Something special is coming this week for Master Gardener volunteers, and we cannot wait to share it with you!
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the OSU Extension Master Gardener Program, we have been looking for new ways to honor the people, stories and shared pride that have shaped this program across Oregon. Later this week, we’ll be sharing something created especially with this community in mind.
This year, the OSU Extension Master Gardener Program was selected as one of only three Extension programs featured for Dam Proud Day. That is a big honor — and a big opportunity to support the statewide work that helps Master Gardener volunteers serve communities across Oregon.
Your gift helps support the program behind the volunteers: training, coordinator support, statewide resources, Seed to Supper, Garden Future and the trusted, science-based gardening education people rely on in every corner of the state.
So here is your Sunday nudge:
Give early. Watch this space. And get ready — something really good is coming.
P.S. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the OSU Extension Master Gardener Program. We’re collecting and sharing stories from volunteers across Oregon. If you are a Master Gardener volunteer — or ever have been — we would love to hear from you. Share your story with us: Beav.es/mgstory
After a career in tech that took her all over the world, Linda Sellheim retired in Dundee and found herself looking for local connection. She joined the Master Gardener program toward the end of the pandemic, hoping to learn and volunteer. What she found was a community — one that would become a source of friendship, learning and support as her husband faced a rare blood cancer diagnosis.
“The friendships I’ve made through being a Master Gardener have helped me learn so much — not only about gardening, but about the community.” —Linda, Dundee (in black hat) Photo credit: Debbie Warner
“The best part of being a Master Gardener volunteer has been meeting fellow gardeners with similar interests and making new friends.
One thing I’m most proud of is the community of learning we have created around our propagation group.
I applied to the program right after I retired, toward the end of the pandemic. I had not been in the area very long, and after coming off a career in tech with lots of travel, I realized I had friends all over the world, but not locally.
The friendships I’ve made through being a Master Gardener have helped me learn so much — not only about gardening, but about the community. Within our propagation group, we have started a book club where we read gardening novels. We go to local restaurants and wineries, celebrate holidays and events, and do seed exchanges. Those are just a handful of the things that have grown out of this group.
While I was taking the Master Gardener course in the first few months, my husband was diagnosed with a very rare blood cancer. Having the Master Gardener community there, and having a place to go to work and clear my mind, was a lifesaver.
I’ve always believed that in times of change, learning and volunteering can help you make a transition. You never know who you will connect with who can alter your life in a good way. My husband has been through a stem cell transplant, CAR-T therapy and some deadly emergencies, and my Master Gardener group has been there.
I think Master Gardener volunteers are needed now more than ever because of climate change, the need to help people make good decisions and the importance of growing food.”
P.S. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the OSU Extension Master Gardener Program — and early giving is now open for Dam Proud Day. If this program has shaped your life, your garden or your community, consider making a gift today to help support the next 50 years. We’re also collecting stories from current and past Master Gardener volunteers. Share your story with us: Beav.es/mgstory
For Joe Hodge, the best thing about being a Master Gardener volunteer is “I feel like I’m giving back to my community. I’m not super involved with leadership or charitable organizations in my hometown, but with Master Gardeners, I feel like I’m a part of so many people learning. I know that I’m a valuable person who can help others live their lives better.”
Coaching and cheering on new volunteers is what Joe is most proud of: “I remember Master Gardener training as being a bit stressful with the huge amount of information coming our way (like drinking out of a firehose). So when our local chapter does Master Gardener training for new volunteers each year, I make sure to join our weekly Question and Answer Zoom meetings, hoping I can get across to the trainees that they really are special.
The friends who I have who are also Master Gardeners are the kinds of friends who you stay friends with.
I’m lucky enough to garden in a community garden, and when you see the others gardening alongside you, it always brightens up your day. The physical benefits of gardening are fairly obvious, but we sometimes forget about how talking to others about how your garden is growing, or about your plans for next year’s garden, can be so beneficial for your mental state.
It feels like the world is more divisive than ever, and Master Gardener volunteers do the opposite of that – we bring people together, people from all different backgrounds become closer once they start gardening.
Being a Master Gardener has not only allowed me to help others, but it has sharpened my own gardening skills.
A fun part of gardening is giving your excess away. I will list them into categories, starting with FAMILY. My nearest family member is 180 miles away, and you would think that might make it extra challenging, but not so in this day of efficient coolers.
Next, NEIGHBORS. I live in a good sized apartment complex, and it’s very rewarding and easy to give away vegetables to my neighbors so that they do not go to waste.
Also, FRIENDS. At my age, I go to a lot more meetings than parties, so during harvest season I hope to bring some produce to a meeting to give away – very easy.
Lastly, and for me this category is not so common to give away but just as rewarding as any, is BUSINESSES. The employees at the businesses are just as appreciative and smile just as much as anybody. It’s become a habit for me to drop extra tomatoes to the office workers of my property manager’s office. When a certain employee there sees me in late summer or early fall, she is always smiling when I walk in because she knows I am bringing in tomatoes, and she absolutely loves tomatoes. Only one time has she not shared with the rest of the office, because that year my tomatoes were absolutely gorgeous.
My garden is next to the hospital, and when I have zinnias I like to take them next door. The receptionists in the ER department have a stressful job and I think the flowers make their day better.
I know the library employees well, and I like to bring them kale and other yummy, healthy vegetables.
Going to our local food bank to make a drop-off is important, and I leave feeling good every single time.
It might sound like I’m trying to make giving things from my garden away my only focus each year, and I while that would be great, it’s not quite true. It just happens to work out that every year, when you plant your garden, you don’t realize that a certain vegetable or flower is going to produce way more than you thought it would. The very last thing in the world that I want to do is let something go to waste. Giving it away becomes incredibly easy to do, and really quite rewarding. It’s a part of gardening that I never could have envisioned when I first started. And now, it’s become an integral part of each season. Being a Master Gardener has made all of this possible – thank you, OSU Extension, for improving the lives of so many!”
P.S. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the OSU Extension Master Gardener Program — and early giving is now open for Dam Proud Day. If this program has shaped your life, your garden or your community, consider making a gift today to help support the next 50 years. We’re also collecting stories from current and past Master Gardener volunteers. Share your story with us: Beav.es/mgstory
For Jean in Salem, being a Master Gardener volunteer has opened up conversations about food, climate and what it means to feel more secure in your own garden. She thought she might be helping people with lawns and roses. Instead, she’s found herself talking with families who are trying to grow food and adapt to a changing world.
“I’ve learned a lot about how to be successful in my own garden, and that’s been very rewarding. No one likes dying plants! But the best part has been helping people in the community learn how to grow their own vegetables.
I thought the Master Gardener program would be largely about helping people grow green lawns or keep roses alive. Instead, many of my conversations have been with families who are worried about food prices. Helping them feel more secure is quite a gift.
I’m very proud of some of the programming we’ve shared with the community, including the Garden Future series. Being able to discuss climate change with a large group of folks at the state fair, without having any arguments or hurt feelings, was just an amazing thing.
“Helping people feel more secure is quite a gift.”
I’ve met several people who have talked with me at two or more tabling events here in Salem, and they’ve told me about how an idea or two I shared helped them in their gardens. Those have been pretty great conversations!
I think it’s easy to keep our heads down in times of stress and strife. Connecting with people always helps, and I find that gardening is one of those universal conversation points. Talking about gardening has been really good for me over the last year.
Climate change is shifting what people can grow successfully, so some of the lessons people learned as kids are no longer applicable. Master Gardener volunteers have access to science-based information that can be useful as people reimagine what they can grow, including food.
I’m grateful I was selected as a trainee last year. I look forward to participating for many years to come.”
P.S. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the OSU Extension Master Gardener Program, and these stories remind us what we’re celebrating. On Wednesday, April 29, Dam Proud Day gives us one day to show up for the statewide program that supports Master Gardener volunteers across Oregon. In fact, you can join in early giving and actually give now! And if you are a Master Gardener volunteer — or ever have been — we’d still love to hear your story at Beav.es/mgstory.
On Wednesday, April 29, Oregon State University will celebrate Dam Proud Day, a 24-hour giving day that brings the OSU community together to support programs making a difference across Oregon and beyond.
This year, the OSU Extension Master Gardener Program has been selected as one of only three Extension programs featured for Dam Proud Day.
That is something to be proud of.
For 50 years, Master Gardener volunteers have helped grow gardening knowledge, partnerships and community across Oregon. Volunteers answer questions, teach classes, support demonstration gardens, grow food for their communities, mentor new gardeners and connect people with research-based information they can trust.
Dam Proud Day is a chance to support the statewide program behind that work.
Gifts made on April 29 will support the statewide Master Gardener Program and the work we do to support county programs, coordinators and volunteers across Oregon. That includes statewide efforts such as the Master Gardener training course, Seed to Supper, Garden Future and other programs that help us serve gardeners and communities statewide.
What is Dam Proud Day?
Dam Proud Day is OSU’s annual 24-hour day of giving. For one day only, alumni, volunteers, friends and supporters are invited to make a gift online to the OSU programs they care about.
For the Master Gardener Program, this is a special opportunity to show broad support for the work we do together across the state.
The goal is not just large gifts. Participation matters. Every gift, of any size, helps show that people believe in the Master Gardener Program and want to see it continue to grow.
Make a gift online to support the statewide Master Gardener Program
Share the giving link with friends, family and fellow volunteers
Help spread the word about why the Master Gardener Program matters
Watch for and share stories from volunteers across Oregon
Over the next week, we’ll be sharing stories here from Master Gardener volunteers about what this program has meant to them and how they see their work making a difference in their communities. These stories are inspiring, heartfelt and representative of the incredible impact this program — and the people of this program — make across Oregon.
They remind us that the Master Gardener Program is more than a training course. It is a statewide community of people sharing knowledge, growing connections and helping others garden with more confidence.
Share your story
We’d also love to hear from you.
Whether you are currently volunteering or were part of the Master Gardener Program in the past, your story matters. What has this program meant to you? What are you proud of? How has gardening, volunteering or being part of this community shaped your life?
For 50 years, OSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers have grown more than gardens. They’ve grown partnerships, learning opportunities and community across Oregon.
Sue Ryburn became an OSU Extension Services Master Gardener volunteer in 2012. The seed was planted years earlier — when her sister handed her a brochure from the Master Gardener volunteer booth at the Beaverton Farmer’s Market.
In her own words, Sue shares her journey.
A seed planted years before
I became an OSU Extension Service Master Gardener volunteer in 2012. Years earlier, knowing my love of gardening, my sister had given me a Master Gardener brochure she picked up from the Master Gardener booth at the Beaverton Farmer’s Market. I had not heard of Master Gardeners before, though the information caught my interest. I tucked the idea away and would need to wait five years until I retired to have time to pursue the Master Gardener program.
Early in the training I found that several principles of the program aligned with my values — relying on research-based information, promotion of sustainable gardening, service to the community and life-long learning.
The best part of being a Master Gardener volunteer has been learning about sustainable gardening, which is a very large tent, and then sharing information in a variety of venues. And, most importantly, to do this with a group of dedicated Master Gardeners with support from the staff at OSU Extension Service.
Building places for learning
Among the things I feel most proud of as a Master Gardener volunteer is helping to establish our two Washington County Master Gardener Association gardens — the Learning Garden at Jenkins Estate and the Education Garden at PCC Rock Creek, where I spend much of my volunteer time.
Our gardens provide hands-on and didactic learning opportunities on a broad range of sustainable gardening experiences. We have partnered with several organizations with similar missions to share information and help expand our outreach options. This partnering extends to other OSU Extension programs such as the Oregon Bee Atlas, the Oregon Naturalist program and Food Hero, where some Master Gardeners also participate. It just seems to make sense to collaborate with other groups who are all rowing in the same direction.
Our relationship with Portland Community College (PCC), and in particular the Landscape Technology Department (LAT), is invaluable. The LAT Department is located on the Rock Creek (RC) campus near the site of the Education Garden. We use LAT classroom, greenhouse, hoophouse and pole barn space for our educational outreach, plant propagation and big Gardenfest Plant Sale activities.
We enjoy opportunities to work with students and faculty at PCC and schools in our community. The work that we do to care for both our gardens creates an outdoor classroom for many of our educational outreach activities.
Working as a team
As MG Program volunteers we know that we work in teams — really none of us can accomplish what we do alone. Each week there is something that happens to remind me of the generosity of time, knowledge, goodwill and camaraderie of Master Gardeners.
Gardening is a great way to help put things into perspective and to have an impact on the environment in a world when sometimes it seems there is so much happening that might seem beyond the influence of just one person.
Health, hope and perspective
We don’t have to look far to find evidence that gardening is good for our mental and physical health. There is something enriching about placing a plant in the soil, caring for it and admiring how incredible the natural world functions.
It is rewarding to introduce children to the world of mason bees and explain their important role in pollination. There is a sense of satisfaction seeing the tree that you planted mature over the years. And there are helpful lessons learned, even when sometimes things just don’t quite work out.
Collective impact
I value being part of an organization that promotes programs such as Seed to Supper, Garden Future, Grow 1 Give 1 (a WCMGA program), and, like our Learning Garden, the many demonstration gardens across the state donating to food banks the food grown in our gardens.
One of the things I most value about being a Master Gardener is being part of something that collectively has a positive impact across the state because of the generosity of so many volunteers and dedicated staff.
As we celebrate 50 years of the OSU Extension Master Gardener Program, we are honoring the volunteers who have shaped this program through their knowledge, generosity and partnership. Stories like Sue’s remind us that our impact grows when we grow together. If you are a Master Gardener volunteer, we invite you to share your story. And if you know someone whose journey, leadership or dedication deserves to be recognized, please nominate them.
At the heart of the OSU Extension Master Gardener volunteer program is something powerful: the idea that when we grow plants, we grow connections. This guest post, written by Master Gardener volunteer Sarah W. in Portland, is a shining example of that spirit in action.
While taking the Master Gardener training, Sarah began to apply what she was learning and applied it in the most generous way—by organizing her entire neighborhood block to garden together. Inspired by community-supported agriculture and grounded in the knowledge she gained from the program, she helped coordinate a shared vision: plant together, harvest together, and build deeper community ties through the act of growing food.
Sarah’s story is a clear reflection of the ripple effect the program can have—on individuals, families, and neighborhoods. It’s a reminder that when someone gains skills and confidence through the Master Gardener Program, they take those gifts into the world and plant seeds of change far beyond the classroom.
We’re honored to share Sarah’s story with you.
Why master gardening?
It’s a question I tried to answer repeatedly during the spring of 2024, as I attended Zoom class during kid soccer practice, puzzled out the calendar for every farmer’s market in the Portland Metro area, and marveled at the poised, knowledgeable, and involved perennial Master Gardeners I met at every turn. What was I trying to prove, and did I belong?
Indeed, the moment a few weeks ago before I pressed send on a spreadsheet garden planner covering my entire neighborhood, I wondered – is this why? Am I too much, or not enough?
My whole life, I’ve been what people indulgently call “a do-er”. I love a good idea, but more than that, I love plotting a good idea into being. I have also been called persistent – not to say stubborn – by those who love me. And my kids know that when I say, “five minutes until we go”, they can happily play for 15 while I chat up a new group of parents and lose track of time.
This is all to say that when my neighbor pitched the idea of a block-wide project where we crossed community-supported agriculture with a community garden spread across multiple yards, my husband correctly predicted I’d be in deep. He knows me.
The idea was simple. What if we each planted something different, and then brought together the harvest to share? Having just read about an inspired project in Los Angeles, it was an easy sell. The project formed quickly, based on the training fresh in my mind.
If any neighborhood was set up for this challenge, it was my little block, which hosted weekly line dances through COVID lockdowns and painted our street to commemorate the connection during those years. We’re a neighborhood where repeated gestures of kindness have created runners, and underground network that shoots up random acts of support you never thought to ask for.
Yet at its core, this project was about pooling individual effort for the collective – an ideal but challenging in the details. Nonetheless, we set off. At a potluck, we mapped individual plots into a single farm. On the south side of the street, better sun but smaller beds. On the north side, shade, but retirees who had time to build beds or move container tomatoes to track the sun. We calendared workdays, I ordered seeds, and we mixed fertilizer and pressed seeds into four-inch pots together. And yes, I emailed a beautifully color-coded spreadsheet where my eight-year-old and I mapped space, time, crop, and affection into a sharable format. So many things about this project are imperfect. But it’s an answer to the persistent question about why I became a Master Gardener. What kind of community is possible in this fast-paced and fragmented world? This week, it’s pak choi and kale thinnings. It doesn’t matter if we pool our plots for different reasons. When we arrive curious, open-hearted, offering care and whatever we have on hand – the connection follows.
Are you building community and connections through gardening? 2026 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Master Gardener volunteer program in Oregon: we would love to share your stories of community and connection. Please email leann.locher@oregonstate.edu if you’d like to share your story.
