Boulder County was an early adopter of the Extension Master Gardener program, joining Denver, Jefferson, and El Paso counties in 1975 as the first counties to offer the volunteer program through Colorado State University Extension.
Extension master gardener volunteers support staff nationwide in their mission of providing unbiased, science-backed information to the public. The program was the brainchild of Dr. David Gibby in 1972 in Washington state. Since then, it’s grown like a weed into 49 states and the District of Columbia, several Canadian provinces, and South Korea.
Each of the 46 Colorado counties with master gardener volunteers has a unique flavor, reflected in their programming. Here in Boulder County, our master gardeners are year-round resources for home gardeners through the in-person and online help desk. Look for them at Ask A Master Gardener booths at garden centers, farmers markets, and other public events. Classes and hands-on presentations, often in conjunction with our community partners, keep the public in the know on current best practices for sustainable home gardening.
We like to get our hands dirty in Extension, and our volunteers are no exception. Master gardeners help maintain the multiple educational demonstration gardens around the Natural Resources building at the Boulder County Fairgrounds. This includes the Chuck Bliss Grass Trial Garden, dedicated to longtime staff member and public servant Bliss, who spent 30 years serving Boulder County residents through the Colorado State University Extension Office.
This season, a group of volunteers helped design and plant our new demonstration garden in downtown Longmont. They continue to monitor and maintain the garden in the space donated by the City of Longmont.
Each of these gardens showcases water-wise and native plants to inspire the public. Visit them any time on the Boulder County Fairgrounds or at 4th Avenue and Kimbark Street in Longmont.
Our dedicated Food Pantry Garden plot in the Boulder County Extension Community Garden is another opportunity for some serious hands-on work. Planned, planted, and harvested entirely by volunteers, the Food Pantry Garden provides fresh local produce to the OUR Center community food bank in Longmont.
Nurturing future gardeners by supporting childcare providers, participating in the Farm to Early Care and Education program is another of our long-term projects. Delivering donated seeds and mentoring the childcare providers in their on-site food gardens is a seasonal favorite.
Maybe you’ve chatted with a master gardener at one of our many Plant Mobile events. A generous Parks & Open Space Foundation grant helped us launch our Plant Mobile last year, and we’ve given away thousands of free native plant starts to folks around the county since then. In the off-season, we’ve provided free coleus plants, and next year we’re planning to expand our offerings to include kitchen herbs. Breweries, climbing gyms, libraries, parades, just give us the chance, and we’ll give away plants!
The new crop of apprentice master gardener volunteers is beginning their training now, mentored by experienced members of our team. They’ll be joining this year’s new master gardeners and folks who have been volunteering with us for years, some for nearly 40!
If you’re interested in learning more about the Colorado Master Gardener program, visit our website and watch our video to see the program in action. For home garden questions, you can connect with our volunteers at mggpa@bouldercounty.gov. We hope to see you in the garden!