AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. — Extension Master Gardeners are appropriately named. They are well-known as masters of the garden — growing everything from flowering plants and beautiful shrubs to bountiful fruits, vegetables and towering trees. However, they should be just as well-known for putting their green thumbs into action to help others.

“People may not realize it, but the Extension Master Gardener program is truly a volunteer program,” said Kerry Smith, state coordinator of the Alabama Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program. “Its mission is to improve the lives of Alabamians through research-based horticulture education delivered by a dedicated, trained and involved Extension volunteer team.”

The current application period to become an Extension Master Gardener volunteer closes on June 30 with courses beginning July 31. However, some of the most recent program graduates are already sowing seeds of change in their communities.

A New Community Garden in Jefferson County

A few years ago, Dorothy Leonard drove past a large group of people gathered in a vacant lot in her community of Midfield. She stopped to ask what they were doing.

“They told me they were Extension Master Gardener volunteers, and they were putting in a community garden,” Leonard said. “That’s the first I had heard of the program. I always had a home garden, and I liked to grow vegetables. So, it didn’t take too much encouragement before I decided to go through the program.”

She graduated and went back to that garden where she first learned about the program. Leonard now serves as manager of the Midfield-Holt Community Garden, caring for 15 garden beds and helping secure funding for the construction of a pavilion. Starting July 28, she will teach an eight-week gardening class.

“There’s no age limit on the classes, but I really would like to focus on the young people in our community,” she said. “We always worry about the material things we’ll be able to leave to our children, but we need to make sure we’re also providing skills to our youngsters.”

The skills Leonard plans to teach include preparing soil, planting seeds both in-ground and in raised beds, controlling weeds and pests, protecting pollinators and harvesting. A former health care educator and nurse, Leonard said the program allows her to share her talents. Through research, she’s learned today’s teenagers are anticipated to live to 100 years of age and older. Leonard wants to teach them how to eat healthy as they grow older.

“Ever since my husband passed away a few years ago, I have been trying to redefine myself. Gardening seems to be working for me. I have a new-found purpose in life. I’m mixing my health care experience with growing healthy vegetables and fruits in the garden,” she said. “Now, when I go to the Jefferson County Extension Master Gardeners Association meetings, it’s just a good, warm feeling. Everyone in that room shares something in common. We all love gardening.”

Teaching Life Skills in Mobile

The Wilmer Hall Children’s Home has a long history of helping the people of Mobile. Established in 1864 for the orphaned, it continues today as a non-profit that provides a home to young adults, along with job and life skills training and education. The ministry also includes four tutoring locations and a delivery-based food pantry.

When Pratt Paterson took over as executive director, he inherited a large outdoor garden of raised beds. For years, the raised beds sat fallow, until Paterson signed up for the Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program.

“I lived in east Tennessee for a while and thought I was a good gardener, but it turns out I just had the perfect climate and dirt up there,” Paterson said. “I realized gardening is much different on the Gulf Coast and that I needed to learn new things to be a successful gardener in Mobile.”

Paterson completed the intern coursework earlier this year and built relationships through the program. He was thankful when the Mobile County Master Gardeners Association decided to take on the Wilmer Hall Children’s Home garden as one of their volunteer projects. They worked with Extension staff to install a new irrigation system. They brought in new soil, fertilized the beds, planted vegetables and established a caretaking schedule.

“Vegetable gardening requires a lot of scouting for insects and diseases, especially in Mobile in the summer,” said Jan Wood, the Mobile Extension Master Gardener who offered to organize the schedule of volunteers. “When you look at pictures of where it was at the beginning of the year, it’s amazing to see how that garden has grown. Our volunteers have been stellar. They’re very diligent. One or two are out there every day to scout and harvest.”

When questions arise, volunteers rely on the expert help of Alabama Extension staff, including Home Horticulture Agent Jack LeCroy and Commercial Horticulture Agent Jacob Kelley.

“When they’re out scouting, they’ll send pictures of insects or possible disease, and we send them our recommendations,” LeCroy said. “At Extension, our mission is to serve, but I can’t always be everywhere. Through working with the Mobile County Master Gardeners Association, they’re making it possible for Extension to serve even more people in the community.”

The bounty of the garden goes to residents and staff. It will also be used in monthly classes where a chef teaches residents new ways to prepare food.

“I think we’re all learning things through this garden,” Paterson said. “In the 161-year history of Wilmer Hall Children’s Home, it has taken a village to keep this ministry going. That includes many community partners in Mobile, and we’re happy that now the Extension Master Gardeners are among our partners.”

Become an Extension Master Gardener, Make a Difference

The signup period for the next intern training of the Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program closes June 30. To apply or learn more, visit aces.edu and search for Extension Master Gardener. To become certified, interns participate in classes and 50 volunteer hours.

“Knowledge is a wonderful thing, but what good is it if we don’t share it?” said Wood. “That’s what we’re doing as Extension Master Gardener volunteers. We have the knowledge, so we can go out and teach others what we know. Hopefully, they’ll pass on the knowledge they gain and the good will grow exponentially.”

To learn more about the projects included in this article, search for Midfield, Alabama on Facebook or visit wilmerhall.org.