Linn-Benton County Master Gardener

The Master Gardener Program in Linn and Benton Counties is operated out of our offices in Tangent (Linn) and Corvallis (Benton). The Linn and Benton County MG Program offers education, immersive learning experiences, and one-on-one help for the home gardener. The MG Program oversees the training and coordination of volunteers, hosts educational programming, and furthers the mission of the statewide MG Program.

What We Do

Volunteer educators

Master Gardener volunteers are community educators. Some of the ways they serve in their communities, both online and in person, include:

• staff information booths about gardening at local farmers markets
• answer questions related to plants, insects, weeds, disease via phone, e-mail, or in person
• research answers to gardening questions from walk-ins or e-mail to county Extension offices
• staff community events and answer gardening questions to the public
• develop online training workshops for local gardeners
• speak at community events and give training on gardening techniques
• develop and distribute community outreach materials for local gardening initiatives
• use social and traditional media to deliver gardening tips to neighborhood community groups
• demonstrate sustainable gardening techniques at county fairs, home and garden shows
• manage and work in demonstration gardens with fellow Master Gardener volunteers and community members
• support school gardening initiatives with educational components and hands-on activities
• manage and mentor in community gardens

Training

In their first year, all Master Gardener trainees complete a university-taught course about gardening. Typical topics include:

• botany essentials
• soil management
• plant nutrition
• pest identification and control
• diagnosis of plant problems
• growing vegetables
• sustainable landscape design
• fruit trees
• pollinators

In years following their first, Master Gardener volunteers take continuing education courses to keep current on new and regionally relevant gardening information. These courses may include webinars, hands-on workshops, and online or in-person classes and lectures.