UC Marin Master Gardeners celebrate 40 years serving home gardeners

In 1986, eight Marin residents became the first graduates of the Marin Master Gardeners (MMG) program. Today, MMG are University of California-trained and certified volunteers, providing research-based information on sustainable landscape practices, pest management and home horticulture to Marin gardeners. 

Over the last 40 years, the MMG program has grown and flourished. Each year, more than 350 MMG collectively volunteer more than 33,500 hours and engage in nearly 6,000 hours of continuing education. 

Since inception, MMG have developed and supported countless projects to help Marin home gardeners. Today, they continue to provide education and outreach at many county events, including:

• The Marin County Fair every July, staffing a booth about various gardening themes with MMG speakers and presentations;
• Farmers’ Markets from May to October, exchanging information with shoppers, at the Marin Civic Center (every Sunday) and Pt. Reyes Station (every other Saturday);
• Farm Day every March at the Marin Civic Center for 1,300 elementary school children, providing interactive nature activities.

MMG volunteer on numerous projects to share gardening tips with Marin residents, such as:

• At Falkirk (San Rafael), creating and maintaining several demonstration gardens (e.g., Succulent, Mediterranean Climate, Habitat, California Native) for over 20 years in partnership with the Falkirk Cultural Center and City of San Rafael, illustrating scientifically based practices such as irrigation, low water-use plantings, mulches and composting; 
• Restoring the Falkirk Greenhouse to propagate plants for events.
• Pollinator Sale, in late February or early March at Falkirk, with more than 40 species of pollinator-friendly plants; 
• Tomato Market, with nearly 5,000 organic tomato seedlings, in April, at Bon Air Center (Greenbrae) and Pini Ace Hardware (Novato);
• Succulent Sale, in late May or early June at Falkirk, with more than 90 varieties;
• The Help Desk, answering thousands of home gardeners’ questions since the early 1990s; contact them at helpdesk@marinmg.org; 
• Harvey’s Garden at Blackie’s Pasture (Tiburon), started in 1995 as a pesticide-free, full-sun, demonstration garden featuring more than 2,500 drought-tolerant plants from California and other Mediterranean-climate zones; 
• Exploring Habitats field trips, begun in 2005 and co-sponsored with Marin Art and Garden Center (Ross), teaching second graders about a habitat and the interrelatedness of air, water, shelter and food; 
• Developing community gardens at many schools and in many communities; 
• Garden Walks, a free service with Marin Water helping homeowners improve irrigation and conserve water, began nearly 20 years ago; to schedule a Garden Walk, email MarinGardenWalks@ucanr.edu;
• The Edible Demonstration Garden at College of Marin’s Indian Valley campus (Novato), since 2008 showcasing sustainable agriculture with over 100 varieties of vegetables, flowers, fruit and herbs; 
• Establishing guilds to cultivate focused expertise and sharing with the public, including the Pruning, Plant Identification, Edibles, and Native Plant Guilds;
• Fire-Smart Landscaping, developed after the 2017-20 northern California fires, demonstrating strategic gardening practices and participating at Ember Stomp in partnership with Fire Safe Marin and Marin Wildfire;
• Grow An Extra Row, engaging the MMG community since 2021 to help grow produce to donate to communities in need, food banks and local kitchens;
• Earth Friendly Gardening, launched in 2023, promoting sustainable landscapes benefitting the environment;
• Seed Saving, increasing access to seeds and growing information, begun in 2023; 

Finally, MMG use multiple communication channels to share educational content:

• A user-friendly website addressing basics, plants, care and edibles, along with hundreds of other topics;
• Since 1999, a weekly Saturday column in the Independent Journal (over 1,500 articles published); 
• The Leaflet, a newsletter emailed quarterly since 2011 (sign up for the Leaflet online);
• Hundreds of speakers’ events at various libraries, community centers and nurseries;
• More than 50 professional, informative videos, initially produced during the pandemic; access via the MMG YouTube channel;
• Regular posts on Facebook, Nextdoor, and Instagram.

MMG have thoroughly enjoyed helping Marin’s home gardeners over the last 40 years and look forward to many more decades of service ahead. Please join MMG at an event or visit its website to learn more.

By Julie McMillan, August 29, 2026