The Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program provides intensive training in horticulture to interested Ohio residents, who then volunteer their time assisting with educational programs and activities for Ohio residents through their local OSU Extension county office. Volunteers are not required to have gardening skills or knowledge; but a passion for learning about gardening and sharing this knowledge with others is a must!

Working with county Extension personnel, Master Gardener Volunteers provide such educational services to their communities as: answering gardening questions from the public; gardening activities with children; beautifying the community; and developing community or demonstration gardens.

More information about state-level Master Gardener Volunteer programs and activities is available at http://mastergardener.osu.edu.

Locally, the Fairfield County Master Gardener Volunteer program trained its first class of volunteers in 1996.  Educational efforts and opportunities exist for Master Gardener Volunteers (MGV’s) in Fairfield County at the Fairfield Medical Center’s Tranquility Garden, the Fairfield County Ag Center Revitalization Project, the Georgian and Sherman House Gardens, Wagnalls Memorial Library Educational Garden and the Learning Never Ends Garden.   In addition, the Master Gardeners Master Gardener Volunteers are instrumental in planning the semi - annual Dig Into Gardening Educational Workshop in the Spring plus other educational events.

Master Gardener Intern Presentations

woman presenting to group     Man in front of screen presenting to group

The 16th Master Gardener Training class will be held in 2026. Interns will attend class once per week for seven weeks to learn the core topics necessary to become a Master Gardener.  These sessions include teachings about Invasive Plants, Soils, Botany, Lawn Care, Pesticides, Plant Pathology, Pollinators, Entomology, Pest Management, Wildlife Control, Tree Identification, Vegetables and Fruits.   The classes are taught by OSU Extension Educators as well as guest instructors.  To finish the training program, each intern will complete a presentation to the group to share their knowledge about a specific plant or gardening technique.  The interns then will complete the required 50 hours of volunteer “give back” to become certified Master Gardener Volunteers in Fairfield County. 

For more details about the Master Gardener Program, contact Connie Smith, MGV Coordinator, at 740-277-4632 or smith.3204@osu.edu or Carrie Brown, Extension Educator, at 740-277-4630 or brown.2766@osu.edu.

You can learn more about the Ohio Master Gardener Volunteer program on the State Master Gardener Website.