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OSU Extension

College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

CFAES

Support for Home Gardeners

OSU Extension serves home gardeners by answering their gardening questions, teaching at garden club programs, and by offering the internationally known Master Gardener Program. Our goal is to enhance positive experiences of home gardeners.  Below are resources where you are able to submit your general questions and diagnostic requests.

Master Gardener Volunteer Program

Our Master Gardener Program was started in 1992. The Master Gardener training course consists of a minimum of 50 hours of instruction. An equivalent number (50) of horticultural significant volunteer hours within 1 year following the initial instruction is required to become a certified Master Gardener. We have trained over 1,000 Master Gardeners. Our Master Gardener volunteers have been involved in a wide range of horticulture endeavors, from providing educational outreach programs at the Krohn Conservatory, to evaluating new plants at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens as well as numerous other projects. For more information click here

Ask a Master Gardener Icon

Submit your general landscape, yard, and garden questions by clicking the Ask a Master Gardener icon above. Please provide as much detail as possible. You can submit photos if relevant to help us answer the question.

 

Soil Testing

The Extension office in Hamilton County does not have equipment or staff to conduct soil testing. 

If you need your soil tested, please click the link below to proceed to an article with instructions on how to collect soil samples, as well as where to get your soil tested.  

Soil Testing for Ohio Lawns, Landscapes, Fruit Crops and Vegetable Gardens

 

C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic

The Extension office in Hamilton County does not have equipment or staff to definitively diagnose plant issues or pests. 

If you need samples tested, please visit the C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic.

The C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic is a diagnostic facility specializing in the identification of plant diseases, plant health issues, and insect-related problems.

Read tips for obtaining good samples to send to the clinic.