The Colorado Master Gardener Program: Planting Gardens, Growing People

The Colorado Master Gardener Program
in Jefferson County

Colorado Master Gardener volunteers in Jefferson County actively engage Jefferson County residents to foster successful gardening. A dedicated corps of 110 volunteers bring a variety of projects to life.

Major Outreach Projects

Junior Master Gardeners – Coordinated with the county 4-H program, over 130 youth learn how to plant, tend, harvest and eat the products of their very own food garden. Vegetable gardens are located at their school or at the youth education center garden located on the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.

Plant Diagnostic Clinic – Specially trained CMG diagnosticians assist the public and Green Industry with plant problems. Volunteers staff the clinic weekdays from May-September, diagnosing plant diseases, identifying plants and insects, then providing appropriate solutions for clientele.

Farmer’s Markets – CMG volunteers staff educational booths at weekend Farmer’s Markets in two Jefferson County communities. In addition to answering the public’s questions and providing educational materials, volunteers present a short demonstration about a timely topics periodically throughout the day.

Courage Garden – In cooperation with Victims Outreach International and Jefferson County, CMG volunteers help honor victims of violence in this peaceful garden setting. CMG volunteers designed and planted some of the contemplative spots within the larger garden. Today, volunteers plant, identify and label plants; they are also developing a comprehensive plant list with site recommendations. Volunteers present quarterly brown bag lunch programs on site..

Jeffco Gardener Blog – Staffed by dedicated CMG volunteers, the blog discusses current happenings and provides timely how-to’s for 25,000+ on-line readers. About 60 articles from the blog appear yearly in the Denver Post’s Your Hub section.

Additional Outreach Projects

Staff phone call center in Jefferson Extension Office, weekdays.
Horticultural therapy at a senior center
Staff educational booths at community events
Speaker’s bureau
Annual Summer Garden Tour
Jefferson County CMG Garden Calendar
Staffing educational events for the Colorado Garden Show and ProGreen Expo.

Education for CMG Volunteers

In January through March, Basic Training for CMG volunteers is provided in a multi-county partnership with Jefferson, Denver and Broomfield Counties

Jefferson County Extension offers CMG volunteers a variety of continuing education opportunities.

Continuing education classes are presented on various topics ever year.

Multi-county and regional educational opportunities include CMG Plus Classes, ProGreen, CSU Short Course and CSU Field Days.

Diagnosticians receive monthly hands-on training from May through September, typically covering insects, diseases, weeds, and plant identification topics.

Summary

CMG volunteers: 110
Annual volunteer hours: 7,500
Annual value of volunteer time: $161,300

Contact Us