Penn State Extension Master Gardeners and #Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is a global movement of generosity that encourages all of us to give back.  The Penn State Master Gardener Program asks you to include us in your Giving Tuesday contributions. You will be supporting our efforts to educate the Pennsylvania community in best practices for sustainable horticulture and environmental stewardship. 

Certified Penn State Master Gardeners in every Pennsylvania county provide educational opportunities for the home gardening public. These efforts take many forms, including webinars, symposiums, hands-on classes, demonstration gardens, therapeutic horticulture with older adults, plant appreciation and poison prevention programs for children, published articles, and thousands of answers to questions through our Garden Hotlines. Topics range from the joys of seed starting and attracting pollinators to methods for combating invasive pests, including the spotted lanternfly.  Examples of recent initiatives include:

• Seed to Supper is a comprehensive beginning gardening program that provides novice gardeners with limited income the tools they need to grow a portion of their own food successfully.
• Quarterly Garden Hotline Live! webinars, in which Master Gardener experts answer seasonal plant questions.
• Victory Garden Reinvented! and House Plant Master Class recorded webinars.
• Pollinator-Friendly Garden Certification Program passed the 1000 certified gardens mark in 2021.
• Research collaborations—Growing Healthy Hearts, Native Bee Monitoring, Grow-Save-Repeat Participatory Plant Breeding Program, Cucurbit Downy Mildew reporting.
• Flight 93 Memorial clean-up project—Master Gardeners honed pruning and weed control skills while helping the National Park Service prepare the site for the 20^th anniversary of 9/11.

Your contributions support these statewide programs and the framework that allows dedicated Master Gardener volunteers to share their gardening expertise and passion. The Master Gardener Program allows all Pennsylvania citizens access to Penn State horticultural research and education. To give and see the donation efforts grow, visit: Master Gardener #Giving Tuesday 2022.