What is eating my broccoli plants? Why are the leaves on my maple tree turning yellow? What is that grotesque-looking green caterpillar on my tomato plants? How do I get rid of weeds in my lawn? Every year, these and thousands of other questions are asked with folks getting answers from people known as Master Gardeners. Who are Master Gardeners, you may ask? Well, they are people who have a passion for gardening and love to share their gardening knowledge with the community. Master Gardeners here have completed in-depth training through the Colorado Master Gardener Program. This program is a community-based, horticulture training and volunteer program through Colorado State University (CSU) Extension. The mission of the program is to “enhance Coloradans’ quality of life by extending knowledge-based education to local communities, helping individuals make informed decisions about plants and fostering successful gardeners while protecting neighborhood environments.” Once training is completed, Master Gardeners help the gardening public solve their horticulture-related problems with scientific, research-based knowledge, while providing meaningful outreach. Trainees complete 15 weeks of core training courses from October-March, with hands-on lab sessions held in-person. Upon training completion, volunteers share their knowledge and expertise by answering questions posed by people in the community. In fact, the Colorado Master Gardener Program is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year! Locally, Master Gardeners have been serving in the Tri-River Area since 1978, so it will celebrate its 50th anniversary in three years. The CSU Extension office which supports the Western Slope counties of Mesa, Delta, Montrose and Ouray, is known as the Tri-River Area Extension. Master Gardeners also help to maintain the 3.5 acres of demonstration gardens at the Extension office in Grand Junction. The gardens are open from dawn to dusk and include a Plant Select garden, an arboretum, the Clifford Duncan Ute Learning Garden, waterwise gardens, a cactus garden (maintained by the Chinle Cactus Club & Succulent Society), and other demonstration garden beds. Master Gardeners serve as docents for the Clifford Duncan Ute Learning Garden, which is an ethnobotanical, native plant garden. Master Gardeners also support the Grow & Give project (www.growandgivecolorado.org) where community members grow produce to donate to those in need. You can often find Master Gardeners out in the community, staffing information tables at expos, festivals, shows and farmer’s markets or speaking throughout the Tri-River area. Additionally, the CSU Tri-River Area Extension provides assistance and support to commercial growers, farmers, and ranchers through its Horticulture, Agriculture & Natural Resources, and Entomology programs. It also serves individuals and families through 4-H Youth Development and STEM, and through Family and Consumer Sciences, which also supports food service establishments and local cottage food producers. Homeowners with questions regarding weeds, vegetable gardening, lawn care, fertilizers, trees, insect pests, etc. can reach out to the Extension office by contacting the Help Desk via phone (970-240-1836), email (masterg1@mesacounty.us), or with an in-person visit (2775 Highway 50, within the Mesa County Fairgrounds). Volunteers answer homeowners’ questions and will include supporting documents, such as CSU Fact Sheets, to provide additional information and resources. In 2024, Master Gardeners in the Tri-River Area answered over 1,500 questions through the Help Desk and volunteered nearly 2,900 hours serving the Tri-River Area.
Who are Master Gardeners, you may ask? Well, they are people who have a passion for gardening and love to share their gardening knowledge with the community.