The Extension Master Gardener℠ program is a statewide network of volunteers and Extension educators working in N.C. Cooperative Extension county centers and on NC State's campus. Through education and outreach, we connect people with the benefits of gardening and empower North Carolinians to cultivate healthy plants, landscapes, ecosystems, and communities.
Explore stories that celebrate our work to help North Carolinians learn and grow.
Learning to Create Climate-Ready Landscapes
Selecting plants for challenging conditions, designing climate-resilient landscapes, and preserving and protecting pollinators were among the issues volunteers explored during Extension Master Gardener College 2022.
Growing Knowledge to Protect Pollinators
Volunteers in eight counties are conducting research to investigate how we can increase pollinator overwintering habitat.
Volunteer Service Across North Carolina
From community gardens to plant clinics, our volunteers engage thousands of North Carolinians each year, helping them to learn and grow. Explore some of our most in-demand volunteer service activities and their combined impact across North Carolina.
Helping Grow the Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Volunteers enhance and expand the Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, a free, online plant database where you can find a wealth of information about more than 4,600 plants that grow in and around North Carolina.
Creating Connections: Education through Social Media
Through social media outreach, volunteers increase engagement and offer volunteer opportunities outside of normal business hours.
Container Garden Partnership Grows Educational Outreach
Transforming neglected planters outside of a local coffee shop provides volunteers an opportunity to teach city residents about gardening in limited spaces.
Download the 2022 Annual Report
Across our state, over 3500 volunteers with the NC State ExtensionMaster Gardener℠ program work under the leadership of Extension educators to strengthen and expand Extension’s delivery of research-based knowledge to North Carolinians.
Through education and outreach, we connect people with the benefits of gardening and empower them to cultivate healthy plants, landscapes, ecosystems, and communities.
Join Us!
Learn how to become a Master Gardener℠ volunteer in your community. Contact your local N.C. Cooperative Extension Center to find out when the training course will next be offered and how to apply.
Keep Us Growing!
The Extension Master Gardener Endowment is a fundraising initiative to ensure the NC State Extension Master Gardener program will continue to grow and serve North Carolinians for many years to come. Support the Extension Master Gardener endowment through a gift or by purchasing an EMG license plate.
Gardening Questions?
Use our Garden Help Directory to connect with Master Gardener volunteers in your community.
