Who are the WSU Master Gardener Volunteers?
We are a volunteer service gardening organization – cultivating plants, people, and communities since 1973.
Our Thurston County program is part of the statewide WSU Extension Master Gardener program which combines horticulture training and public service. WSU Master Gardener volunteers are trained and certified as community educators to provide professional, unbiased, researched-based home gardening and horticulture information to the public through the following avenues:
- Question/answer plant clinics
- Demonstration gardens (Closed Loop Park, Dirt Works, Olympia Farmers Market Garden)
- Children’s Garden program
- Other educational programs & community service projects
2019 Upcoming Events and Activities…
Other Program Offerings:
- WSU Master Gardener Volunteer Training
- Are you interested in becoming a WSU Master Gardener volunteer? Learn more on our training page.
- Demonstration/Learning Gardens
- In Thurston County, WSU Master Gardener and Master Recycler Composter volunteers create and maintain three learning/demonstration gardens. These gardens provide inspiration and showcase scientifically proven gardening practices. For complete details visit our demonstration gardens page.
- Master Your: Garden, Compost, & Recycling Education Day
- Children’s Garden Summer Program
- Upcoming Workshops
- Community Events/Outreach
- Do you have a composting question?
- Gardening Resources
- Directions to WSU Thurston County Extension Office
“WSU Master Gardener Program of Thurston County”
Do You Have a Gardening Question?
Do you have a plant eaten-up by bugs or diseases? Maybe you have a plant or weed you cannot identify? Or, you have a spot in your garden and you need advice on what to plant? That’s where the WSU Master Gardener and Master Recycler Composter volunteers of Thurston County can help. Come visit one of our Gardens or Clinics for the answers.
Gardening/Composting/Recycling Question/Answer Clinic –
Located inside the WSU Thurston County Extension office
3054 Carpenter Rd. SE
Benoscheck Building
Olympia, WA 98503
Phone: (360) 867-2163
Email: master@co.thurston.wa.us
IMPORTANT: The clinic will be closed from July 29th through August 5th. WSU Master Gardeners will be staffing a question/answer booth at the Thurston County Fair. Our booth will be located inside the Sharp Building and will be staffed from 10am through Fair closing. We look forward to serving you at the Fair or when we reopen our office based clinic on Tuesday, August 6th at 9am.
Our clinic schedule
Volunteers are scheduled to staff our question/answer clinic during the current hours of operation:
- June through August we are open Tuesday through Friday from 9:00a.m. to 1:00p.m.
- September through November the clinic is open Tuesday AND Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- December through February we are closed.
- March through May the clinic is open Tuesday AND Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- The Extension office is closed on Mondays year round.
When the clinic is operating you have three options for asking your question:
- Email us anytime day or night.
- Call us and speak to a certified volunteer during our office hours or leave a message and we’ll get back to you.
- Visit us at our clinic located inside the WSU Extension office at the Thurston County Fairgrounds. We just ask that before showing up you call ahead to make sure a volunteer is there to assist you. Plant/insect samples may be dropped off anytime between 9am and 5pm Tuesday through Friday. Volunteers will process the samples during the next staffed shift. WSU Extension Parking Map Fairgrounds
The Gardens and Clinics are operated by WSU trained and certified volunteers. All services provided by Thurston County WSU Master Gardener and Master Recycler Composter volunteers are free to Thurston County residents. These volunteers can only provide information to home gardeners. Commercial farms and businesses need to contact Extension office for help, (360) 867-2162.