Volunteer News May 2026
- May 16
- 8 min read
05/16/2026
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Message From The Coordinator
Thank you to everyone who has been involved with the plant sale this year. It has been exciting to see the plant sale evolve and improve over the years.
The plant sale is a HUGE team project and each of your contributions are recognized and appreciated. As many of you know, the funds raised from the plant sale support our projects and programming throughout Ramsey County.
As we wrap up with the plant sale, take a deep breath, relax and celebrate. Following the plant sale we encourage you to consider signing up to volunteer with some of the demonstration gardens, Farmers Markets, Yard Waste Sites, community events, and the countless other opportunities available to you. Thank you for all that you do!
May Updates
Order Your FREE Shirts by June 1
All current volunteers are welcome to order 2 complimentary shirts with the new Garden Education Volunteer Program name—one t-shirt and one polo. To order, log into the vendor portal for Minnesota Ts (the store sale code is ramsey) and select your shirts. Shirts will be mailed directly to you after ordering, free of charge. Please submit your order before June 1.
New Name Badges
The new name badges with “Garden Education Volunteer” have just been delivered. Darren is working on the delivery details but these will be mailed to volunteers in the coming weeks. Thanks for your patience!
New Leadership Team Focus Group: 5/20
We are seeking 3 or 4 volunteers interested in helping to define the new organizational structure by joining a focus group this summer. Volunteers who are interested should have a strong knowledge of the current structure of the Ramsey County Garden Education Volunteer Program and/or similar organizations. If you are interested, please sign-up before Sunday, May 24th.
Volunteer Tools & Resources
We created a new page to the Volunteers menu on the website called Tools & Resources. Use this page to find materials designed to help volunteers in Ramsey County.
Sign-up; Show-up
With all of the great volunteer activities coming out, make sure you are able to attend your shifts. If you need to cancel out of an activity because of an emergency or illness, you are responsible for finding a substitute. Your fellow volunteers depend on you!
Report Unexcused Absences
Shift Leads should take attendance at events. Check the sign-up for your shift to know who should be there and then report any absent volunteers. We’ll follow-up with the absentees but we need you to tell us who needs a check-in.
Track Your Contacts
Please use the Event Contact Tracking Forms (inside Education Kits) to keep count of the number of people you talk with during events. Shift Leads can take their sheet home to help them remember the details when they record their hours.
Please use RGEV internally
Please use the acronym RGEV to replace RCMG in communication between volunteers. This should never be used in external communications because the general public doesn’t know what it stands for.
Share your Stories and Inspire Everyone
If you are a project lead with important updates about your project, volunteers who are excited about activities they are doing, or anyone with something they want to share with others in RGEV, we want to hear from you! Hearing from one another is one of the best ways to learn and find new inspiration. You can share your stories easily using an online form.
Your Monthly Plant Pun:
What’s the fiercest type of flower?(Search for the answer somewhere below.)
Non-Profit News
The Ramsey County Master Gardeners nonprofit is a 501(c)(3) organization that is separate from the University of Minnesota Extension Garden Education Volunteer Program and helps raise funds for volunteer activities.
Board Blurb
There was no board meeting in May because of the plant sale. The next Board Meeting will be on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Zoom. All volunteers are welcome to attend. (By computer, smartphone, or tablet on Zoom Video Conference with Meeting ID: 949 4344 4368 and Passcode: 060589.
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Intern Roadmap
Tracking Your Volunteer Activities
This month, Don Muske shares ways to use Sign Up Genius to track the activities you signed-up for to make it easier to calculate your volunteer hours. He also points out that similar projects are grouped together in Sign Up Genius so volunteers can easily find other activities in which they might be interested.
Core Course - Getting Close to Done
All interns should be getting close to finishing the core course. The course remains open through Dec 31 but we recommend completing the coursework before Memorial Day to support your volunteer work this summer. If you are having any trouble with the course, email Jennie Wagner (wagn1400@umn.edu).
Volunteer T-Shirts Delivered
All interns should have received their Extension-branded shirts in the last few weeks. If you did not receive it OR if your shirts do not fit, please fill in the form at the bottom of the Quick Links page on the website to make sure that your question reaches the right people as quickly as possible.
Volunteer Stories
Volunteers are continually doing great work in the community. Take a moment to read about what your Garden Education Volunteer peers are doing and ask them about it when you see them at events and activities.
Plant Sale 2026 Is NOW!
Many many thanks to the countless volunteers who have planned, organized, grown, transported, set-up, cleaned-up, checked-out, staffed, and stocked everything that goes into our annual sale. For those who haven’t been able to join in the fun, check out this video to see what you’ve been missing.
Lilac Hill In Bloom
RGEV volunteers are back in action on Muriel Sahlin Arboretum’s Lilac Hill. Since the project started in 2021, volunteers have made a big difference! Thank you to everyone who has shared time on Lilac Hill in the past several years.
Nominate a Volunteer
Have you been inspired by another RGEV volunteer this spring? Nominate them for one of RGEV's annual awards! This is a great way to recognize those Garden Education Volunteers who go above and beyond.
A Wave of Info Booths
RGEV volunteers helped the gardeners start the garden season strong by attending almost 20 different community events this spring! That’s a new record!
Volunteer Activities
New volunteer activities are announced on Thursday mornings and Sunday nights. If you are not receiving SignUp Genius notices, please contact rcmg2@umn.edu.
Enter Your Spring Hours
Make sure you record all of the time you spent volunteering and learning this spring. Last year, volunteers completed almost 10,000 hours of community service! Currently there are only 3,500 hours logged so far. We know you have done so much more! With so many great things coming this summer, it’ll be hard to remember if you wait too long.
If you do wait awhile and those experiences accumulate before you have a chance to enter them, look at Don Muske’s video tip regarding SUG under the Intern Roadmap section above.
Host a Garden Gate Tour: Sign Up by 5/29
Open your garden to fellow volunteers and host a Garden Gate Tour this summer! This is a fun activity for everyone involved! You can get or give gardening advice from your peers, or just showcase the garden and yard you care for. Tours are scheduled for Thursday evenings (6:30- 8:00 pm) OR on Sunday afternoons (4:30-6:00 pm); please express your preference and we'll do our best to accommodate.
Monthly Meeting Volunteer Roles: 6/16
Help out at the next monthly meeting. Every month we need volunteers to make our meetings run smoothly. In June, we Moderators, a Journalist, and Parking Assistant. Sign up to volunteer.
Yard and Garden Phone Line: 5/30-6/05
Sign up to answer residents’ garden questions from home through the Arboretum’s Yard & Garden hotline. These are excellent opportunities to volunteer remotely and build your garden knowledge at your own pace (and with your reference materials readily available).
Blooming St Paul Nominations May-July
The Blooming St Paul Showcase Nomination Form will be available online in May. This is where anyone can nominate a garden (or multiple gardens) that inspire them while earning volunteer hours. Additional activities happen in July and August. Check out the details for this year’s BSP activities.
Answer to Your Monthly Plant Pun:
(What’s the fiercest type of flower?)A dandelion!
Education Opportunities
Find approved opportunities to learn more on the RCMG website, the State MG Volunteer website, the MN Landscape Arboretum, or through Extension. Check with the program coordinator about other local events and learning opportunities.
No May Monthly Meeting
There will be no monthly meeting in May because of the plant sale. Join us in June!
Free Continuing Education from the Education Committee
Because there is not a monthly educational meeting in May, the Education Committee has provided an extensive list of excellent webinars so volunteers can continue learning on their own. Enjoy and share what you love with others!
April Monthly Meeting Recap: 4/21
In April, Kathy Passe from the RCMG nonprofit organization talked about the 2025 financial summary and the 2026 budget, and Dr. Vera Krischik from the University of Minnesota Department of Entomology presented information on landscape management of pests and beneficial insects. If you missed a monthly meeting, don’t forget that you can find recordings and summaries on our website.
May Book Club: 5/26
June Monthly Meeting: 6/16
The June Meeting is our annual hands-on workshop at the Barn Demonstration Gardens. Come and learn from a variety of garden topics, many taught by your fellow volunteers! Watch your email for a sign-up with more details.
Statewide Master Gardener Conference: 6/26-6/27
Conference registration is still open! This year’s statewide conference at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum has an excellent line-up of keynote speakers and learning opportunities on Friday and Saturday. Check out the state website for more information. Registration is required; no ywalk-ins.
Pre-Conference Guided Walking Tours: 6/26
Don’t miss the chance to attend any of the pre-conference walking tours taking place on Friday morning, 6/26. Send an email to the State Master Gardener Team mgweb@umn.edu requesting that your name be added to the attendance list of the tour that you wish to take.
HCMG Learning Garden Tour: 7/11
The Hennepin County Master Gardener (HCMG) Learning Garden Tour is scheduled for Saturday, July 11. This self-guided tour features ten unique private residence gardens across Bloomington, Edina, Minneapolis, and Richfield communities. Each garden stop is a home garden of a Hennepin County Master Gardener volunteer.
August Monthly Meeting at the Bell Museum: 8/18
The August Monthly Meeting will be at the Bell Museum! This meeting is an in-person only event and expected to be extra special with speakers from the University of Minnesota Herbarium. Stay tuned and mark your calendar so you don't miss it!
Build Your Knowledge with Master Gardener Toolkits in 2026
Get ready for the 2026 gardening season and log some continuing education credits by registering for one of the Master Gardener community engagement toolkits! These toolkits are learn-at-your-own pace, online courses that are open for year-round registration. They are designed to enhance your knowledge and give you resources to share information in your community. Click the class titles below to register. Email questions to mgweb@umn.edu.
Calendar
In-person office hours with Darren at the Maplewood Extension Office on Wednesdays (10am-2pm). Sign up here. Contact him directly to schedule additional times.
5/16 – Plant sale at Aldrich Arena
5/26 – May Book Club
5/30-6/05 – Ramsey County Yard and Garden Phone Line
6/09 – June Board Meeting
6/16 – June Monthly Meeting
6/26-6/27 – State Master Gardener Conference
8/18 – August Monthly Meeting held at Bell Museum
Quick Links
RGEV Resources
Ramsey County Volunteer Website & Quick Links page
Extension Resources
Access the MN Arboretum for free with code MG2026
