OTHER ACTIVITIES & YOUTH PROJECTS

Master Gardeners have inspired people of all ages to love and appreciate plants and nature while they teach lessons through a variety of presentations and hands-on activities. 

Master Gardeners are often requested to help with one-of-a-kind projects that include educating large groups in community planting projects. Organizations who have requested assistance in the past have included Anoka County Parks and Recreation, Habitat for Humanity, Tree Trust, Great River Greening, Boy Scouts of America, many schools and others.

For more information on adult or youth educational activities, email anokamgs@umn.edu

Community Events

Master Gardeners are available to assist with community-based planting projects by helping to educate project volunteers about proper planting and after-care of trees and plants.  Other community events may involve eradicating invasive weeds such as buckthorn.  As rain gardens grow in popularity, Master Gardeners are equipped to assist with plant selection and installation of plants with large groups.   

Organizations who typically contact Master Gardeners for these service projects include K-12 schools, Great River Greening and Tree Trust. 

Bringing Gardens to Schools

Anoka Master Gardeners have been working with local elementary schools to provide after-school programming to students in 4th and 5th grade. These garden clubs aim to educate youth on relevant environmental and horticultural topics.

At one of our partner schools this year, students focused on creating pollinator-friendly environments. The students worked with the Master Gardeners for 4 weeks to plan, prepare, and plant a pollinator garden at their school.

Additionally, the students planted a giving garden and a raised bed vegetable garden. All food produced in their garden goes directly into the school’s food shelf to provide healthy and nutritious food to students and their families.

Youth Projects

 4-H Projects

  • Workshop days/Family Night/Natural Resources Field Trip

  • Grow Your Own Salad Kits

  • Succulents garden workshop

School Projects

  • Crossroads School and Vocational Center Victory Garden

  • Short/long term schoolyard garden projects

  • Tree planting projects

  • Citizen science programs

  • After-school programs

  • Junior Master Gardener Program (JMG)

 Summer Camps

  • Custom designed summer programs

To request Master Gardener volunteers to assist with community gardening or landscape projects, please contact the Anoka County Extension Master Gardener office.

Four Master Gardeners posed for a photograph smiling
Smiling Master gardeners stand in a line in front of a farm. Grain silos and barn buildings can be seen in the background.

Past Projects and Outreach Events

  • Two master gardeners stand behind an ask a master gardener booth at the Anoka county fair. There are plants, seed packets, and flyers on the table and signs with information behind them. They are talking to a woman and handing her a flyer.

    Master Gardeners at the Anoka County Fair

  • Two master gardeners behind a table that says University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program. Many flyers and seed packets are on the table. They are smiling and talking to a small girl and her guardian.

    Master Gardeners at Springbrook Environmental Day

  • Two smiling master gardeners stand behind a raised planter on a patio containing colorful flowers and herbs.

    Master Gardeners Create a Sensory Garden at Select Senior Living

  • A master gardener stands in front of a classroom in a library. There are many adults at tables watching her speak.

    Master Gardener Leads a Session on Creating Container Gardens at Local Library

  • Master gardeners, parents, and children stand and sit around a table covered with craft supplies. They are coloring on red rocks and attaching googly eyes to make the rocks look like ladybugs.

    Master Gardeners at the Nowthen Threshing Show

  • Master gardeners are posed for a photo in front of a parade float that looks like a garden. They are smiling and wearing garden themed costumes such as scarecrows, beekeepers, bees, praying mantis, butterflies, and ladybugs.

    Master Gardeners at the Anoka Halloween Parade

  • Four smiling children stand with a parent holding potting mix, a plant, and small bags containing seeds and an instruction sheet.

    4-H Kids Getting Ready to Plant a Grow Your Own Salad Kit

  • Three children are shown a large bush of marigolds by two master gardeners. They are standing in a garden of raised beds with agricultural fields in the background.

    Master Gardeners Help at Goldy's Garden Summer Program

  • There is a green wall in a glass display case with photos of monarch butterflies and caterpillars. A sign says "Milkweed... if you plant it, they will come. There is information about monarch migration, their life cycles, and types of milkweed.

    Master Gardeners Create an Educational Display at the Rum River Library

  • Three girls stand wearing masks and gloves stand behind a kitchen counter. They are preparing tomatoes and placing them in bowls to be made into salsa.

    Master Gardeners Teach about Canning at Brightwater School

  • Several people stand in a semicircle on yoga mats in a grassy area with woods behind them. They are in various stages of a yoga pose.

    Master Gardeners Host Yoga in the Parks

  • Two smiling master gardeners stand in front of a banner that reads "Ask a Master Gardener".

    Master Gardeners at the Northern Suburb Home Show