History

In 1980, the Cobb Extension Service established the Master Gardener Program in Cobb County. Since that time the program has trained and graduated 25 to 35 Master Gardeners each year. As a condition of acceptance into the Master Gardener training program, each individual agrees to pay back to the Cobb Extension Service a minimum of 50 hours of volunteer time during the first year.

In 1988, a number of Cobb County Master Gardeners who had completed their 50 hours of volunteer time formed an informal group. Their zeal to volunteer additional hours and to get involved with community projects was very strong. On January 1, 1989, the group formed the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County (MGVOCC). Today there are over 130 active Master Gardeners in Cobb County. Many of the 32 who have achieved the 10-year Lifetime Status remain active in the program.

By 1991, the members of MGVOCC were participating in multiple programs and activities such as: Soil Test Clinics, Warm Season Turf Management, Xeriscaping for Homeowners, and Water Conservation Inside and Outside the Home.

In 1992, the Adopt-a-Park project was initiated. Late in 1992, the Hort Therapy garden at Cobb Hospital started as an idea but there was not a site for the garden. Both projects are still active. Christmas Pot-Luck social dinners began and for several years the MGVOCC would have high school students playing Christmas music. The Backacher Demonstration Garden also began this year.

In 1993, the MGVOCC newsletter was named The Dibbler. A new logo was designed and was first used on the February/March issue of the newsletter.

In the middle of 1994, the Mental Health Shade Garden was created at the mental health site near the library. The MGVOCC rescued plants and planted them in the garden.

Over the next ten years, many new projects were added including McFarlane Park in East Cobb, the Kids Butterfly Garden project at Midway Church, Festival of Trees, Plant-a-Row for the Hungry, the Root House in Marietta Square, the McEachern Nature Center, the Children's Garden project at Open Gate, the Kemp Community Gardens and Junior Master Gardens at Kemp.

The latest project to be supported by the MGVOCC is the Smith-Gilbert Arboretum, a unique botanical garden recently acquired by the City of Kennesaw.

2006 will be an exciting year for the MGVOCC organization. The Backacher Demonstration Garden will be relocating to the McEachern Nature Center, while the Rose Garden at Woodruff Cottage and Plant-A-Row for the Hungry Projects will move to the Smith-Gilbert Arboretum. The move to McEachern Nature Center will not only enable MGVOCC to continue to offer the variety of gardening techniques shown at the Backacher, but will also offer a variety of subjects for programs for the Cobb County public that the Backacher could not offer.