The Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program provides intensive training in horticulture to interested Ohio residents, who then volunteer their time assisting with educational programs and activities for Ohio residents through their local OSU Extension county office. Volunteers are not required to have gardening skills or knowledge; but a passion for learning about gardening and sharing this knowledge with others is a must!

Working with county Extension personnel, Master Gardener Volunteers provide such educational services to their communities as: answering gardening questions from the public; conducting plant clinics; gardening activities with children, senior citizens, or disabled persons; beautifying the community; and developing community or demonstration gardens.

More information about state-level Master Gardener Volunteer programs and activities is available at http://mastergardener.osu.edu.

The Master Gardener Volunteers in Highland County are not only an asset to the county, but also to the OSU Extension Offices.  In an effort to help them expand their ability to assist and teach others, a computer training program was conducted in the summer of 2014 at one of the local school’s computer lab.  An average of eleven Master Gardeners from Highland and Brown Counties attended the 7 sessions covering the use of social media, word processing and the use of e-mail for utilizing local newspapers, and the creation of power point presentations for face to face teaching.

This group of volunteers maintains the flower beds at the Highland County Administration Building as well as the Highland County Fairgrounds.  Each year they present several educational sessions including teaching a session at the county's 4-H Cloverbud Day Camp. If you are interested in being part of our program please contact our Agriculture and Natural Resources/Community
Development Educator, James Morris via email at morris.1677@osu.edu or by phone at 937-393-1918.