Master Gardeners of Ada County

“Helping People Grow”

Green Thumbs Up!

Each year, Idaho gardeners by the hundreds make a very special commitment to their neighbors, their communities, their environment and themselves.

They agree to give at least 50 volunteer hours sharing with others knowledge of something the love.  In return, they get 50 or more hours of intensive, fast paced training from the University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System on:

• Pesticide Safety

• Composting

• Lawn and tree care

• Insect and disease identification

• Urban landscaping

• Annual and perennial flower gardening

• Weed control

• Pesticide safety

• Soil and water management

• Fruit and vegetable culture

• Plant propagation

• Organic gardening

• Plant-problem diagnosis

•   Plant Structures

What Master Gardeners Do

With the supervision and support of their county extension educator, Idaho’s Master Gardeners help others solve their plant problems.

They . . .

• Answer questions by telephone or in person

• Teach classes for civic organizations, church groups, garden clubs and schools

• Promote environmental responsibility through water conservation and integrated pest management

• Beautify their cities, towns and counties by teaching about appropriate plants for our climates

• Work with school and community gardens

• Bring the joy of gardening to both children and adults

• Among the most talented and interesting gardeners you’ll ever meet.

Ada County Master Gardeners

This class is offered through the University of Idaho/Ada County Extension System.  It gives gardeners an opportunity not only to improve their horticultural knowledge and skills, but also to serve their communities.  Master Gardeners provide volunteer leadership and educational service in home gardening to their communities by answering garden questions by phone and in person, giving horticultural talks, supervising and assisting with community beautification projects, introducing children to gardening, and performing other related activities.  “Helping people grow” is the major goal of the program.

The University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System (UI-CES) conducts the Master Gardener Program through participating county offices in Idaho under the direction of extension faculty.

For the application form and other information on the Ada County Master gardener program, please select from the menu.

If You Have The Right Stuff . . .

The University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System hopes you’ll apply to be a Master Gardener if you meet the following basic qualifications:

You have an interest, and some knowledge or skills, in basic gardening, ornamental horticulture or general plant-related topics.

You can communicate effectively with the public.

You’re available to participate in at least 40 hours of Master Gardener classes and can donate at least 50 volunteer hours.

. . . Dig Right In

To become a Master Gardener, contact your county’s University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System office for an application and information about the next and nearest training.  Fees, instructional hours, payback commitments and class times vary.  Ada County usually has a waiting list.

Your Master Gardener classes and laboratories will be taught by University of Idaho extension educators and specialists and by other horticulture experts in your community.  Field trips and readings from your comprehensive Master Gardener handbook will fill out your instructional program.

Once you’ve finished your classroom training, passed your exams and completed your volunteer hours, or “practicum,” you’ll be certified as a Master Gardener for one year.  And, you’ll be enriched by basic gardening knowledge, pest identification abilities, leadership training and planning skills.

Many Master Gardeners choose to extend their certification into future years through advanced training and a commitment of additional volunteer hours.

Make A Difference You Can See, Feel and Smell

Idaho’s Master Gardeners make a tangible difference in their communities.  In recent years, they have:

• Planted a memorial rose garden at the Idaho Ronald McDonald house in Boise.

• Provided the Kootenai County juvenile probation office with garden space, advice and encouragement so that 112 to 17 year olds could learn work ethics and teamwork.

• Helped the Hailey community forester complete an inventory of 2,642 trees.

• Designed landscapes and tropical rain forests at Idaho Falls’ Tautphaus Park Zoo.

• Advised members of the Nez Perce Tribe about growing fresh vegetables for their USDA Food Distribution Program in a 50 by 100 foot garden in Lapwai.

• Helped senior citizens and the physically challenged extend their gardening pleasure and years by showing them how to locate and use ergonomic tools.

• Developed a landscape plan for a section of bike path along the Snake River at Shelley.

• Advised Veterans Administration Hospital staff in Boise on building five raised garden beds that provided seriously mentally ill patients with a self-esteem building, isolation-breaching group activity.

• And answered tens of thousands of gardening questions and identified thousands of insect and plant specimens brought to their county extension offices.