Love plants? Flowers and Trees? Growing Veggies and Fruits? Have a pesky unknown insect?
Want to “clone” a favorite plant? Have fun and learn with others who enjoy nature like you do?
Get ready to engage in learning! SDSU Extension’s Master Gardener [SDSU EMG] program
develops gardening enthusiasts into knowledgeable specialists who share research-based
information to their communities through programs, projects, and services.
A little history: Nationally, the Master Gardener program began in 1972 in response to high
public demand for horticultural information from local extension offices in the state of
Washington. The program became part of land grant colleges/universities across the nation.
South Dakota’s Master Gardener program began in 1985. Each year, Master Gardeners
volunteer more than 10,000 hours answering your questions and hosting programming.
How do you become an Extension Master Gardener? Through the SDSU Extension Master
Gardener program, interested volunteers receive 60 hours of training in horticulture and
environmental topics of special value to home gardeners. We will have this MG training course
going on this summer in Sturgis, SD May 30, June 6, 13, 20, 27; July 11, 18, and 25. The
program provides individuals with scientific specialized home gardening horticulture training.
For more information, contact SDSU Extension Master Gardener program staff
at sdsu.sdmg@sdstate.edu, or to register https://extension.sdstate.edu/garden-yard/master-
gardeners.
Then what happens? Following successful completion of the course, in partial exchange for our
training, Master Gardener Interns share time and knowledge on approved projects within our
communities. New interns must complete 50 hours consisting of volunteer educational outreach,
support, and service, in the first two years to earn certification as an SDSU EMG. Your local
club will help you earn your hours. Then to maintain certification, EMGs need to contribute 20
hours of volunteer service and gain 10 hours of continuing education each year thereafter.
SDSU Extension Master Gardeners are VOLUNTEERS, an arm of SDSU Extension,
answering horticulture questions and sharing science-based information to help educate the
public about gardening and natural resources. Being an Extension Master Gardener is also about
helping deliver meaningful community programs to improve the well-being of individuals and
communities, to protect natural resources, and to help keep fresh fruits and vegetables on the
table. It’s about working to make a difference in the places we live, learn, and work.
Locally we are the Northern Hills Master Gardeners [NHMG] a local club made up of EMGs
from Spearfish, Lead, Deadwood, Belle Fourche, Sturgis, Fruitdale, St. Onge, and Whitewood.
Contact us at northernhillsmastergardeners@yahoo.com or on Facebook
Find us at the Spearfish Farmers’ Market during the summer months, or at Arbor Day, tree, and many gardening workshops.
Where we assist in addressing community needs by:
- Answering the public’s gardening questions on outdoor and indoor plants
- Providing educational programs for the public
- Facilitating gardening projects at schools, libraries, and other public community sites
- Beautifying projects at the DC Booth Fish Hatchery & Adams House
- Presenting school gardening programs to promote science awareness in kids
- Identifying insects and plant problems and suggesting solutions when needed
- Working on protecting pollinators, combating invasives, and encourage gardening
- Writing articles for gardening pages of local newspapers
- And much much more!
Come, join us. Be an Extension Master Gardener. Find new friends with similar interests, take
part in new activities, increase your horticultural knowledge, gain valuable resources for problem
solving, and have fun helping others. The NHMGs are offering assistance for two people for the
Master Gardener Training in Sturgis. To apply contact us:
northernhillsmastergardeners@yahoo.com and request an application. Application due date is
April 6 th .
Want to know more? You may contact me at sww@spe.midco.net Sue W. White, President of
SDMG Association and member of the NHMGs.
Join us on Saturday April 4, 2020 for the High Elevation Gardening event from 9am to 1pm at the Historic Homestake Opera House, 313 W Main St, Lead SD. A collaboration event sponsored by the Northern Hills Master Gardeners and the Historic Homestake Opera House. 
With the coming of June, the Children's Garden at Hills Horizons got underway on a beautiful sunny day! Children from the nearby Kids Camp trekked over to get some real gardening experience with our NHMG volunteers.
Who loves pizza more than kids? The kids got to plant pizza ingredients (including tomatoes, basil, onions, eggplant, and peppers) in hula-hoop sized giant pizza garden plots! Along the way, they got to dig in the dirt, label the plants, and water their new garden project. They even made friends with some creepy crawlers, like worms, centipedes, and beetles.
The NHMG Plant Sale is Saturday, June 2nd at Brady Park in Spearfish. Come to find houseplants, herbs, flowers, and vegetables for your garden, and to speak with local Master Gardeners about your gardening needs and issues. This is our annual fundraiser that helps us fund community projects and beautification for our communities.
Every Saturday from 8 am to noon, the NHMG group will host an informational booth at the Spearfish Farmer's Market at Brady Park. We are trained to help you find answers to your questions from many gardening topics, from selecting, planting, and pruning trees and shrubs, to soil testing, to vegetable gardening (seeds, diseases, pests, watering), to annual and perennial flowers and herbs, and more!
