Are you interested in learning more about Maryland’s unique environment and how to become good stewards of the land? Are you passionate about education and outreach? The Upper Shore Master Gardener Volunteer Programs will hold their annual basic training course starting on Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026. This will be a hybrid course to train volunteer representatives as Master Gardeners for the University of Maryland Extension in your home county. 

Classes take place in-person every Tuesday evening from 5:30-8:30PM in addition to virtual class every Friday from 9AM-12PM; the course begins on February 3rd and will run through April 7th, 2026. In-person classes on Tuesdays will be located at the Higher Education Center on the Chesapeake College Campus in Queenstown, MD. The class is a consortium of participants from Dorchester, Talbot, Kent, and Queen Anne’s Counties.

University of Maryland Professors and Extension Specialists teach classes: this well-rounded 50+ hour course includes instruction on: ecology, botany, soils, plant diseases, insects – both pests and beneficial, weeds, and much more. The program emphasizes community involvement and outreach as well as environmental stewardship.

The Extension Master Gardener network reaches across the nation. For nearly 50 years, Extension Master Gardeners (EMG) have educated millions of people about sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. There are approximately 84,000 Master Gardeners volunteers nationwide: Master Gardeners volunteer over 108,000 hours in the state of Maryland. 

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world” (Nelson Mandela) Master Gardeners have access to state-wide and national continuing education opportunities. They also provide educational outreach and contributed 5.1 million hours in their local communities (nationwide).

Volunteering helps you meet others who share common interests. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people who share common interests. Dedicating your time as a volunteer also helps you expand your network and practice social skills with others. Best of all, you’ll meet other people who enjoy gardening just as much as you do!

The University of Maryland Master Gardener vision is a healthier world through environmental stewardship.  University of Maryland Extension Master Gardeners volunteers work on a variety of projects in cooperation with local schools, help maintain various public gardens, volunteer at local Senior Centers and Assisted Living facilities working with therapeutic gardens and hands-on gardening programs, provide community education through free workshops and classes open to local residents, visit home and public gardens as part of our Bay-Wise certification program…and so much more.  

A $225 fee is charged to cover all costs, including the brand-new Maryland Master Gardener Handbook. An additional $15 background check is required (at participant’s expense). This University of Maryland Extension Master Gardener volunteer training program is open to the public, 18 years of age and older and payment assistance is available based on need. 

For more information about the University of Maryland Master Gardener Volunteer program, check out the state webpage: https://extension.umd.edu/mg. Interested candidates will be asked to fill out and return an application to the local coordinator by November 15th, 2025. 

Queen Anne’s County contact: Rachel J. Rhodes, Master Gardener Coordinator at (410) 758-0166 or by email at [email protected].

Talbot County contact: Mikaela Boley, Master Gardener Coordinator (410) 822-1244 or by email at [email protected] 

For Dorchester County contact: Emily Zobel, Master Gardener Coordinator (410) 228-8800 or by email at [email protected] 

University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.

The delightful hum of lawnmowers is right around the corner. Soon we’ll be tackling outdoor tasks that have been calling our names during the cold winter months. As we transition into warmer days, our 2025 summer “Ask A Master Gardener Plant Clinics” will be traveling around Queen Anne’s County to various events and open houses. This is a great opportunity to have Master Gardeners help with all your questions about gardening, from garden pests, to plant problems, to selecting the perfect native plants, and beneficial insects. Master Gardeners will be on hand to give tips and tricks to make your home garden flourish, help troubleshoot tricky growing situations, and offer encouragement on creating the perfect garden for your space. These events are free and open to the public.

Dates/Topics: 

April 19, 2025- It’s Grow Time at An Eastridge Garden (533 Dulin Clark Road Centreville, MD 21617) – Master Gardeners will be on hand to discuss tips and tricks to getting things ready in your garden.  
From 10 am to 2 pm

 May 3, 2025 – Creating a Bay-Wise Garden at Greenwood Creek Nursery (201 Bennett Point Road Queenstown, MD 21658) Master Gardeners will be on hand to guide you throw gardening to help the Chesapeake Bay. 
From 10 am to 2 pm  

May 24, 2025-Enhancing your garden with native plants at A Little Farm and Nursery (100 Davidson Drive Stevensville, MD 21666). Master Gardeners will be on hand to discuss picking the right native plant for the right place. 
From 10 am to 2 pm 

June 7, 2025- If you plant it they will come, Pollinators at Unity Church Hill Nursery (3621 Church Hill Road, Church Hill, MD 21623). Master Gardeners will be on hand to discuss how to add pollinator-friendly plants to your garden!
From 10 am to 2 pm 

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For further information please call or reasonable accommodations to participate in this event contact the University of Maryland Extension Rachel Rhodes, at (410) 758-0166 or [email protected]   

University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.

In the spring of 2024, Master Gardener Intern Wendy Hubbert asked for a project. Knowing her deep-seated passion for Native Plants, I immediately shared an idea I had for a while but didn’t have the time to execute, a native plant giveaway for our fall booth activities. Wendy took hold of this idea and ran with it. She applied for a Plant Grant from Bona Terra Plant Nursery. Bona Terra’s goal of their Plant grant is to “annually place one million native seedlings into the hands of community members and in turn, these seedlings will support our local ecosystems.” 

After successfully receiving this grant and picking up the seedlings, Master Gardeners put the plan into action by having a dividing day in July. One small flat of native plant seedlings turned into over 400 pots to share with our community. This day wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Queen Anne’s County Department of Parks and Recreation for providing us space to divide and repot plants and the countless Master Gardeners who showed up to help and took home plant babies to care for over the summer. 

During some of the hottest and driest long weeks of summer, Master Gardeners doted on seedlings ensuring that the plants thrived. We kicked off our Native Plant Giveaway at Corsica River Awareness Day in September at Conquest Beach. Master Gardeners eagerly talked to participants about native plants and the benefits of adding them to their home landscape. Rounding out the end of fall, Master Gardeners were at Centreville Day in October to hand out the remaining native plant seedlings. Each participant was able to take home a native plant and a factsheet about their native plant. When asked how Master Gardeners felt about this project, Master Gardener Denise Malueg said “I am happy that we introduced native plants to gardeners who are our neighbors! That impacts our environment as well as their immediate surroundings.”

In total over 400 native plant seedlings were given away at both events, Master Gardeners volunteered over 142 hours to this project equaling over $4,755 dollars in-kind services back to Queen Anne’s County. Organizer, Master Gardener Intern Wendy Hubbert reflected about the impacts of the project “I loved about this project was seeing groups pool their resources to accomplish a common goal. We made a tangible difference in adding native plants to our area’s gardens because of Bona Terra’s free seedlings, Queen Anne’s County Master Gardeners’ time and expertise and community outreach opportunities created by UMD Extension. It was super rewarding to see how people can accomplish a lot just by being aware of each other’s’ unique capabilities and shared goals. Giving people free plants makes educating them easier and more effective because they see how painless it can be to make small improvements in their own environments. I hope this will become a regular annual QA Master Gardener effort.” 

For further information please call or make reasonable accommodations to participate in any event email the University of Maryland Extension Queen Anne’s County, Senior Agent Associate for Horticulture and Master Gardener Coordinator, Rachel J. Rhodes, at 410-758-0166 or [email protected] at least two weeks before the events or see us on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/QueenAnnesCountyMasterGardeners

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University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class 

Harvest and postharvest practices for improving apple fruit marketability: Fruit quality and safety workshop will be held at the University of Maryland, Western Maryland Research and Education Center, 18330 Keedysville Road, Keedysville, MD 21756, on Monday, November 4, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The cost to attend the workshop is $25, which includes snacks, lunch, coffee, and networking. Learn about the latest technologies and strategies for improving apple fruit marketability while maintaining fruit quality and produce safety. Presentations, demonstrations, and discussions!

To register, go to https://go.umd.edu/AppleWorkshop

AGENDA

8:30 a.m.  REGISTRATION

APPLE FRUIT QUALITY/ HORTICULTURE
9:00 a.m.     Horticultural Practices and their Impact on Apple Fruit Quality. Dr. Macarena Farcuh, University of Maryland

9:45 a.m.     Integrative Solutions for Controlling Fruit Drop and Enhancing Apple Coloration. Dr. Sherif M. Sherif, Virginia Tech

10:30 a.m.   Break

10:45 a.m.   An Update About Apple Postharvest Diseases and their Management for Growers in the Mid-Atlantic. Dr. Kari Peter, Penn State University

11:15 a.m.   Achieving Fruit Quality by Managing Fireblight and Other Orchard Troubles. Mr. Dave Myers, University of Maryland Extension-Anne Arundel Co.

Noon            Working Lunch (Graduate students present their posters)

APPLE FRUIT SAFETY

1:00 p.m.     Benefits and Food Safety Risks in Postharvest Produce Washing. Dr. Rohan Tikekar, University of Maryland
2:00 p.m.     Break
2:15 p.m.     Navigating the New Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water Rule. Ms. Carol Allen, University of Maryland
3:30 p.m.     Wrap up and evaluation/surveys

For more information or if you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this event (two weeks prior), please contact Dr. Macarena Farcuh at [email protected] or by calling (301) 405-1323

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University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.