Auburn Family helps ‘grow’ Master Gardeners’ impact on Alabama

By Kelley Young | Auburn University Philanthropy Communications

As the state coordinator of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System’s Master Gardeners program, Kerry Smith believes in the power of plants.

“Education always enriches our lives, but when you mix it with horticulture and gardening and spending time outdoors, you’ve really got something special,” she said. “I think a lot of things we do every day are better when we connect them with gardening.”

That’s why Smith is not just the coordinator of Extension Master Gardeners; she’s also a generous donor who supports the program. She sees the Master Gardener volunteers as Auburn’s land-grant mission in action — carrying research-based horticulture guidance from campus into communities across Alabama.

“Our work centers on transferring the knowledge and research here at Auburn to the Master Gardener volunteers by way of regional Extension agents,” she said.

Now, she’s hoping more members of the Auburn Family will join her in supporting the Master Gardeners program’s Fund for Excellence, which will help expand educational reach through volunteer training, public workshops and other efforts that grow stronger communities.

For and By Volunteers

Through extensive training and continuing education, the Master Gardeners collaborate with regional Extension agents to serve their communities by presenting at workshops, local events and school programs.

“They work very closely with the Extension agents, who are extremely knowledgeable about horticulture in their regions,” Smith said. “Volunteers don’t work for a paycheck — they work for relationships.”

With organized groups, or Master Gardeners Associations, in about half of Alabama’s counties, they maintain demonstration gardens that teach residents about growing food, composting and plant conservation. They also support a wide variety of local civic events and take phone calls to the Master Gardener Helpline, a free service that connects callers with answers to all their home gardening and horticulture questions.

While each Master Gardeners Association shapes its work around local needs and member interests, many take part in Alabama Extension programs like Grow More, Give More, which encourages home gardeners to grow extra produce for neighbors in need.

In 2025, volunteers donated more than 19,000 pounds of fresh produce through the program.

“It was so cool how the volunteers embraced this program from Extension Home Horticulture,” Smith said. “That’s exactly what we’re supposed to be doing, and I know we can do more.”

A Leader in Home Horticulture

Smith began her career as an elementary school teacher, but after several years in the classroom, her lifelong love of the outdoors eventually led her back to Auburn. She enrolled in the College of Agriculture to pursue a second degree and quickly discovered that horticulture was where she belonged.

“I believe that if we pay attention, we eventually wind up in the right spot — we meet new people, hear new ideas, visit new places, and all of a sudden, all those seemingly unrelated pieces fit together,” she said. “I always loved using plants in my teaching activities but never thought about horticulture as a career. Once I began taking the classes at Auburn, it just clicked, and I knew it was the right spot for me.”

It’s been 23 years since Smith joined Alabama Extension to coordinate the Master Gardeners. Her support of the program is both a reflection of her belief in its mission and an investment in its future.

“I want this program not just to survive long into the future, I want it to thrive,” she said. “I’ve seen what’s possible, and I believe we can grow this program into something even more connected and impactful across the state.”

To support the Master Gardeners program, visit the Fund For Excellence website..