Applications for Fall Training Open July 12

Interested in becoming a Master Gardener? Know someone who would be a great Master Gardener? Applications for fall training will be open from July 12 to August 12. No late applications will be accepted to accommodate the time needed to run background checks. 

Fall classes start September 3. 

Who are we looking for? We want volunteers interested in gardening and horticulture, curious and love learning, and can commit to the 10-week initial training and 40-hour internship period. We value volunteers who bring diverse perspectives, skills, talents, and interests to the program. New trainees do not need any prior gardening or volunteer experience. 

To see which counties are offering training this fall, visit our website. 

Scholarships may be available for those with financial need.

Home Gardening Webinar Survey

If you participated in one of our Home Gardening Webinar sessions between January and March this year and have not yet taken the survey, please do so here!

Your input helps us track our outreach and gain insight into which topics you want to see in next year's line-up. All surveys are anonymous and should take 5 minutes or less to complete.

We appreciate your participation!

Want to watch a session again? All session recordings are available on our YouTube Channel.

New Website Launches Just in Time for the Spring Gardening Season

For almost ten years, the Horticulture and Home Pest News website was the go-to website for home gardening information from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The thousands of articles on everything from vegetables, to lawns, to trees, to houseplants, and everything in between now has a new home.  

The new Yard and Garden website is now available. The website now features content organized by topic area and a fresh new look that works very well on mobile devices (an important thing given 70% of all visits to the website are on mobile devices). With this change in look comes a new name and web address: yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu. All of these changes should make it even easier to find the information you are looking for from Iowa State Extension.  

Click below to view the new and improved website and don’t forget to update your bookmarks (although don’t worry, even if you don’t update all your links everything from the old website will redirect you to the new one!). And while you’re there, don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter. Both of these great resources will keep you up-to-date on all things gardening in Iowa.

https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/

MG Skill Development Series:

Save the Dates!

Eager for more knowledge? Join us for the Master Gardener Skill Development Series. This series is specially crafted to help volunteers develop their non-horticultural skills in areas that will be useful in their volunteer roles:

• Quarter 1 - March 19 - Identifying Quality Sources of Information
• Quarter 2 - May 7 - Youth Gardening Resources & Best Practices
• Quarter 3 - September 10 - Inclusive Language for the Business of People
• Quarter 4 - October 8 - Connecting People and Plants

Contact your county Master Gardener coordinator for details about how to attend these sessions.

Did you miss one of the Master Gardener Skill Development sessions? Have no fear, the recordings and supplemental materials are available on the volunteer page of the Master Gardener website.

*Some counties offer these sessions in-person to provide opportunities for interaction with your peers and county staff. Contact your county Master Gardener coordinator to see if your county plans to host in-person or prefers you connect virtually.