Ask any gardener or plant-enthusiast, and they’ll tell you all about the struggles that come with horticulture. Diseases, pests, soil, and plant types—there’s a million things to know, and for the past 50 years, the Nebraska Extension Master Gardener Volunteer program has been there to teach Nebraskans the ins and outs of home gardening.
Since its inception in 1976, the horticulture-related program has reached 55 of the 93 Nebraska counties and trained over 2,400 volunteers, who go through a minimum 40 hours of science-based horticulture education and training before giving back 40 hours of volunteer work and service to their communities.
In 2025 alone, Extension Master Gardener Volunteers contributed more than 34,000 hours of service state-wide through various Master Gardener events and projects. Some projects include ‘Ask a Master Gardener’ tables at local farmers markets, updating and creating signage at an arboretum, and working in the Backyard Farmer Garden. Master Gardener volunteers also connect with 4-H and FFA by setting up, proctoring, and judging contests.
These various volunteer opportunities are thanks to the Master Gardener program’s dedication to teaching volunteers about every part of the landscape—the environment, soils, wildlife, ornamentals, landscape design, pests, plant selection, and more.
The landscape is taught as a system, and volunteers learn to work with that system in the most environmentally friendly way possible.
“Our goal is always to touch the earth as lightly as possible,” said Terri James, the program’s state coordinator since 2016. “[For example,] we teach a lot of integrative pest management. We look at aphids on a plant and ask, ‘Can you just use a heavy stream of water to get rid of them versus adding some kind of insecticide?’ Really teaching that spectrum [of management] with a science underpinning.”
James also emphasized the importance of science-based knowledge in horticulture at a time when there are so many online hacks to gardening with little scientific basis. Through hands-on training, the Master Gardener program helps instil a science-based understanding of horticulture in volunteers, who can then distribute their knowledge to their communities.
Aside from education, however, the program also fosters a strong sense of camaraderie, which James says is her personal favorite aspect. Volunteers bond as they learn together and even more so as they teach together.
“It’s a great learning experience, a great social experience,” James said. “And being able to give back to your community in a fun way while you’re still learning is really great.”
Applications to the program are open and welcomed all year round, and training at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for Seward, Cass, Otoe, York and Lancaster counties will begin early next year.
In the meantime, community members are welcome to attend upcoming events such as the PlantNebraska Spring Plant Sale on June 26 and 27 or visit the Backyard Farmer Garden’s Master Gardener volunteers on Thursday and Saturday mornings.
