Home > Lawn & Garden > Master Gardener > A love of gardening, a search for knowledge and a desire to share that knowledge with others is central to why Master Gardeners join the program. They remain Master Gardeners to enjoy the friendship of others who share their interests, to gain and share horticultural knowledge and to give back to the community through their volunteer commitment. LMG09 Conference Overview [Image: LMG09 Logo] The annual state conference for Louisiana Master Gardeners will be held in New Orleans on May 21-24, 2009 at the Hilton New Orleans Airport Hotel. LMG09 Conference Schedule The Louisiana Master Gardener 2009 State Conference is a four-day event being held at the Hilton New Orleans Airport Hotel May 21-24. Louisiana Master Gardener™ Program [Image: Louisiana Master Gardener Logo] The Louisiana Master Gardener™ program is a service and educational activity offered by the LSU AgCenter. The program is designed to recruit and train volunteers to help meet the educational needs of home gardeners while providing an enjoyable and worthwhile service experience for volunteers. Junior Master Gardener Program [Image: Junior Master Gardener logo] Find out how you can implement a Junior Master Gardener program in Louisiana.  more articles... History The Louisiana Master Gardener™ program was started in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1994 as a means of extending the educational outreach of the LSU AgCenter, Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service. Who are Louisiana Master Gardener™ Volunteers? Anyone with a willingness to learn and desire to help others can become a Louisiana Master Gardener™. Volunteers should be interested in horticulture, willing to help people, outgoing, flexible, dependable, unbiased and open-minded. Previous volunteer work and good verbal skills are desirable. Sustainable Gardening Symposium [Image: Dan Gill] Learn how to garden in harmony with nature by practicing environmentally friendly and sustainable gardening techniques appropriate for our New Orleans climate. The Home Gardener - Summer 2009 Edition Quarterly home gardening newsletter produced by Louisiana Master Gardener Volunteers in East Baton Rouge Parish. Topics include hummingbirds, watermelons, pruning, moon names, gardening books and camellias. Garden Funding Sources Funding opportunities for school and community gardens. Steps to Creating a Successful School Garden [Image: Junior Master Gardener] It might feel like a big step to start a school garden, but there are numerous ways to keep the work manageable. Simple Vegetable Gardening [Image: weeds] This FNP manual contains simple gardening concepts and lesson plans for basic home vegetable gardening. Louisiana Master Gardener Videos A selection of Louisiana Master Gardener videos is available on topics such as: The Home Fruit Garden, Tree Health and Tree Safety, Trees for Louisiana Landscapes, Organic Vegetable Crops and Pest management, Weed Science and Vegetables. Pointe Coupee Parish garden helps improve youth nutrition TWILA TV's AJ Sabine visits a school where kids are planting gardens and teachers use them that for education. What's different about this story is that it's happening in Pointe Coupee Parish. Why is that significant? Well, Louisiana has the worst nutrition in the country. Pointe Coupee Parish has the worst nutrition in the state. Get the picture now? Good. 2008 LMG Volunteer Report by Program Volunteer impact as reported by LMG chapter volunteers. Click for more information...