Cultlivating Volunteers in our Gardens

Gardeners love to get their hands in the dirt and grow all kinds of plants... however, a Door County Master Gardener embodies so much more. Master Gardeners are motivated individuals who have a passion for learning.

The pollinator garden at Crossroads in full bloom

To be a Master Gardener in Door County you need foundational knowledge about growing plants in Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin-Madison offers a comprehensive on-line course to prepare horticulturalists to make an impact through research-based gardening practices. The core program involves intensive training, followed by volunteer hours, to achieve certification. Once certified, the gardener must complete 24 hours of volunteer service and 10 hours of continuing education each year to maintain certification. Passion and commitment are the hallmarks of the Door County Master Gardeners Association (DCMGA).

A revitalized garden bed planted with natives at Birch Creek

Individual Door County Master Gardeners may have lavish gardens or a humble vegetable patch, but the organization’s impact on the peninsula is profound. The length and breadth of Door County benefits from the service of committed volunteers. When you admire the planter outside the Sturgeon Bay Library, walk through the revitalized gardens at Birch Creek, admire the Heritage Garden at Heritage Village, or revel in the exuberance of the pollinator garden at Crossroads, DCMGA volunteers have supported these green spaces along with projects for over 20 local non-profits. Community outreach is the calling of the Door County Master Gardeners.

Southern Door School District Students plant seeds donated by the Door County Seed Library

DCMGA sponsors the Door County Seed Library, which distributes over 20,000 free seed packets throughout the county. Many of the packets come from member’s gardens as volunteers save seeds from the summer’s growth and package them to distribute through Door County library branches. Sustainable gardening and the culture of sharing is the foundation of the Door County Seed Library.

Fresh produce grown at the Heritage Garden for donation to a food pantry

This year the gardeners presented 35 free public educational programs demonstrating best practices for horticulture and nurturing seeds into food for families and food pantries. By providing seeds and education for their cultivation, DCMGA helps to increase food security in the county through several programs including the vegetable garden at the Boys and Girls Club of Sturgeon Bay, Kitchen Garden Demo Garden, the ADRC Growing Together Project and the Southern Door Schoolyard Garden. This year, from the collected community garden projects, over 2,000 pounds of food was donated, representing over 6,000 servings of fresh produce. Nurturing healthy habits and communities is the promise of the Door County Master Gardeners.

The Door County Master Gardeners is run exclusively through volunteers. There are no paid staff, just 132 individuals who collectively shared 4,183 volunteer hours over the past year to quietly inspire and enrich this lovely place which we call home.

Sturgeon Bay planted created by a Door County Master Gardener