers with up-to-date, reliable knowledge so they can enjoy and
protect the value of horticultural plantings around their homes. Master
Gardening has also become a fun and useful volunteer activity which
gives its participants a sense of community spirit, accomplishment, and
intellectual stimulation.
Your Responsibility
as a Master Gardener
When you enter the Master Gardener Program, you are entering into a
contract. In essence, you agree that in return for the training you
receive, you will volunteer an equal number of hours back to Extension.
Failure to complete this obligation means you are not entitled to wear a
Master Gardener badge nor participate in Master Gardener activities.
Upon completion of your training, you have one year to complete the
agreed-upon volunteer service commitment or “payback” time. This time
requirement varies from one Extension unit to another.
After you complete your payback time, you may choose to continue with
the Master Gardener Program. Numerous people have worked as Master
Gardeners for years and contributed substantial amounts of time to
Extension. To be considered an Active Master Gardener, however, you must
agree to volunteer a minimum number of hours annually. This requirement
varies from unit to unit. so ask your Extension agent about your local
program. If you choose not to continue in the program, you may not
thereafter represent yourself as a Master Gardener.
I. Time Sheets. Time sheets are the method you use to keep track
of hours of time you volunteer as Master Gardener. Turn these in on a
regular basis. preferably every month. Some agents may appoint a Master
Gardener to keep track of this information. Don’t be lax in reporting
your time; the reported hours are used in county progress reports and
you deserve recognition for your efforts.
Use of the title “Master Gardener.” The title Master Gardener should be
used only by individuals trained in a Cooperative Extension Service
program. The title is valid only when used by an active Master Gardener
who is participating in a program approved by an Extension agent. When
an individual ceases to be active in the Master Gardener program, their
designation as a Master Gardener ceases.
Master Gardeners should not display credentials or give the appearance
of being a Master Gardener at a place of business unless that place has
been designated as a Master Gardener Plant Clinic by the local Extension
unit. The title “Master Gardener” should not be used in a manner which
implies Cooperative Extension Service endorsement of any product or
place of business.
The title Master Gardener should be used only when doing unpaid
volunteer work for Extension. When experienced Master Gardeners speak
before groups on horticultural subjects, they may accept unsolicited
reimbursements (such as reimbursements for expenses) or gifts. It is
inappropriate, however, to seek speaking engagements for pay while
participating in an authorized Extension activity and using the title
Master Gardener.
A word of caution. When you work as a Master Gardener, you are acting as
a representative of the Cooperative Extension Service. While Master
Gardeners are covered by Extensions liability insurance when performing
their volunteer duties, the Master Gardener needs to be very concerned
that any information given to the general public should be factual and
based on current Cooperative Extension recommendations. Do not be afraid
to say “I do not know the answer to that question.”
One particular area of concern is pesticide recommendations.
Master Gardeners know that the use of chemicals in the garden is usually
a last resort. Under the amended Federal Insecticide, Fungicide. and
Rodenticide Act (Federal Environmental Control Act of 1972), it is
illegal to use a pesticide on a crop unless the crop is listed on the
label. The given rate of application on the label may not be exceeded.
Fines and other penalties vary according to the laws broken. Please
refer all pesticide questions to the County Agent unless you have been
specifically told by the County Agent that a certain recommendation can
be made.
Purchase Area Master Gardeners Assn. 2705 Olivet Church Road, Paducah, KY 42001 270-554-9520 fax 270-554-8283 www.pamga.org