History

History of Massachusetts Master Gardener Association

The very first Master Gardener program was started in 1972 in Seattle, Washington by Cooperative Extension Agents as a means of more effectively addressing questions posed to them by eager home gardeners. The program became so successful within a few years that it was adopted throughout Washington State and by many other states. Today, Master Gardeners are in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several Canadian provinces. 

The first Massachusetts Master Gardener program was started in 1977 by Extension Agent Ron Kujawski at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. It was an active program until 1989, when state budget cuts forced a new approach. 

A small group of Master Gardeners formed the Eastern Massachusetts Master Gardeners Association. This group operated on its own until 1993, when the Massachusetts Horticultural Society officially adopted the program and began running its training programs as well as providing staff and logistical support.

In fall of 2008, the Eastern region Master Gardeners became incorporated and continued to offer and expand the Master Gardener Certification Program to the interested public.  This program is now offered as a hybrid course with both online and in-person sessions.  To date, over 700 people have ​graduated from the Certification course.

Today the MMGA provides management and support to a wide range of gardens and food production sites and continues an affiliation with the Massachusetts Horticultural Society (MHS) and New England Botanic Garden (NEBG), implementing Helplines to answer horticultural questions and volunteer as needed.  

​Recently, Master Gardeners have expanded the Mission to provide support to other organization’s horticultural missions and needs through outreach programs in school gardens, speaking engagements, and grants.  

The Extension Master Gardener website has a history of the global Master Gardener Movement,.