{"id":1482,"date":"2026-04-29T00:12:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T07:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/mgcoordinators\/?p=1482"},"modified":"2026-04-29T10:52:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T17:52:59","slug":"meet-pat-patterson-50-year-osu-extension-master-gardener-volunteer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/mgcoordinators\/2026\/04\/29\/meet-pat-patterson-50-year-osu-extension-master-gardener-volunteer\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Pat Patterson: 50 year OSU Extension Master Gardener volunteer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Pat
Pat Patterson was one of the original OSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers when the program started in Oregon in 1976. Photos by Lynn Ketchum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From chance to legacy: original Master Gardener marks 50 years<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When the Oregon State University Extension Service Master Gardener Program launched in 1976, Pat Patterson wasn\u2019t the one in her family who planned to sign up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her husband, Robert, was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was going to take the course,\u201d Patterson said. \u201cWe were both graduate assistants at the University of Oregon and his classes conflicted, and so I just walked in and took his place. Talk about fate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That moment set Patterson on a path that has spanned five decades. Now 87, she remains the program\u2019s longest-serving volunteer \u2014 still answering gardening questions from her home on a 10-acre farm near Noti.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Master Gardener Program educates Oregonians about the art and science of growing and caring for plants. Operating in 27 counties, Oregon State University Extension Service trains thousands of volunteers who serve as educators, neighbors and on-the-ground researchers in their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Master Gardener volunteers provide science-based, sustainable gardening information through plant clinics, workshops and community projects \u2014 helping Oregonians grow food, steward natural resources and make informed decisions in a changing environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program began in 1976 in Lane County and the Portland metro area with just a few dozen participants. Today, it is a statewide network connecting university research with communities across Oregon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the start, Patterson said, the program was different than a garden club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA garden club is a social club basically made up of gardeners who swap their stories, do garden sales and so forth,\u201d she said. \u201cOurs requires constant retraining every year. We must recertify, because science changes. It was like going to college. So, it was a very, very deep learning curve, even though I had been gardening for most of my life. I had not been gardening scientifically.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early days: meeting a growing need<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Patterson was part of a cohort of about 20 volunteers in Lane County. There were no fees, and much of the instruction came from university faculty as OSU Extension built the program from the ground up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After training, volunteers didn\u2019t staff formal clinics. Instead, they set up wherever they could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe would go to any venue that would give us a table,\u201d Patterson said. \u201cWe\u2019d sit there with our manuals, and people would come ask us questions. It was kind of scary at first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, demand for reliable gardening information was high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere was a huge amount of information out there that was not good,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That need continues today, Patterson said, as gardeners navigate misinformation online, climate variability and evolving best practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside the Extension office, the program quickly formed strong connections across disciplines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt became a very close family,\u201d Patterson said. \u201cWe were connected to forestry, to home economics and 4-H \u2014 everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From generalists to specialists<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As the program evolved, so did its approach to education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we are now is a club of specialists,\u201d Patterson said. \u201cThat wasn\u2019t before. We were all generalists before; now we\u2019re all specialists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patterson\u2019s own role expanded over time. After completing the program, she was hired as a horticulture assistant in Lane County, a position she held until 2006.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI retired being in the office as a paid person,\u201d she said, smiling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her volunteer work never stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the online \u201cAsk Extension\u201d service, Patterson has answered more than 23,000 gardening questions \u2014 part of what she estimates are tens of thousands of volunteer hours.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That kind of service, replicated by volunteers across the state, represents a significant public value: extending university expertise into communities, often at no cost to residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPat is an amazing person and has always been a joy to work with,\u201d said Erica Chernoh, OSU Extension horticulturist and Master Gardener coordinator for Lane County. \u201cShe has jumped into just about every volunteer role out there, from teaching classes to leading committees to hosting a radio show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe has a wealth of horticultural knowledge, and her commitment to teaching and community building has strengthened our program and built long-lasting partnerships that continue to this day,\u201d Chernoh said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gardening for everyone<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of Patterson\u2019s most lasting contributions has been her work in adaptive gardening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A longtime member of the Lane County Master Gardener Association\u2019s adaptive gardening committee, she has helped make gardening more accessible to people with a wide range of abilities \u2014 from physical limitations to time and space constraints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI felt it was really important to allow people to garden no matter what,\u201d she said. \u201cNo matter what their physical abilities were, no matter what their mental abilities were, no matter what their time abilities were \u2014 there was a way to get around it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her approach reflects broader changes in gardening science and practice, including a shift toward sustainability and working with natural systems instead of relying on chemicals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy to say that science has changed,\u201d Patterson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, she emphasizes practices that support soil health, biodiversity and long-term resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGarden smarter, not harder,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lifelong connection<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Patterson\u2019s knowledge of plants stretches back decades, shaped by a lifetime of gardening and learning. She has taught classes, contributed to plant clinics and remained active in the gardening community even in retirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGardening is so great,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s always something you don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the original Lane County cohort, Patterson was one of three who remained active for decades. She and fellow volunteers Juanita Manley and Phoebe Staples referred to themselves as the \u201cThree Musketeers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Patterson is the last surviving member of that original group \u2014 and the Master Gardener with the most years of service in the program\u2019s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why it matters now<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As the Master Gardener Program marks its 50th anniversary, its role continues to grow in importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across Oregon, residents are turning to gardening for food security, environmental stewardship and personal well-being. At the same time, they face new challenges \u2014 from climate change to invasive pests \u2014 that require reliable, science-based information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Master Gardener volunteers help meet that need, serving as a bridge between university research and everyday practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Patterson, that mission has been deeply personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis has been my life and my family,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m amazed at how much Extension has changed over those 50 years,\u201d she said. \u201cIt has grown in ways that we would never have guessed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, the core remains the same: helping people succeed, one garden at a time.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From her farm outside Noti, Patterson continues that work \u2014 answering questions, sharing knowledge and staying engaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUse it or lose it,\u201d she said. \u201cThe more you\u2019re challenged, the better chance you have of staying engaged.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Today is OSU’s day of giving: please support the OSU Extension Master Gardener program by making a donation of any size. You can give online until midnight April 29th. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the OSU Extension Master Gardener Program. If you are or ever have been a Master Gardener volunteer, we’d love to hear from you. Share your story with us: Beav.es\/mgstory<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story was first published on the OSU Extension Service website<\/a>. Photos by Lynn Ketchum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From chance to legacy: original Master Gardener marks 50 years When the Oregon State University Extension Service Master Gardener Program launched in 1976, Pat Patterson wasn\u2019t the one in her family who planned to sign up. Her husband, Robert, was. \u201cHe was going to take the course,\u201d Patterson said. \u201cWe were both graduate assistants at … <\/p>\n

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