Lawn Leaders
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Program Overview
The University of Minnesota Turfgrass Science team is recruiting Garden Education Volunteers from Ramsey County to participate in a community initiative called Lawn Leaders. As a Lawn Leader, you will share research-based lawn care practices with your neighbors and broader community. This program is a chance to use your passion for plants, deepen your knowledge of turfgrass and irrigation, and help promote water conservation and healthier home lawns. With so many homeowners looking for trustworthy lawn care advice, this program positions you to become a go-to resource in your neighborhood.
Training Opportunities
The participating Garden Education Volunteers will receive:
Online training, available now
A half-day in-person training on the UMN St. Paul campus
Both training components will cover lawn care fundamentals and prepare you to lead hands-on demonstrations in your community. The in-person training date is to be determined, with several scheduling options planned, likely in May 2026.
Community Engagement
After completing the training, the UMN Turfgrass Science team will work with you to plan and schedule an in-person educational event in your neighborhood. Events may be hosted any time between May and October 2026.
You will receive:
A menu of demonstration activities
All necessary supplies
Online resources and topic-specific handouts to distribute
Volunteer Hours & Program Benefits
This opportunity is designed to support your Garden Education Volunteer service while benefiting your local community.
Estimated time commitment:
5 hours of continuing education
5 hours of volunteer service
Please check with your Ramsey County program leadership to confirm that participation in Lawn Leaders counts toward your service and continuing education requirements. The program also includes a research element examining how lawn care information moves through neighborhoods.
We estimate that completing the 11 training module videos will take approximately 3 hours.
Topics include:
What grass do I have in my lawn?
How should I be mowing my lawn?
What are the best lawn watering practices?
How does an irrigation system work?
How does an irrigation controller work?
How does a rain sensor work?
How do I take a soil test?
What are the best fertilizer practices?
How do I improve my lawn with grass seed?
What’s in a bag of grass seed?
How do I manage weeds in my lawn?
There are also ungraded quizzes and additional materials available on the Canvas site for you to review. The in-person training will likely take place in May and/or June and is expected to last about four hours.
After completing all components of the training, our goal is that you’ll feel confident sharing this information with your neighbors. As a Lawn Leader, you will select three topics to teach—choosing those that best fit your neighborhood’s needs—with at least one topic focused on water (such as irrigation or rain sensors). Once you’ve chosen your topics, you can select a date, invite participants, and host your event.
If you would like to learn more about the program please contact: Gary Deters (dete0040@umn.edu)
Testimonial from Michael Erb – Ramsey County
“The Lawn Leaders program was an excellent opportunity to learn more about turfgrass. I participated primarily to deepen my understanding of lawn seeding and weed control, and I came away with knowledge I can share with the gardening community and my neighbors. The more I learned, the more exciting the program became. I gained real confidence in answering people’s questions about seeding, weed control, raising mowing heights to help with moisture retention, and turf identification.
The online training modules provided a solid foundation for the hands-on experience we received at the U of M’s turf fields on the St. Paul campus. Visiting the fields was incredibly helpful for identifying grass species—I even learned I have at least four types of turfgrass in my own yard.
The highlight of the program was sharing what I learned with my neighbors. They know they can come to me with lawn questions. After all, I’m a Lawn Leader.” — Michael Erb
