“Massachusetts Master Gardener Association”
Composter Showdown at the Mass Hort Vegetable Garden
Betty Sanders If you visited to the new 6000-square-foot vegetable garden at Mass Hort ( and if you haven’t, why not?), you may have noticed three composters as you enter the garden. Those composters are the first step in a comparison of...
Survivor 2012 – The MHS Trial Garden
by Mary K. Arnberg One of the pleasures in frequent visits to the Trial Garden is to observe changes in plants throughout, or in spite of, the growing season. This past year seemed as if the Great Master Gardener assembled all possible weather...
Impatiens Downy Mildew: Now What Do We Plant in the Shade?
by Vivien Bouffard The dreaded race of water molds (Oomycota) has struck the Northeast again. A few years ago, Phytophthora infestans – late blight – wiped out our tomatoes early in the season. This year, the closely related organism that is...
Reading the Forested Landscape
by Donna Lane I had the good fortune to attend a lecture and nature walk led by terrestrial ecologist and environmental studies professor, Tom Wessels – compliments of our continuing education program. As he introduced himself, I was drawn...
CSA 4 U?
Liz McCarron, PMG Even though I have my own vegetable garden, I decided to support a Massachusetts farm this year by joining a CSA. Community Supported Agriculture is a way to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farm. It works like...
Scaping Lessons
Sonja Johanson, LMG One morning last summer, I was soundly schooled, by an elderly Chinese lady, on the proper way to harvest garlic. It was definitely the best lesson I’d had in years. Mid-afternoon, while I was puttering in one of my back...
Hemlock Wooly Adelgid by Principal Master Gardener Liz McCarron
I did not know what HWA was until a beautiful hemlock in my yard was affected. The area under the tree was littered with branch tips covered with what looked like a white lichen. I asked another MG who told me what it was and how I needed to...
What Can We Do For You?
The Massachusetts Master Gardener Association is a non-profit educational organization whose mission is to share knowledge and experience with the public through outreach programs in education, horticulture and gardening; to provide the Master Gardener Training Program to interested members of the public; and to provide graduates of the Master Gardener Training Program with educational and practical opportunities to extend their knowledge and interests in gardening and related topics.
Help Line
The Massachusetts Master Gardener Association is available to answer your gardening questions. Let us help you research your horticultural questions. Speak with Master Gardeners about your gardening and growing challenges. The Help Line is where your questions lead to solutions and expand your knowledge.
The Help Line is open from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM:
(except for holidays, Thanksgiving week and the last week of December)
April through October:
Monday • Wednesday • Friday
March and November:
Wednesday • Friday
December through February: Wednesday
CALL: 617-933-4929
Speakers Bureau
What is the Speakers’ Bureau? It is a group of Massachusetts Master Gardeners who are available to speak to garden clubs, civic organizations, schools and other groups on a wide variety of topics from the world of gardening, horticulture, landscaping and the environment. Speakers choose the topics in which they feel proficient and offer slide or PowerPoint programs to illustrate their talk. The Speakers’ Bureau also offers a limited number of demonstrations and hands-on workshops.
Who will be my speaker? All members of the Speakers’ Bureau are Certified Master Gardeners with advanced knowledge and interest in the subjects in which they speak. When you choose your topic, we will find a speaker who is available on that date. Once you have a contract with the Speakers’ Bureau we will provide a brief bio of your speaker, sufficiently in advance for use in publicity.
Announcing the Master Gardener Home Horticulture Series!!! Learn More