{"id":5,"date":"2009-10-14T15:12:35","date_gmt":"2009-10-14T19:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/?page_id=5"},"modified":"2026-04-09T08:19:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T12:19:47","slug":"master-gardeners","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/","title":{"rendered":"Maine Master Gardener Volunteers"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-9913\" src=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/09\/MGV-at-the-Blaine-House-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"MGV at the Blaine House\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/09\/MGV-at-the-Blaine-House-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/09\/MGV-at-the-Blaine-House-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/09\/MGV-at-the-Blaine-House-105x79.jpg 105w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/09\/MGV-at-the-Blaine-House-317x238.jpg 317w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/09\/MGV-at-the-Blaine-House-423x317.jpg 423w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/09\/MGV-at-the-Blaine-House-634x476.jpg 634w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/09\/MGV-at-the-Blaine-House-846x635.jpg 846w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/09\/MGV-at-the-Blaine-House-951x713.jpg 951w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/09\/MGV-at-the-Blaine-House-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/09\/MGV-at-the-Blaine-House.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, (max-width: 768px) 67vw, (max-width: 1024px) 62vw,300px\" \/>Mission Statement:<\/h3>\n<p>Foster sustainable gardening practices and enrich the lives of our Master Gardener Volunteers by educating and mentoring gardeners in the community through opportunities to learn, connect with other gardeners, and support community service projects.<\/p>\n<p>The Master Gardener Volunteer training program provides participants with at least <strong>40 hours of in-depth training in the art and science of horticulture<\/strong>. Trainees receive current, research-based information from UMaine Extension educators and industry experts. In return, trained Master Gardeners volunteer their time and expertise in many ways for community programs and activities.<\/p>\n<h3>In 2021:<\/h3>\n<p><strong>990 Master Gardener Volunteers<\/strong> (MGVs) gave more than <strong>28,830 hours<\/strong> for educational and food security projects!<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>Doing the Garden Angel program was such a positive experience for me and for the couple I helped. He has Parkinson\u2019s and she had a stroke. It was so nice to be able to help them and help them adapt so they could get outside and do some yard work. They loved being outside and participating in a way that was safe for them!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u2014 Lynn Batchelder, York County MGV<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>I\u00a0 designed and installed a pollinator bed at the local elementary school as well as helped fund a school garden and greenhouse. This has been hugely successful.\u00a0 People are always dropping by to sit and watch the pollinators (butterflies) and the school children are loving the vegetable garden. They plant, harvest, and have their classes and lunches there.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u2014 Elly Andrews, Hancock County MGV<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Who Can Become a Master Gardener Volunteer?<\/h3>\n<p>We strive to offer Master Gardener programs that are inclusive of and represent the communities in which they serve. Master Gardeners are people who want to use their gardening skills to create positive change in their communities. Whether working with students on a school garden, teaching a workshop on making great compost, growing and donating produce to Maine Harvest for Hunger or designing and installing a native pollinator garden, Master Gardener Volunteers take an active role in making things happen!<\/p>\n<p>Everyone who successfully completes the 40+ hours of training and a 40 hour volunteer internship can become a Master Gardener Volunteer.<\/p>\n<p>For additional information or questions, please contact us at <a href=\"mailto:extension.mastergardeners@maine.edu\">extension.mastergardeners@maine.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/training\/\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase;\" ><span class=\"button\"> Proceed to Training Program \u2192<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mission Statement: Foster sustainable gardening practices and enrich the lives of our Master Gardener Volunteers by educating and mentoring gardeners in the community through opportunities to learn, connect with other gardeners, and support community service projects. The Master Gardener Volunteer training program provides participants with at least 40 hours of in-depth training in the art [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":14043,"parent":0,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/page-withsidebar.php","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Maine Master Gardener Volunteers - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Maine Master Gardener Volunteers - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mission Statement: Foster sustainable gardening practices and enrich the lives of our Master Gardener Volunteers by educating and mentoring gardeners in the community through opportunities to learn, connect with other gardeners, and support community service projects. The Master Gardener Volunteer training program provides participants with at least 40 hours of in-depth training in the art [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-09T12:19:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/07\/Rudbeckia-hirta.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/\",\"name\":\"Maine Master Gardener Volunteers - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/07\/Rudbeckia-hirta.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2009-10-14T19:12:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-09T12:19:47+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/07\/Rudbeckia-hirta.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/07\/Rudbeckia-hirta.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":667,\"caption\":\"Rudbeckia hirta flower\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Maine Master Gardener Volunteers\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/\",\"name\":\"Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard\",\"description\":\"Information you can use. Research you can trust.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Maine Master Gardener Volunteers - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Maine Master Gardener Volunteers - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension","og_description":"Mission Statement: Foster sustainable gardening practices and enrich the lives of our Master Gardener Volunteers by educating and mentoring gardeners in the community through opportunities to learn, connect with other gardeners, and support community service projects. The Master Gardener Volunteer training program provides participants with at least 40 hours of in-depth training in the art [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/","og_site_name":"Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard","article_modified_time":"2026-04-09T12:19:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":667,"url":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/07\/Rudbeckia-hirta.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/","url":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/","name":"Maine Master Gardener Volunteers - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/07\/Rudbeckia-hirta.jpg","datePublished":"2009-10-14T19:12:35+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-09T12:19:47+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/07\/Rudbeckia-hirta.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/07\/Rudbeckia-hirta.jpg","width":1000,"height":667,"caption":"Rudbeckia hirta flower"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/master-gardeners\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Maine Master Gardener Volunteers"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/#website","url":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/","name":"Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard","description":"Information you can use. Research you can trust.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"taxonomy_info":[],"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/07\/Rudbeckia-hirta.jpg",1000,667,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"amoulton","author_link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/author\/amoulton\/"},"comment_info":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27778,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5\/revisions\/27778"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}