If you read MyMotherLode.com, you probably have read articles in the gardening column about plants and insects and green thumbs. You’ve been shown how to use water effectively; you’ve been told why certain plants should or should not be cultivated in our area; and you may have even read about interesting bugs and fungi and why your tomatoes have blossom end rot.
But just who are the people telling you all this interesting stuff? Master Gardeners, that’s who. And who are these master gardener volunteers? The approximately 90 master gardeners in Tuolumne County and the 70 in Calaveras County are often contractors, teachers, homemakers, students, or people who retired from professions like those—chances are they are just like you.
Rather than “experts,” they are simply people who like to see things grow well and who choose to apply sound, scientific research-based principles to their gardening. Master Gardeners are University of California-trained and certified volunteer educators. Perhaps the greatest thing about becoming a Master Gardener is the wealth of research-based information the gardeners learn and apply to their own gardens.
If you are interested in helping others learn about gardening, this program may be for you. The local program is open to anyone in Calaveras and Tuolumne County. The University of California provides science-based information and training. In return, a master gardener becomes a volunteer in the public education arm of the University’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
But what kinds of things are Master Gardeners expected to do? Certainly, they answer questions. You may have seen some of them doing just that at a booth at a farmer’s market or nursery. You may have attended an information session at the demonstration garden in Sonora or San Andreas. Master Gardeners donate a minimum of 25 volunteer hours per year (50 the first year) manning demonstration gardens, working on plant sales, helping with school gardens, and responding to inquiries.
So just how does someone become a master gardener? An orientation/information session is scheduled for Thursday, October 16, at 3:00 pm at the Calaveras County Central Library, 1299 Gold Hunter Road, San Andreas. Anyone interested in becoming a Master Gardener should attend the orientation to learn about the Master Gardener Program and volunteer requirements. An information survey for the orientation can be found here. Note: this is NOT an application to the master gardener program. That comes later.
After being fingerprinted and paying a fee for instructional materials, master gardener trainees will attend class one afternoon per week from February through May, 2026. Classes will include over 50 hours of intensive training by University of California personnel and horticulture specialists in various fields. Topics include water management, soils, composting, native plants, fruit production, plant diseases, entomology, integrated pest management, understanding pesticides, and more.
For more information, contact Debbie Powell, the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Coordinator for Tuolumne and Calaveras Counties. Her phone number is (209) 533-5696 and the email address is dlpowell@ucanr.edu
Coddling moth infestation? Fire blight on your pear trees? Gray mold on your strawberries? Instead of asking an expert what to do, become knowledgeable yourself. Become a Master Gardener.
Chace Anderson is a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Tuolumne County.
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