Montana Master Gardner Program Returns to the Montana State Prison

Published: 2022
By Bo Walker

After a four-year hiatus, Powell County MSU Extension returned to the Montana State Prison to offer the Montana Master Gardener Level I certification. In total, 27 inmates – many of whom pursued a separate landscaping certification in tandem – completed the 20-hour course and 20-hour community service requirement. Students learned about soils and fertility; plant physiology and ecology; vegetable and fruit management; turf grass management; shrub and berry pruning; and more. Many student-inmates enrolled in the program currently hold landscaping, ranch or farm management jobs on the prison property. The knowledge and skills acquired through the Master Gardner Program both complement and add to their current skill sets. Many student-inmates who took the course hope to continue working in landscaping and horticulture upon their return to society. The Master Gardner Level I course was in high demand during the spring of 2022. So much so that Master Gardner Level II will be offered in the Fall of 2022 to further inmate students' horticultural knowledge. Currently, Powell County MSU Extension plans to offer Master Gardener Levels I and II once per year while demand remains high.