Ask a Master Gardener Volunteer

Do you have a question about growing a vegetable garden? Wish you knew the name of that pesky weed that keeps popping up in your flower bed? Wonder what that funny looking insect is that is crawling across your shoe? Find the answer, by contacting our Master Gardener Volunteer Helpline!

Have a gardening question? Click here to ask a Master Gardener Volunteer!

Master Gardener Volunteers and staff at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties (CCESO) are trained to answer residents’ questions about home gardening, on topics such as soil testing, growing vegetables, plant selection, pruning fruit trees, common plant diseases, insect identification, lawn care, and more. Master Gardener Volunteers are local residents who have completed a horticulture training course and passed a final exam to become certified. They provide unbiased, research-based information to help people grow healthy gardens and landscapes. A conversation with a Master Gardener volunteer may be enough to solve a plant problem. Often a photo or a sample of the plant will help to arrive at a diagnosis. Should the Master Gardeners not be able to diagnose a problem at the local level, we may consult with colleagues at Cornell University to arrive at an answer.

The best way to connect with a Master Gardener Volunteer or CCESO staff is to submit your questions online (see link below), which will guide you through a series of questions and allows for photos to be uploaded. Please be sure to include both an email address (if you have one) and a phone number so that a member of our team can connect with you. As most of our Master Gardener Volunteers answer questions from home, email is typically the best (and fastest) method for communication. If you’d rather a phone call, please be on a look out for an “unrecognized” number, which sometimes happens when we return calls. Non-urgent questions may take up to one week to answer.

Submit a Question Online

Print a Submission Form

If you need further assistance and you live in Otsego County, call 607-547-2536 extension 228, or email: mastergardener-otsego@cornell.edu.

If a Master Gardener Volunteer is not available to take your call, please leave a voice mail message and your call will be returned as soon as possible.

If you need further assistance and you live in Schoharie County, call 518-234-4303 extension 129, or email: schohariemastergardeners@cornell.edu. If a Master Gardener Volunteer is not available to take your call, please leave a voice mail message and your call will be returned as soon as possible.

Please note that neither Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties (CCESO) nor any representative thereof makes any representation of any warranty, express or implied, of any particular result or application of the information provided by us or regarding any product. If a product is involved, it is the sole responsibility of the User to read and follow all product labeling instructions and to check with the manufacturer or supplier for the most recent information. Nothing contained in this information should be interpreted as an express or implied endorsement of any particular product or criticism of unnamed products. With respect to any information on pest management the User is responsible for obtaining the most up-to-date pest management information. The information we provide is no substitute for pesticide labeling. The User is solely responsible for reading and following manufacturer’s labeling and instructions.

Last updated April 29, 2025