Sara R. Shields

“It’s been said that volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” — Elizabeth Shaw

Volunteers are at the heart of the Louisiana Master Gardener program. The whole idea for having a Master Gardener program as part of the Cooperative Extension Service began at Washington State University in 1971 with the concept of a home horticulture training series to develop volunteers. A training curriculum focusing on horticulture-based subject matter — including culture of ornamental plants, lawns, vegetables and fruits; control of plant diseases, insects and weeds; and safe use of pesticides — was developed for use with the first training series held in the spring of 1973. Sessions were eight hours per day, one day a week, for five weeks. At the end of the training, volunteers were required to pass subject matter exams as well as an exam for pesticide licensing by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Master Gardeners were then committed to volunteering a specified number of hours working with the gardening public. The Master Gardener program was so successful in the state of Washington that it spread to neighboring states and across the country and is now in place in 49 states and several Canadian provinces.

In Louisiana, the first Master Gardener training series was implemented in Baton Rouge in 1994 as a means of extending the LSU AgCenter's educational outreach. The Louisiana Master Gardener Handbook and associated curriculum materials covered in the training series were adapted from existing Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service publications and materials collected from other states. The pilot program in Baton Rouge was considered a success, and in 1998, Master Gardener training programs were started in all the major metropolitan areas of the state.

A Bountiful Harvest

Today, 29 parish-level Master Gardener programs cover 61 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes and educate individuals to serve audiences across the state by providing horticultural information based on university research and recommendations. Based on the model created in the state of Washington, education and certification of new volunteers is a two-phase process: classroom training and volunteer service while in “apprentice” status. The idea behind classroom training is to introduce potential volunteers to subjects they will likely encounter during their volunteer service.

For the past 20 years, classroom training for those enrolled in the Louisiana Master Gardener program has been delivered in a traditional lecture format. Recently, the idea of a “flipped classroom” approach to educate volunteers was introduced to coordinators. This concept was tested in the spring and summer of 2018. Instead of listening to lectures during class time, program participants reviewed the material on their own before the class each week. This approach allows for hands-on activities to reinforce the materials covered in the presentations previously reviewed.

An additional training method was also piloted in 2018. The “hybrid” training model marries traditional lecture and flipped classroom approaches to offer training opportunities. While data analyses comparing student scores for the three educational models are still being calculated, initial feedback from Master Gardener coordinators, teaching and lab assistants and new students is overwhelmingly favorable for the flipped and hybrid approaches.

Regardless of classroom training method, the second phase of the training program involves completion of 40 volunteer hours through participation in current Master Gardener programs and projects. Upon completion of the second phase, the title of “certified” Louisiana Master Gardener volunteer is bestowed upon the individuals completing the program. After the initial certification, individuals are asked to donate 20 volunteer service and six continuing education hours back to the program to maintain active status.

Volunteer opportunities and projects vary across the state. Some of the activities Master Gardener volunteers help organize or assist with include garden seminars and symposiums; hands-on workshops; demonstration tables and exhibits at plant sales, garden shows and farmers markets; home garden tours; school and community gardens; school garden workshops; and maintaining demonstration gardens and variety trial gardens. They also directly assist the LSU AgCenter in other ways, including with upkeep of Burden Museum & Gardens and Hammond Research Station demonstration beds; maintaining Louisiana Super Plants demonstration gardens; assisting in the local extension office by writing news articles and answering home garden phone calls; and maintaining their program social media pages.

For volunteers seeking additional educational opportunities, the Advanced Louisiana Master Gardener program was introduced as a statewide initiative with the 2015-16 class. This program is open to Master Gardener volunteers who have been active in the program for three consecutive years and are considered to be in good standing with their local coordinator. The advanced program is a deeper exploration of environmental sustainability through the topics of nutrient management, plant diagnostics, integrated pest management, and water quality and irrigation. Course electives are designed to cover additional horticulture content with an emphasis on conservation and sustainability. Seventy-one individuals obtained advanced status at the 2016 Louisiana Master Gardener Conference held in Kenner. The current advanced class finished core subject matter classes and will participate in electives throughout the spring and summer of 2019.

Louisiana Master Gardener and Advanced Louisiana Master Gardener volunteers, under the direction of local coordinators, complete tens of thousands of hours of volunteer service annually. For 2018, 1,407 volunteers logged a total of more than 17,800 continuing education hours. Volunteer service hours for 2018 totaled more than 77,000 hours, for an economic value of more than $2.03 million.

2020 and Beyond: A Greener Tomorrow

In the future, thanks to continued improvements in technology, Master Gardener training in urban areas will rely heavily on flipped and hybrid educational models. Using these methods allows potential volunteers to receive the horticulture training with the benefit of hands-on activities to reinforce material presented in the recordings. Training programs in smaller, more rural areas will continue to use traditional or hybrid models because of the limitations in internet accessibility.

The current Advanced Louisiana Master Gardener training class is working on materials to support the Louisiana Yards and Neighborhoods program. Created materials will be available to volunteers statewide for use in local horticulture programming. These materials, along with others being developed by volunteers, will be available on the Louisiana Master Gardener website and through local coordinators. In the future, Louisiana Master Gardener volunteers will continue to sustain horticulture programming efforts in local communities.

Over the past several years, Louisiana Master Gardener programs have continued to expand volunteer recruitment efforts in terms of reaching a wider range of ages and ethnicities. Participation in the program offers something for everyone, and we welcome new individuals bringing unique perspectives into the mix. The Louisiana Master Gardener program is a place for volunteers to have a fun, educational experience while serving the community in which they live.

Sara R. Shields is the Louisiana Master Gardener state coordinator.

(This article appears in the winter 2019 issue of Louisiana Agriculture.)

Visit the LSU AgCenter Master Gardener website.

A Master Gardener helps students plant seeds at AgMagic on the River at Docville Farm in Violet, Louisiana. Photo by Olivia McClure

Master Gardener Tammany Baumgarten's exhibit at the 2008 Spring Garden Show at City Park in New Orleans won an award. Photo provided by Chris Dunaway

The Washington Parish Master Gardeners made a visit to to Schilling's Greenhouses in Bogalusa, Louisiana. Photo provided by Henry Harrison

LSU AgCenter extension agent Joe Willis, center with the gray hat, gives instruction to a 2018 Master Gardener class at the New Orleans Botanical Garden. Photo provided by Chris Dunaway

Young children make masks using seeds and leaves as a craft activity at Master Gardener events at the Garden on Marais in the New Orleans Upper 9th Ward. Photo provided by Joe Willis