NC State Extension Master Gardener℠ volunteers:

• CONNECT PEOPLE TO PLANTS
• TEACH GARDENING BEST PRACTICES TO MEMBERS OF THEIR COMMUNITY
• SHARE THE LATEST RESEARCH-BASED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HEALTHY LANDSCAPES AND GARDENS

If you live in North Carolina, love working as a team with other volunteers, and wish to share your knowledge and skills to promote science-based, sustainable gardening practices, consider applying to be trained as an NC State Extension Master Gardener volunteer!

If accepted into the program, you will complete a 40-hour training course taught by Extension staff and local experts. As a Master Gardener volunteer student, you will learn about soils, plant nutrients, insects, plant diseases, integrated pest management, lawn and landscape care, food production, herbaceous and woody plants, and more. The Extension Gardener Handbook is the training curriculum for the Extension Master Gardener program and is also available to the public free online, as well as for purchase as a hardback book or interactive self-study e-book. 

After training, students continue to learn by completing a 40-hour internship to become a certified Master Gardener℠ volunteer. Thereafter, volunteers commit to annual volunteer service hours and continuing education requirements to remain active in the program. Volunteer service opportunities include teaching youth and adults science-based gardening practices, cultivating community gardens and teaching gardens that demonstrate best practices, and providing advice to new gardeners to help them garden more successfully. For additional examples, explore NC State Extension Master Gardener volunteer impact stories. 

Learn more about becoming an NC State Extension Master Gardener volunteer

The Extension Master Gardener program is a nationwide volunteer network! If you don’t live in NC and wish to learn how to become a Master Gardener volunteer, contact the Extension system in your state to learn more.