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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Registration is open for the University of Missouri Extension Master Gardener online spring 2027 course. The 15-week class runs Jan. 18-May 31, 2027.
The online core training course is designed to provide in-depth horticultural knowledge, says MU Extension Master Gardener state coordinator Debi Kelly. The course includes presentations and weekly discussion forums.
Gardening is an activity with many rewards, Kelly said. “One of them is the satisfaction of sharing your plant knowledge with others. The Extension Master Gardener program was initiated to do just that. Its motto, ‘helping others learn to grow,’ emphasizes service to others as the program’s main objective.”
Kelly, MU retired state horticulture specialist David Trinklein and MU Extension horticulture specialist Sarah Denkler, teach the 14 online sessions. “These classes represent a viable option for people who can’t take the weekly classes in person,” Kelly said.
Classes are delivered as a series of narrated and scripted PowerPoint presentations with hands-on activities students can do at home. There is a quiz at the end of each learning module; participants need a composite score of 70% to pass the course.
Subjects include basic botany, soils and plant nutrition, vegetable gardening, fruit production, insects and diseases, woody and herbaceous landscape plants, landscape design principles, turf management and pesticide safety.
Core training is the first step toward becoming an Extension Master Gardener. After core training, participants complete a minimum of 30 hours of volunteer service. Local coordinators help online trainees find volunteer opportunities so they can meet the volunteer service requirement.
“There are Extension Master Gardener programs in every state of the union and in most provinces of Canada,” Kelly said. Since its inception in 2013, more than 5,500 people have gone through MU Extension online Master Gardener training.
Details and registration. The deadline to register is Jan. 16, 2027.