BOZEMAN, Mont. — As the temperatures warm and the flowers bloom, Montana State University is gearing up its Master Gardener Program to help connect communities with research-based gardening information through trained volunteers.
The program serves as both an education effort and a volunteer service group, focusing on consumer horticulture and sharing practical information with communities across Montana.
Montana Master Gardener program
According to MSU, the Montana Master Gardener program began in Missoula County in 1974 after a growing number of home gardening questions stretched local Extension resources.
The national program started in Washington in 1973 when Dr. David Gibby created it through the Washington State Cooperative Extension Service. The effort was designed to help answer a sharp rise in requests from home gardeners for horticulture information.
In Montana, Gerald Marks, a Missoula County Extension agent, launched the first county Master Gardener program one year later, using trained volunteers to help handle the volume of public questions, MSU said.
The program later expanded statewide in 1995 under Dr. Robert Bob Gough after he joined Montana State University as an associate professor of horticulture and state Extension specialist. The program aimed to give the public clear general horticulture information while also building education through volunteer service.
People can become Master Gardeners by completing an eight- to 10-week course with more than 16 hours of classroom training. They also have to pass an open-book exam with a score of 80% or better and finish 20 volunteer hours tied to horticulture outreach.
Montana Master Gardener Program
The training covers subjects such as soil science, plant science, vegetable gardening, fruit, lawns and alternatives, trees and shrubs, flowers and landscaping, pest management and program expectations.
Volunteers with at least two full years of active service can qualify for the Advanced Master Gardener Program. That program offers deeper instruction in specific topics beyond the core training.
To earn advanced status, participants have to complete 20 hours of continuing education over two years and 20 volunteer hours during that time. The university said they also need 10 continuing education units each year and 20 volunteer hours to keep that status.
The university said advanced classes were offered around the state, so attending a workshop in Bozeman was no longer required.
In Billings, people interested in the program may contact the Yellowstone County Extension here.
Furthermore, MSU is scheduling its 2026 Master Gardener events.
The school announced a free webinar for Thursday, April 16, 2026, focusing on herbicide residues and how they can affect plants in home gardens.
The event is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. Mountain Time and 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time. MSU said registration is free but required through the webinar sign-up page.
According to MSU, Dr. Cecil Tharp will lead the one-hour session as part of the Cultivating Healthy Plants Webinar Series to explain common pesticide sources, how residues can make their way into home and garden spaces, how to avoid contaminated soil amendments and how to identify and fix existing problems.
Montana Master Gardener program
MSU identified Tharp as the school’s pesticide education specialist, coordinating certification and training for Montana private applicators and supporting homeowners and commercial pesticide applicators in using pesticides safely and effectively.
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