Plant Sale + 'Ohia Love Festival
Save the Date: Sunday January 26, 2025
Plants from East Hawaii Master Gardeners, Fruit Trees from Tropical Fruit Growers Network, Sugarcane from Indigenous Cropping Labs, Cycads from Hilo Botanical Garden, Natives from Hawaii Forest Institution, 'Ulu trees from the 'Ulu Cooperative~
Ohia Love Fest has OVER 25 Information Booths! Speakers every 30 minutes. Native Garden Tours. Face painting.
Food, snacks and concessions brought to you by 4-H !
Would You Like to Join Us?
Master Gardener volunteer training is held annually early in the spring, and consists of forty hours of class time, lectures and field trips. Master Gardener volunteers commit to serving an equal number of hours in the coming year working on the Helpline and in support of Master Gardener programs. In addition to the wealth of information always available to the Master Gardener, volunteers enjoy working, learning, and laughing together!
Next Training: February 2025
If you are interested in the 2025 Program, please fill out the 2025 Interest Form
The program is academically based with hands on learning included. Trainings are and held February to May every year. Trainings consist of weekly lectures / labs. Lectures are given by various Extension Agents about varied topics associated with Hawaii agriculture. You have the opportunity to ask questions. Attendance is required. Optional zoom (no lab) trainings options available. There is a fee to take the training.
To become a certified Master Gardener after the training you must fulfill a commitment of 40 hours of volunteer hours within the programs various opportunities including our weekly helpline in the first year. To remain certified, there is a 30-hour volunteer commitment. See below for the commitment breakdown.
any questions, please reach out to Laura Rieber at lreiber@hawaii.edu
Master Gardeners are expected to volunteer at least 40 hours per year to the community. If you are interested in the program, please fill out this Interest Form or email Laura Rieber at Laura.Rieber@hawaii.edu
Where We Garden
Located on the island of Hawai'i with administrative offices in Hilo, the East Hawai'i Master Gardener program strives to enhance the efforts of the gardening community by providing research-based information and promoting sustainable horticultural practices.
Our climate zones range from the warm, dry desert of Ka'u to the mountains of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. This diverse topography allows us to enjoy an incredible variety of fruits and vegetables year round, yet challenges us to manage the pests and diseases that threaten to destroy our bounty.
What We Do
The gardeners we serve are no less diverse than the plants they grow, and we are fortunate to have a wealth of historical knowledge available to us in addition to the latest research. While the County Extension Agents and UH research personnel provide us with resources and expertise, we often learn along with, and many times from, the wonderful folks we serve.
Master Gardeners expand the outreach efforts of the Cooperative Extension Service by interacting with the gardening public in a variety of ways:
- Master Gardener Helpline
- Demonstration Plots
- Ethnobotanical garden development at Wailoa
- Information booths at fairs and farmers’ markets
- CTAHR Open House events
- Educational programs for gardening groups (school age to seniors)
- Speakers’ Bureau
- And more!
How to Gain Certification
To gain Certification for the first time, interns commit to complete a total of 40 Hours in the following:
- 18 Volunteer (Helpline) Hours, which are hours exclusively dedicated to researching and responding to home gardener questions on the Helpline.
- 22 Continuing Education Hours, which are any other MG project or event that is not Helpline. Continuing Education Hours can be claimed when completing a range of ongoing projects and activities currently approved or announced to the MGs via email (e.g. workshops, lectures, demo garden, etc.).
To remain Certified, UH Master Gardeners complete 30 hours in the following:
- 9 Volunteer (Helpline) Hours, which are hours exclusively dedicated to researching and responding to home gardener questions on the Helpline.
- 21 Continuing Education Hours, which are any other MG project or event that is not Helpline. Continuing Education Hours can be claimed when completing a range of ongoing projects and activities currently approved or announced to the MGs via email (e.g. workshops, lectures, demo garden, etc.).
East Hawaii Master Gardener Bylaws
Hours are tallied from the beginning of June to the end of May the following year.