You don’t have to be an expert gardener to become a Certified Master Gardener. All you need is a desire to learn and help others become better gardeners. The 2024 University of Wyoming (UW) Laramie County Master Gardener Class runs from January 8, 2024 – March 27, 2024. Please contact the UW Laramie County Extension Office at (307) 633-4383 for more information and projected class dates.
The University of Wyoming Extension (UWE) Master Gardener Program is an outreach program training volunteers enthusiastic about gardening, who want to learn more about growing plants, and who are willing to share what they learn with others.
The Master Gardener program teaches gardeners research-based horticultural information and gardening methods, reinforces previous knowledge, and teaches how to disseminate this information. In its simplest form, a Master Gardener is a volunteer trained by the County Extension Service to help other people in the community learn about gardening and the care of their landscape.
UW Laramie County Extension provides this course to Laramie County Residents at the Laramie County Community College (LCCC) Campus in Cheyenne, WY. Classes usually meet in the evenings, twice a week, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, January through March. Persons qualify to become Certified Master Gardeners by completing 40 hours of classroom training over the course of 10 weeks.
Instruction is given in a wide variety of topics including Basic Botany, Soils, Composting, Plant Pathology (plant diseases), Site Analysis & Landscape Design, Water Conservation, Entomology, Trees & Shrubs, Vegetables, Perennials, etc.
Upon course completion, participants then serve as Master Gardener Interns under the supervision of the County Horticulturist and Laramie County Master Gardeners. To become a Certified (Active) Master Gardener, participants must complete 40 hours of volunteer service within a year of completing the UWE Master Gardener Course.
To maintain Active status in the Laramie County Master Gardeners, volunteers must complete 20 hours of continuing education and/or volunteer work annually. There are numerous and varied opportunities to satisfy the required volunteer time. Continuing education in your particular area of interest is strongly encouraged. Providing planting and care instructions and diagnosing plant problems are but a few of the services provided to other residents of Laramie County.
