Nurturing the earth through gardening brings life to any space and can connect people through mutual care for plants and people alike. Master Gardener Extension volunteers train through the Houston County Extension Office to help fellow community members who wish to put down some roots.

Morgan Grizzle, the Agricultural and Natural Resource Extension Agent for Houston County, is passionate about the Extension Office’s work and their community outreach through the Master Gardener Program. Morgan’s historywith the Extension Office dates back to childhood. “I grew up in 4H and participated in the Extension Office through the 4H program through my youth,” she recalls. “Then I started here as an employee in January 2022.”

Growing up, Morgan was fascinated with agriculture and desired to learn more. “I have family that has farmed and my mom has a great green thumb and can grow anything and make it beautiful,” Morgan says with admiration.“I was not as great at it as her, but I participated and I’ve alwaysliked plants.”

In college, Morgan studied agribusiness where her love fornature deepened.She later received her Master’s Degree in Forestry. When Morgan joined Houston County’s Extension Office in2022, she inherited the Master Gardener Program and her beloved Master Gardeners. “The Master Gardener Program has been in Houston County for many years,” Morgan says. “Every county in Georgia has Extension but not every county has a Master Gardener Program.”

In total, Houston County boasts60 active Master Gardeners and 17 trainees in their first year. Master Gardeners include adults from all walks of life who share a common love of gardening. “Everybody has a different reason for joining,” Morgan shares. “They do this after their career, they love plants and like working in their garden, or they like it but they’re not really good at it and want to learn more.”

The program offers education and advancement for people of all gardening backgrounds. It exists to train Master Gardeners to be readily available to help other community members who enjoy gardening. The volunteers are passionate about the program, and their eagerness to help the community shines through their work.

“What we do here at Extension is get information to people,” Morgan says plainly. “I have people come in all the time saying, ‘I just started a garden for the first time and I don’t know anything about it.’ My Master Gardeners help with those questions, site visits, or call-ins.”

If someone wants to start a home garden, community garden, or school garden, the Houston County Extension Office provides them with the resources they need to learn and what materials to use. Their connections with the necessary information enables community members to successfully grow the gardens of their dreams.

The Houston County Extension Office has ownership of three community gardens that they maintain. The garden at Sacred Heart Catholic Heart and School grows mostly vegetables to be donated to the food bank. Their garden in Hafley Park has a bit of everything and is used to host homeowner classes. Their third garden is on Warner Robins Air Force Base and is focused on garden therapy.

Becoming a Master Gardener involves intricate training and active participation to maintain involvement. It begins with a 12-week course that runs an all-day class one day a week. In this course, volunteers learn from both on the field specialists and those at UGA. They gain knowledge to help the community in all their gardening ventures.

A new course occurs every February through April. After a successful completion, volunteers earn their official Master Gardener titles. As Master Gardeners, they are required to serve 50 hours of volunteer work in their first year and 25 hours every following year. While these hours stipulate active membership in the program, Morgan says most of the volunteers far surpass this requirement. “They work a lot more than 25 hours a year and it’s all out of the goodness of their heart,” she says.

Morgan attributes the Master Gardeners help to a smooth transition into her role as Agricultural and Natural Resource Agent. “They really helped me network in the county,” she says. “I grew up here but they got me more involved quicker than I would have.”

Master Gardeners bring their ideas to Morgan, which often bloom into successful ventures. They bring enthusiasm and joy to the program keeping it running as well as it does today.

Christine Kelly, the program assistant, has been head of the Master Gardener Program for several years. Christine learned ample things about the Master Gardener Program under the agent before Morgan. She has proven to be a valuable tool in the continued success of the program.

One of the many hats Morgan wears as the Agriculture Agent includes assisting farmers in maintaining their crops. It brings her great joy to visit their farms and help answer their questions to improve the conditions of their land. “If I can help figure out what might be affecting their crops so they’re not losing their income, that’s definitely rewarding.”

The Extension Office provides additional services for the public including soil samples and plant lab testing. “We can send part of a plant to our labs and see if it has a fungus or some type of disease,” Morgan explains. Seeing what is going on underneath the microscope allows them to instruct gardeners and farmers on what their plants need to thrive.

“The biggest thing with the Master Gardeners and Extension in general, there is something for everybody in the county,” Morgan states. No matter the need, the Extension Office has the resources to help educate and assist you in your endeavors. From youth involvement to consumer sciences and everything in between, you can find your niche one way or another.

Though Morgan’s work seems unique to many, it is the most natural thing for a member of her family. “My husband, Gordon, is from north Georgia,” she says. “We met in school and he’s a forester. My brother is a vet, my sister is starting a cut flower business, and my brother-in-law is an Ag teacher.”

Morgan’s three children enjoy time among plants as well. At ages three, five, and seven, Morgan says, “They love going out to the garden with me and they will definitely be involved as they grow up.”

The Master Gardener Program is open to anyone who may be interested in expanding their gardening knowledge and helping others do the same. There is a sense of great comradery within this program, and they eagerly welcome newcomers with which to share their passions.