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. Last year, Master Gardeners volunteered hundreds of 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 may apply to 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.
The next Online Illinois Gardener Training will take place during the fall session, which begins on September 14, 2026. If you would like to participate in the fall session, you may register by visiting go.illinois.edu/IllinoisGardenerTraining , starting on July 1. Registration opens July 1 and closes on August 10, 2026.
For the winter/spring session, we will offer the choice between online training and a weekly in-person class in Champaign, starting in February 2027. Although the class meets in Champaign, it is also open to anyone living in Ford or Iroquois Counties.
Fill out an Interest Form today!
