Who we are . . .

Penn State Master Gardeners of Butler County are volunteers from all walks of life. Some of us are at our best working with plants and gardening. Others have a knack for organizing, writing, planning, photography, or teaching.

What we have in common is a passion for all things gardening, growing, plants. And, there's nothing we like better than to share that passion.

During "basic training", we took more than 30 hours of classes in the basics of horticulture. The classes are coordinated through Penn State Extension and taught by a variety of professionals in the fields of botany and various aspects of horticulture. The first year we completed training and to become certified Master Gardeners, we completed 50 hours of volunteer time . . . working on various gardening related projects in Butler County. To maintain our certifications, we take a minimum of 8 hours of gardening-related education a year and complete at least 20 hours of volunteer time in the community. And, we have fun.

In sharing what we've learned, we volunteer our talents to help others in the community through workshops, gardens and related activities. We'd love to have you join us as a Master Gardener.

Our program has grown steadily since its inception and we have certified master gardeners from every area in the county, from Cranberry Township to Slippery Rock, from Prospect to Saxonburg. Our presence in the county provides residents a source of education in gardening practices that are based on maintaining a healthy environment in the county. As more people turn to gardening for a variety of reasons -- from growing their own food to be sure of quality -- to creating a more beautiful environment, the education and support provided by the master gardeners is vital.

We do our best to learn, practice and pass on the practice of "stewardship gardening" -- taking care to promote and maintain healthy environmental conditions -- doing our best to make sure valuable resources are available for our children and grandchildren.

We learn, practice and spread the word about:

• Integrated pest management, a collection of methods that minimize impact on the environment by utilizing natural and non-harmful methods of insect and weed control. Pesticides and herbicides are a last resort and then the least toxic formulations are chosen.
  
• Using site-adapted plants that minimize the use of valuable resources.
  
• Using native plants, already adapted to our area, and learning to avoid invasive plants that create unhealthy monocultures.
  
• Composting to re-cycle organic waste and keep it out of landfills.
  
• Gardening that encourages insect, bird and other natural life.

These practices contribute to the maintenance of safe groundwater and soil. They also help preserve eco-system diversity, essential to a healthy environment. As Master Gardeners, we incorporate these methods into our own gardens; and encourage and help others to do the same. We are not just gardeners, but stewards of our gardens, our land, the land of Butler County.

We'd love to have you join us. For information about our next classes, starting in fall of 2009, and to learn how you can become a certified Master Gardener, check out the Become a Master Gardener section of this web site.