Attention gardeners, it’s time to sign up for the 2026 West Hawaii Master Gardener Training Program. This educational outreach program administered by the University of Hawaii Cooperative Extension is designed to train members of the community in the latest sustainable management practices in tropical horticulture.
The goal is to prepare trainees to share research-based information with the local gardening community. The training is an excellent opportunity for new and experienced gardeners to increase their knowledge and improve their skills.
This year the program will include classes on basic botany, plant propagation, organic and sustainable gardening, soil fertility and nutrient management, agroforestry and home food forests, native Hawaiian plants, tropical fruit, vegetable crops, ornamental plants, entomology and integrated pest management, invasive species and weed management and pruning.
In order to become Certified as a West Hawaii Master Gardener, you will need to attend both in person and online classes that start on Feb. 11 and continue through April 24. The in-person classes will meet on six different Wednesday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon.
The two- to three-hour online classes will be offered statewide as zoom webinars. They start at 9 a.m. on Friday mornings beginning on Feb. 13 and ending on April 24. You will need to have both Wednesday and Friday mornings available on these dates to attend these classes.
The in-person classes on Wednesdays will be held at the Kona Cooperative Extension office (UH CTAHR) at 79-7381 Mamalahoa Highway in Kainaliu. They offer an opportunity for hands on experiences in both seed and vegetative propagation led by Master Gardener Program coordinator, Ty McDonald, as well as an in-depth look at Kona soils and nutrient management with soil scientist Jonathan Deenik from UH Manoa.
These classes will also offer participants hands-on experience in pruning plus instructions on best pruning techniques and practices. A field trip to Kona’s Joseph Rock arboretum will also be included in the Wednesday offerings. The trip will take students to a dry forest site and a visit to the accompanying seed bank and nursery.
The online webinars will be taught by UH staff members as well as experts in the field. Ted Radovich from UH’s Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program (SOAP) along with Kauai Extension Agents Emilie Kirk and James Keach will discuss growing organically and sustainably. Kona-based agroforestry designer and author, Craig Elevitch, will provide a detailed and provocative class on the principles and practices in developing regenerative food forests.
In addition to attending all the classes, candidates for Master Gardener Certification will also need to successfully complete and pass two take home exams on the topics covered in classes. Once you have completed the training you have a year to complete 40 hours of volunteer time in service to the horticultural concerns of the community. Volunteering at telephone plant help lines, attending local events offering plant advice and gardening help to community members are among the possible volunteer choices.
Some other Master Gardener outreach activities include the Vanilla Orchid Project that promotes home grown vanilla through propagating potted vanilla plants for the public. The vanilla team also grows vanilla vines in their greenhouse, hand-pollinating the flowers, then harvesting and curing fresh vanilla beans for home use.
Another popular project is the West Hawaii Master Gardener FREE Seed Library. Volunteers meet monthly to pack a wide variety of vegetable and herb seeds that are then distributed to all the public libraries in West Hawaii through the inter-library loan system. Seeds are always free!
In order to maintain your Master Gardener Certification, you will be asked to serve 30 volunteer hours per year to keep your certification current.
An alternative to the full Master Gardener Certification Program is also available. You can choose to attend the webinars only. Though this offers an educational opportunity, it does not lead to Master Gardener Certification. These webinars will cover the aforementioned topics and will be recorded for later viewing or review.
In either case, this program offers those interested in gardening and horticulture an opportunity to learn the latest university researched-based information. The application deadline for the 2026 Master Gardener program has been extended to Dec. 31.
In order to be considered for the full Master Gardener Certification program, you need to fill out an application form online at https://tinyurl.com/4xm8xsh7.
Application for the online classes only requires and application at a different location: https://tinyurl.com/4h7nxjbp.
The fee for either program is $250. After completing the online application, send the $250 fee as a check made out to WHMGP to Kona Cooperative Extension, 79-7381 Mamalahoa Highway, Kealakekua HI 96750 or deliver the fee in cash or check to Ty McDonald at the Cooperative Extension Service office in Kainaliu at 79-7381 Mamalahoa Highway.
The fees will not be deposited unless you are accepted into either program. If, after acceptance, you need to cancel, full refunds will be available if you notify McDonald by Friday, Jan. 16.
You can contact McDonald at the Extension office at (808) 322-4884 or by email at tym@hawaii.edu if you have questions about the program.
This is an excellent opportunity to become familiar with horticultural information that local professors and experts have to offer and will certainly help you become a better gardener and a more informed community member. Now is a good time to sign up for one of these programs.
Gardening events
Saturday: “Work Day at Amy Greenwell Garden” from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Meet at the Garden Visitor Center across from the Manago Hotel in Captain Cook. Call the Garden at 323-3318 for more information.
Now: Kona Typica grafted trees available for purchase. First come, first served basis. 20 Kona Typica grafted (on C. liberica rootstock) trees are available for $15 each.
Tissue cultured ‘Ito’ trees available at $15 each. Contact Andrea at andreak@hawaii.edu if you are interested.
Still available: CLR resistant coffee trees. Learn more at https://youtu.be/11-vtPT2jRU or call Andrea Kawabata at (808) 322-4892.
“Coffee and Orchard Crops Webinar Series” Tuesdays at noon. A Q-and-A session with the presenter(s) will follow their prerecorded or live presentation(s). Tentative dates and topics include:
— Jan. 27: Two presentations, (1) bark beetles in Hawaii and (2) CLR pesticide research update.
— Feb. 3: Two presentations, (1) citrus tree planting and pruning and (2) Asian citrus psyllid on Tahitian lime.
— Feb. 10: Pending.
— Feb. 17: Two presentations, (1) improving coffee nutrition in Hawaii and (2) CLR fungicide field trial update.
— March 3: Overview of pesticide laws.
— March 10: Pending.
— March. 17: Pending.
— March 24: Two presentations, (1) parasitic nematodes and (2) about the USDA Germplasm Repository in Hilo.
— March 31: Two presentations, (1) Fungal attackers of multiple crops and (2) record-keeping and tools.
— Aprril 7: Current, common fruit growers’ challenges and solutions.
— April 14: Updates on HARC’s coffee-breeding program.
A single registration gives access to the series’ Zoom link. Contact Andrea Kawabata for flyer and registration information at (808) 322-4892 or andreak@hawaii.edu
Farmer direct mrkets
Wednesday: Ho‘oulu Farmers Market at Sheraton Kona Resort and Spa at Keauhou Bay.
Saturday: Keauhou Farmers Market 8 a.m. to noon at Keauhou Shopping Center. Information at keauhoufarmersmarket.com/onlinemarket.
Kamuela Farmer’s Market 7:30 a.m. to noon at Pukalani Stables.
Waimea Town Market 7:30 a.m. to noon at the Parker School in central Waimea
Waimea Homestead Farmers Market from 7:30 a.m. to noon at the Waimea Biddle and Elementary School playground.
Sunday: Pure Kona Green Market 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Amy Greenwell Garden in Captain Cook.
Hamakua Harvest 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hwy 19 and Mamane Street in Honoka‘a.
Plant advice lines
Anytime: konamg@hawaii.edu
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to noon, at UH-CES in Kainaliu, 322-4893, or walk in Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, 9 a.m. to noon, at UH CES at Konohana in Hilo 981-5199.
Diana Duff is a plant adviser, educator and consultant living on Oahu and working part time in Kona.
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