I read and enjoy your articles and have called the Tulsa Master Gardener office several times with questions, but what is a Master Gardener, and would it be possible for me to become one? EO

Many people take advantage of our educational programs, garden tours, and other programs without really knowing what it means to be a Master Gardener or what qualifies someone to be called a Master Gardener so let’s correct that situation.

Oklahoma State University is what is known as a land-grant university. There are land-grant universities all over the United States. Land-grant universities came into existence back in 1862 when Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act into law. Representative Justin Morrill of Vermont first introduced the bill in 1857 and Congress passed it in 1859 but the bill was vetoed by President James Buchannan. Morrill then resubmitted this bill in 1861, it passed, and Abraham Lincoln signed it into law in 1862.

Through this act, Congress provided over 17 million acres of land to states so they could sell the land and use the funds to establish and endow new colleges across the country. While Iowa was the first state to accept the provisions of the Morrill act, Kansas State University was the first land-grant college to be created. Oklahoma State was founded in 1890.

While most colleges at the time were considered “liberal arts” schools, land-grant universities were intended to teach agriculture, science, and engineering. As a result, land-grant universities carry with them a different mandate to not only educate students, but to conduct research and then share that information with the general public. That sharing of information is accomplished through the efforts of the OSU Extension Services. Oklahoma has OSU Extension offices in all 77 counties of our state.

The first Master Gardener program began in 1973 at Washington State University to help with an increasing demand for horticulture and gardening advice. Estimates suggest there are about 100,000 Master Gardener across the country in various programs. Tulsa is fortunate to be one of the larger Master Gardener groups with over 300 active Master Gardeners who contribute more than 30,000 volunteer hours in support of our county most years.

Our very active Tulsa Master Gardeners volunteer in a variety of programs throughout Tulsa. First of all, we maintain a Diagnostic Center in the Tulsa County OSU Extension at 4116 E. 15^th Street. Each day, Monday through Friday Master Gardeners are available for you to ask questions. You can drop in, email, or call and someone will be there to help. While you are there, take a walk around our Demonstration Garden that surrounds the building.

We also teach classes during the year on a variety of topics. These classes include our Urban Gardener and Master Composter classes, as well as our Lunch and Learn series at the Tulsa Central Library. In addition, Master Gardeners are available to teach classes on a variety of horticultural topics at civic group meetings etc. In line with our education mandate, we also maintain an extensive website that is packed with useful horticultural information.

Tulsa Master Gardeners also teach classes in area elementary schools on topics such as worms, trees, pollinators, soil, and other topics. These classes are very popular with the students, especially when we show up with worms and the students get to hold the worms. This is always a good time for students and Master Gardeners.

Our elementary education efforts recently added a yearly event we call Exploring Insects which is available to area third graders. In these events, about 1000 students learn and have fun. There are participatory exhibits about spiders, ticks, and dung beetles, etc. Some students are even brave enough to taste fried meal worms! Again, this is great fun.

We don’t just reach out to young students; we also have a program we call Senior Living in which we visit area nursing homes to engage residents in a little horticultural therapy. It’s a great way to brighten the day of both residents and Master Gardeners.

If you have visited Brookside, you have probably noticed the beautiful flowerpots with the bright pink flowers. This is our Tulsa Blooms program in which Master Gardeners plant and maintain these planters for sheer joy of helping make Tulsa as beautiful as we know it can be.

Many of you are familiar with our yearly Garden Tour. This tour is a great way for Tulsans to get ideas on how to not only make their landscapes more beautiful but also learn how best to care for their plants. And don’t forget our plant sale/fundraiser each year in which hundreds of Tulsans participate.

We have all heard of how Habitat for Humanity builds affordable housing for those in Tulsa who have difficulty securing housing through traditional means. But did you know Tulsa Master Gardeners landscape each of those homes and help educate these new homeowners on how to best care for their new landscape. This is a great way to help make a house into a home.

This year we started a new program we are excited about called our Seed to Supper Farm. On this farm we are not only learning more about growing vegetables, but all the produce grown on the farm is being donated to area food pantries. We’ve been struggling just like you all with the recent hot/dry weather but it’s worth it. Just last week two pickup trucks, loaded with watermelons and cantaloupes from our farm headed out to make their deliveries.

If you would like to find out more about how to become a Tulsa Master Gardener, we have two information sessions coming up. In these sessions you will learn about what is required to become a Master Gardener including the once-a-week classes during the fall and the volunteer commitments you would be making. There will be two information sessions at the OSU Extension. August 10^th at 10:00 a.m. and August 17^th at 1:00 p.m. You can find out more at our website: www.tulsamastergardeners.org. See you in the garden! Photo - Tom Ingram