Dig this. More than 1,500 Penn State Master Gardeners in 58 counties cultivate contacts and plant educational messages for thousands of people interested in horticulture topics ranging from viburnum to vegetables. Tackling tasks from garden club lectures to creating a horticultural trial garden, these volunteers have helped Penn State reach out to new audiences since the Master Gardener program began in 1982.

"Master Gardeners are there to assist consumers in any way they can," says Toni Bilik, coordinator for the program. "They often advise gardeners on which products to buy, which plant varieties to purchase, and what service might be needed on a project." Master Gardeners also serve as coordinators for the College's Gardener Select program, which has established 28 new trial gardens across the state to evaluate new plants. "Consumers and businesses alike will definitely use these demonstration plots to see how different plants may perform in their area," Bilik says.

Although most extension offices have incorporated Master Gardeners into their educational programs, the program won't accept just anybody who happens to own hand pruners. Participants must fill out an application, go through an intensive interview, and take a test on horticultural topics. "The test isn't a killer, but it weeds out experienced gardeners from people who have never picked up a shovel," Bilik says.

Candidates accepted into the program must complete 30 hours of training from extension agents, faculty, and other Master Gardeners in botany, entomology, plant pathology, soils, plant propagation, communication skills, and other topics. Master Gardeners are then expected to volunteer 50 hours of their time in their first year in the program. In each subsequent year, they must take eight hours of training and volunteer a minimum of 20 hours to remain in the program.

Costs differ from county to county, but every candidate must pay $35 to cover the cost of the program's training manual and an official Master Gardener's name tag. Bilik likes to think of the program as educational outreach for consumer horticulture. "Master Gardeners are first and foremost educators," she says. "We won't go out and plant trees or flowers for you, but we will teach you how to do it."

--John Wall