Announcements

If you have questions about any of the updates, please contact mgweb@umn.edu.

QR Code Packet

If you are interested in using the packet of QR codes when working with the public at Ask a Master Gardener booths, or other events, it can be found at this link: QR Code Packet

New Volunteer Management System coming soon

In early 2025 we will be transitioning to Better Impact, an established and widely-used volunteer management system. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2025, the current database will no longer be available to volunteers. Please keep track of your volunteer hours, number of contacts, and continuing education hours independently from January 1, 2025 through the end of March. Here is a form you can use to keep track of your hours. When the transition to the new database system is complete, you will receive instructions to report your hours in the new system.

We are excited about this change. We’ve been working with an older system introduced more than 10 years ago, and it is showing its age. Better Impact will provide an improved user experience for volunteers, help increase staff capacity, reduce complications and errors, and ensure more efficient data tracking and reporting. We’re confident that this upgrade will make things easier and more effective for everyone.

As we introduce the new system in 2025, we’ll keep you updated via email, the state volunteer Google website, and through your county program leadership. We’re grateful for your patience and excited to share more details with you soon.

Link to the Garden Patch Dashboard of FAQs submitted by Volunteers

When Master Gardener Volunteers submit questions to the State Leadership time, the questions and responses can be found using the link above. If you would like to submit a question, please use this link to the Garden Patch Inquiry Form.

Share Your Feedback about the program

If you would like to share your thoughts about the Master Gardener Volunteer Program, we welcome your feedback.  You can use the link above anonymously and leave the county blank, if you choose. 

Master Gardener Volunteer Program Statement about Cannabis

Some Master Gardener Volunteers are getting questions from the public about how to grow Cannabis plants. If you get a similar question, here's the recommended response about growing instructions. It’s also important to remember that it is not our role to interpret the law: If someone asks about legal details of growing cannabis, please refer them to the link to the new law and State of Minnesota cannabis management resources in the statement below.

The University of Minnesota does not have research-based resources about growing Cannabis in Minnesota for individual gardeners. As the Master Gardener Volunteer Program does for any plant without University of Minnesota supported research, we recommend sharing other University based resources, like this Cornell University source and others. For additional information about the law in Minnesota and its impacts, refer to the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management.

Best Practices Zoom Sessions

• Horticulture Days (September 4) - RECORDING

• Booth Activities (July 3) - RECORDING

• Branding and Photography (April 3) - RECORDING

• Tips and Techniques for Radio Interviews (March 27) - RECORDING

• Plant Sales (March 6) - RECORDING

• Working with 4-H, SNAP-Ed and Extension Programs (February 28) - RECORDING 

At-Home Projects in 2025

The four at-home projects that qualify as volunteer work are:

• • • • Planting a new pollinator garden

      • Maintaining an established pollinator garden

      • Growing a giving garden

      • Propagating and donating plants to those in need

Read the 2025 At-A-Glance Resource for Volunteers for more information, and find a link on the bottom of the document to register your at-home projects. Learn more on the At-Home Projects page.

Health and Safety for Volunteering 

As we continue to do our volunteer work during the seasonal fluctuations of increased colds, flus and COVID, please remember:

• Consider volunteer comfort and support personal choices about participation in our programs and activities.

• Master Gardeners must continue to follow the guidelines of communities, venues and collaborating organizations with which we work.

• Consider the comfort level of audiences and think carefully about what is the best method of engagement for them (virtual, in-person, hybrid, etc.)