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Athens-Clarke County
UGA Extension Office

Athens Area Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Program

Ongoing Master Gardener Projects

Our Master Gardeners volunteer at a large number of community gardens, school gardens, and events in Athens. To view a full list with pictures and descriptions, please view Athens Master Gardener Project Highlights. 

ACC Extension Office Master Gardener Help Desk: If you have questions about soil testing, starting a garden, or pests/disease, you can contact our office at 706-613-3640 to speak with a Master Gardener or our county agriculture agent. 

State Botanical Garden of Georgia: Master Gardeners answer questions, lead public and school group tours, and work in the gardens at the SBGG. Contact: Andrea Fischer, afischer@uga.edu. 

Local Farmers Markets and Community Events: Master Gardeners answer questions at the Athens Farmer's Market, Marigold Market, and community events such as Vulture Festival, ACC Water Festival, ACC Wellness Fair, Trunk or Treat, Harvest Festival, Insectival, school fairs, etc. 

Piedmont Athens Regional Pollinator Garden: A garden located at Piedmont hospital in Athens where patients and members of the public can enjoy plants and wildlife. Contact: Frank and Cheryl Johnson, frankandcherylj@gmail.com. 

Dudley Park Bat Garden: A pollinator garden focused on species that attract insects for bats, located at Dudley Park. Educational events are conducted at this garden. 

ACC Extension Demonstration Garden: A public garden featuring both vegetables and ornamentals at the ACC Extension Office, 275 Cleveland RD, Bogart GA. Bee hives, bat houses, and purple martin houses are also featured. Master Gardeners help maintain county extension bee hives and native landscape surrounding the office. Contact: Kristi Sego, kristisego@yahoo.com or John Aitkens, aitkensj@gmail.com

UGA Trial Gardens:  The Trial Garden is an ornamental breeding space for the UGA Horticulture Department and ornamental plant companies from around the world to test new varieties. Our volunteers assist the director, Dr. John Ruter, Garden Manager Sandy Begani, and horticulture students with planting, weeding, pruning, and maintaining the 1-acre growing space. Contact: Sandy Begani, sbegani@uga.edu 

Oconee Plant-A-Row for the Hungry: A 1/2 acre vegetable garden where Master Gardeners grow hundres of pounds of produce each year. This produce is donated to local organizations to feed those in need. Contact: Gary Wade, gwade@uga.edu 

School Gardens: Master Gardeners help at various school gardens, including the JJ Harris After School Garden Club (Debora Ondracek, ondracekdebora@gmail.com), Rocky Branch Elementary, and Clarke Middle School Plant-A-Row for the Hungry. 

Plant Sales: Master Gardeners help with the State Botanical Garden Plant Sale, Trial Garden Plant Sale, and Athens Area Master Gardener Association Spring Plant Sale (held April each year), and annual Daffodil and Bulb Sale. 

Master Gardeners also volunteer with local Clarke County organizations such as Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful (Stacy Smith stacy.smith@acc.gov), and Sandy Creek Nature Center (Kate Mowbray, kate.mowbray@acc.gov). 


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Master Gardener logo of a hand holding a sprouting plant

How can you apply to be a Master Gardener?

The next Master Gardener Program will kickoff in January of 2025. Please fill out the following Application and email to vlc74120@uga.edu or mail or bring in person to 275 Cleveland RD, Bogart GA 30622 by November 15th. 

If you have any questions or interest in applying for the next course, please contact the ACC Extension office at (706) 613-3640 or email lney@uga.edu.For more information of the Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Program as a whole, visit the Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Program Website.

What is the Athens Area Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Program?

Established in 1990, the Athens Area Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Program provides novice and seasoned gardeners with an intensive educational experience in horticulture principles, practices and pest management.  Classes are taught by University of Georgia faculty and other subject area experts.  Class topics include botany, plant physiology, soils, flowering plants, vegetable gardening, fruit gardening, herb gardening, organic gardening, entomology, plant pathology and disease control, landscape design, plant propagation, composting and more.

After completing the three-month educational component, participants perform 50 hours of volunteer service in their community before the end of the calendar year. Master Gardeners then continue to volunteer a minimum of 25 hours each year thereafter to retain their certification.   Volunteer opportunities include answering gardening questions at the Athens-Clarke County Extension office, staffing informational booths at farmers markets and local events, conducting plant clinics, maintaining Plant a Row for the Hungry gardens, assisting curators at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, teaching Junior Master Gardener programs at local schools and more.  Currently, over 160 Master Gardeners serve the Athens area.  This dedicated group performs more than 14,000 hours of volunteer service each year.

Who Can Participate?

The Athens Area Master Gardener Extension Volunteer program is open to any adult in Athens or surrounding counties with an interest in horticulture and a desire to volunteer in the community.  Master Gardener students enter the program with a variety of experience levels and skills.  Before being accepted into the program, applicants must complete a background check required of all University of Georgia Extension Volunteers.

When is the Training?

The training occurs once a year beginning in January on consecutive Tuesdays and Thursdays.  To accommodate a variety of schedules, the classes take place in the evening during even years (ex:2020), and classes take place in the morning during odd years (ex: 2019).  

The 2025 class will take place on mornings on consecutive Tuesdays and Thursdays, January 7th  to April 8th, 2025.