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Master Gardeners in Carver and Scott counties joined together to form a unified group in 1987, with a grand total membership of five.  Since those humble beginnings, the group has grown to its current size of 130 active members.  These members regularly average over 50 hours volunteer time per year and keep busy with many yearly projects.

A few major projects are highlighted below:

Educate A large part of our mission is to share with the public valuable and informative University-based research. We do this by teaching horticulture and environmental classes at libraries, community centers, formal classroom settings, online webinars, and by invitation to other organizations. Teaching—it’s who we are.

Wednesday Webinars Hour long information sessions on a variety of horticulture topics during the winter months.  Held online via Zoom.  Learn while in the comfort of your own home!

Teaching Gardens We design, build, plant, and maintain teaching gardens at the Scott County and Carver County Fairgrounds, with a goal of inspiring and educating everyone from the novice to even the most experienced gardeners.

Giving Gardens and Community Gardens. Carver-Scott Master Gardeners recognize the continuing need for healthy food for families and individuals who are experiencing food insecurity. We guide and support gardeners’ efforts in growing food for themselves.  We also encourage our volunteers to donate the “fruits of their labor” to local food shelves.  It is our goal to help to inspire change and promote healthy communities and a healthy planet.

County Fairs  There’s nothing more fun than a community coming together to socialize, enjoy good food, have fun, and learn. Our County Fair committees organize and staff Q&A booths, conduct tours of the teaching gardens and highlight good gardening practices for Fair visitors.

Assisted Living and Nursing Homes  Volunteers work with these facilities to provide activities for residents by maintaining plantings, providing therapeutic gardening for residents, and by offering a variety of classes for staff and residents to enjoy.

Information Booths  We love spending time and sharing our knowledge with the public at special events in our community.  We staff booths at town expos, nurseries, grand openings, home & garden shows, Arboretum special events and more. Local outreach at its best.

Help Desks  Our “Ask A Master Gardener” help desks are staffed during the summer months in conjunction with Carver and Scott County local libraries and farmers markets, and various other summer events.  In addition, we help staff the MN Landscape Arboretum Answer Desk regularly year round. Gardeners trained in diagnostics, plant pathology, and entomology use their skills to answer questions and diagnose insect and disease issues submitted by the public via phone or in person.

Carver-Scott County Yard and Garden Hotline. Master Gardeners sign up for a week at a time to monitor the phone line and respond directly back to the caller’s gardening questions. We respond to over 1,000 phone calls each year.

Garden Fever!  We thrive on public outreach, and Garden Fever is one of the most dynamic ways we accomplish this. Garden Fever is open to the public and traditionally held in early spring. Activities include wonderful and knowledgeable garden-themed speakers, Master Gardener displays, vendor exhibits, a fabulous silent auction, and great camaraderie among the 150 plus attendees!  Learning is fun!

Garden Tours  Scheduled every other year, private home gardens are opened to the public.  The gardens highlight design, color, plant selection and offer inspiration and education with a unique opportunity to visit with the garden’s designer/host. We love sharing ideas!

Plant Sale  This annual event is held each August and is an important fundraiser for our organization. Master Gardeners divide and pot up many of their own plants to sell.  Attendees can shop a variety of perennial and native plants, shrubs, bulbs and more. Other activities include an information table where attendees can ask plant questions and learn more about the Master Gardener Program, as well as shop for garden-related décor and gently used supplies.

For more information about the Master Gardener Program, contact the Extension office for Carver County at 952-466-5300 or for Scott County at 952-492-5410.