Master Gardener Program

Program Goal: There is strong public support to protect and enhance the natural, historical and developed environment. Actions taken at the individual level can have positive environmental and community consequences. The Master Gardener Program is designed to address these sorts of actions as well as provide Connecticut citizens with timely, effective and accurate responses to their home and garden queries. The program emphasizes urban and community horticulture, and historical and sustainable landscapes.

Learning Objective: To educate adults about the importance of horticulture and its history. Also, to educate adults how to maintain and care for a garden.

Program Components: The UConn Extension Master Gardner Program is an adult education program. Interns spend 16 weeks in the classroom. Following this, they spend 30 hours working with mentors in the county extension offices and the Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford, where they apply the skills and knowledge they gained during the classroom session to answering gardening questions, identifying plants, insects and diseases and assisting the public with information on sustainable horticultural techniques. In addition they spend another 30 hours working on community projects such as school gardens, community gardens, invasive plant removal, presenting research based information to the public through lectures at public venues including but not limited to schools, libraries, garden clubs, demonstrations at county fairs, farmers' markets and festivals.

Program Participants: General Public, Gardeners

When: Applications are due in November, course begin in January each year.


Program Contact

Sarah Bailey