Ford-Iroquois Counties Master Gardeners

Join the Ford-Iroquois Master Gardeners!

The Ford Iroquois Master Gardeners serve the community by organizing programs and projects that promote knowledge on flowers, vegetables, herbs, fruit, trees, shrubs, and more. Master Gardeners help provide a better understanding of plant diseases, organic gardening, composting, native plants, and the importance of pollinators. In 2024, 12 Master Gardeners volunteered almost 850 hours--tending project gardens, leading public programs, and making their communities better places to live!

If you enjoy gardening, learning, and sharing your knowledge with others, the Master Gardener program is for you! Volunteers start by taking a Gardener Training class. After successfully finishing the training, volunteers become Master Gardener Interns, and they have two years to complete 40 volunteer hours on approved Master Gardener projects. Following the internship period, volunteers become Certified Active Master Gardeners.

We will offer an in-person class in Champaign County starting in February 2026. Although the class meets in Champaign, it is also open to anyone living in Ford or Iroquois Counties.

Fill out an Interest Form today!

Submit your Interest Form by December 31, 2025, to be considered for the 2026 class.

What Do Volunteers Do?

Activities

Here are some of the ways our volunteers are active in Ford and Iroquois Counties:

Design, plant, and care for an educational Idea Garden at the Onarga Library
Plant and manage a community garden at the Gibson City Reservoir/Fishing Pond
Raise vegetables at Iroquois Memorial Hospital Garden for the community.
Provide garden-themed presentations to the local community through their Speakers Bureau
Participate in Citizen Scientist Programs like Cocorahs.
Organize educational field trips for fellow Master Gardeners
Participate in the Monarch Watch Program, tagging monarchs each fall.
Serve as an officer, including President, Vice President, Secretary, or Committee Chair
Help organize the IGA Cookout fundraiser and Plant Share

Meetings

Meetings are (usually) scheduled for the second Tuesday of the month at the Iroquois County U of I Extension Office--1380 S. Crescent St., Gilman, IL 60938.

A business meeting is from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Workdays may follow in the afternoon during the growing season
No July or December meetings

Education

Continuing Education Opportunities:

Field Trips, Garden Days, Webinars
Extension Horticulture Events

Ford Iroquois Master Gardeners Assist Monarch Watch

Since 2016, Master Gardeners have tagged over 500 monarchs for Monarch Watch.
Butterflies are netted, and a small white tag is carefully placed under the lower wing when migration to Mexico occurs in the fall.
In 2018, one of the butterflies tagged by a FIMG was recovered near Baja, Mexico, and another was recovered in 2022.
The recovered monarch's data is sent to Monarch Watch. The date and location are recorded to help scientists monitor migration success.

Learn More About Tagging With Monarch Watch

Master Gardeners Lessons

Request a Speaker for your Group

Extension Educators train our Master Gardeners to give research-based lessons to public groups. Speaker's Bureau presentations are available by Master Gardeners in Ford and Iroquois Counties. Call 217-300-2333 for more information. Here is a sample of potential topics:

Seed Starting 101
Medieval Plants
Annuals and Perennials
Seeds, Seeds, Seeds
Fairy Gardens - the organization must provide supplies
Milkweeds and Monarchs
Pollinator Pockets
Container Gardening
Right Plant -Right Place
Gardening With Children

Come see our work and be inspired!

Visit the Gibson City Fishing Pond, 460 N 300E Rd, Gibson City, IL, or the Onarga Idea Garden at the Onarga Public Library, 209 W Seminary Ave, Onarga, IL

Master Gardeners enjoy sharing their knowledge with others. Visit and view educational demonstration areas like these:

Butterfly Garden
Vegetable Garden Planted with Fall Cover Crop
Herb Garden
Annuals and Perennials
Native Plants
Compost Bin
Rain Barrel Irrigation System

Reporting Hours

It is essential that you report all volunteer hours earned using the reporting website. These hours enable the sponsors to understand the value provided by Master Gardeners and to justify continued support for the program.

Report your hours!