USU’s Master Gardener Program shares gardening knowledge with Utah communities
Jan 17, 2026, 12:26 PM
The Master Gardener Program at Utah State University teaches Utah communities how to care for their gardens. (Canva)
(Canva)
SALT LAKE CITY — Learning how to care for homegrown plants and vegetables can be a little tricky at times, especially if you’re new to the hobby. There are ways people can learn, not just about the plants themselves, but the science behind gardening.
KSL Greenhouse Show hosts Maria Shilaos and Taun Beddes spoke with Extension Assistant Professor Michael Caron about the Master Gardener Program at Utah State University, and how Utahns can use the opportunity to learn a bit more about their gardening habits.
KSL NewsRadio edited the following transcript for brevity.
What is the Master Gardener Program?
CARON: “The Master Gardener Program is a nationwide program that started in the state of Washington. At its core, it’s meant to help the Land Grant University, in this case Utah State University, to extend their reach into the communities with the research, knowledge and horticulture.”
BEDDES: “You can take the class and not get certified, but if you want to get certified as a master gardener, they require 30 hours of community service that’s done towards USU in horticulture related programs.”
CARON: “And then there’s a 20 hour a year continuing activity requirement but a lot of people do take the class and they’re not able to volunteer and they just want the knowledge, and that’s fine.”
SHILAOS: “I was amazed when I took it a few years ago how extensive the classes are. I mean, there’s a good reason it’s called the master gardener. You’re learning everything from pruning to soil types.”
CARON: “Yeah it kind of touches on everything. It leans pretty heavily on the curriculum that you might find in a college level horticulture class. We have around 15 class periods typically.”
BEDDES: “And if you were interested in topics like, ‘What’s going on with my soil?’ We talk about putting compost into the soil and you learn about the science behind why of all the things you can do, that’s the best thing to improve the soil…”
Listen👇 to the full podcast episode
Other stories:
The KSL Greenhouse Show’s plant of the week: Rosemary
Taun Beddes explains how to care for Pothos on KSL Greenhouse
