Master Gardeners of Hamilton County

What Master Gardeners of Hamilton County does

Master Gardeners of Hamilton County (MGHC) is a non-profit, educational, volunteer organization founded in 1996 and headquartered at the UT/TSU Hamilton County Extension office (6183 Adamson Circle, Chattanooga, Tennessee). It operates under the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture cooperative extension framework in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and county governments, and serves residents of Hamilton County and the greater Chattanooga metropolitan area. The organization celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2026 and runs an Annual Garden Tour in its 39th iteration, indicating sustained institutional continuity.

MGHC delivers gardening education through a portfolio of programs: a Master Gardener Training Program for volunteer certification, recurring 3rd Saturday classes, a Beginner & Newcomer series, an Annual Garden Tour, Fall Garden Festival, Master Your Garden Expo, a year-round staffed Gardening Hotline, and a Project Gardens Network of 15+ physical sites at schools, community centers, arboretums, and partner institutions. Core delivery channels are in-person at the Extension office and partner locations, augmented by a YouTube channel, monthly Friends newsletter, website content, and TN-specific plant finders and guides.

The business model is that of a community-led nonprofit. Most classes and resources are free; cash inflows consist primarily of donations and member support together with paid event admissions (the Garden Tour is priced at $20 per person, children under 12 free, with free parking). Customer segments include home gardeners (primary), schools and educational institutions such as Battle Academy and Big Ridge Elementary (primary), and underserved communities and food deserts (secondary) addressed through partnerships with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank and community centers such as Carver and Jessie Igou. The technical stack is non-proprietary and consists of horticultural education content and community garden management, with no AI/ML component, API, patents, or proprietary software disclosed.

Name

Master Gardeners of Hamilton County

Legal name

Master Gardeners of Hamilton County

Website

https://mghc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Master Gardeners of Hamilton County is a Chattanooga-based non-profit volunteer organization founded in 1996 that delivers free gardening education, classes, and a year-round hotline to home gardeners, schools, and community partners across Hamilton County, Tennessee, affiliated with UT Extension.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Horticultural Education & Community Gardening Services

NAICS

Landscaping Services (561730), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Container Gardening Design, Planting & Maintenance (HSAIAFAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Native & Pollinator Garden Design/Install (HSAIABAG), Garden Bed Installation & Planting (Annuals, Perennials, Shrubs) (HSAIAFAB), Seasonal Color, Planting & Horticultural Services (BPABADAL)

Keywords

• Gardening education
• Volunteer horticulture
• Community gardens
• Gardening classes
• Nonprofit gardening

Headquarters

HQ city

Chattanooga

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: Organization is funded through donations and member support. No explicit membership fees mentioned.
2. Event Admissions: Revenue from paid events such as the Annual Garden Tour ($20 per person). Children under 12 admitted free.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Master Gardeners of Hamilton County is a non-profit educational volunteer organization that provides free and low-cost gardening education to the Chattanooga community. It delivers this through a Master Gardener training program, recurring public classes (3rd Saturday and Beginner/Newcomer series), a year-round gardening hotline, annual events (Garden Tour, Fall Garden Festival, Master Your Garden Expo), and a network of project gardens at schools and community centers.

Product overview

Master Gardeners of Hamilton County is a non-profit, educational, volunteer organization that provides gardening education and community service through multiple programs. The organization operates a unified service model centered on gardening education, offering a Master Gardener training program, regular classes (3rd Saturday and Beginner/Newcomer series), annual events (Garden Tour, Fall Garden Festival, Master Your Garden Expo), a year-round hotline, and a network of project gardens at schools and community locations. These programs work together to fulfill the organization's mission of education and civic service in the Chattanooga area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Master Gardener Training Program A volunteer training program that educates participants in horticulture and gardening best practices, enabling them to serve their communities through educational gardening activities.
• 3rd Saturday Gardening Classes Monthly educational gardening classes held on the third Saturday of each month covering topics such as rose cultivation, container gardening, and grow bucket techniques.
• Beginner & Newcomer Gardening Classes Entry-level gardening education series designed for those new to gardening, covering fundamental techniques and plant knowledge.
• Annual Garden Tour Annual self-guided tour of private home gardens and public arboretums, offering participants inspiration and education through exposure to diverse garden designs and plantings. Ticket: $20 per person, children under 12 free.
• Fall Garden Festival Annual fall event celebrating gardening and horticulture, held at the Hamilton County Extension Center and Bonny Oaks Arboretum.
• Master Your Garden Expo Large biennial expo event focused on gardening and outdoor topics, featuring vendors and educational presentations at Camp Jordan.
• Gardening Hotline Year-round telephone and email service staffed by Master Gardeners to answer community gardening questions and provide expert advice.
• Project Gardens Network Network of educational and community gardens managed in partnership with schools, community centers, and organizations including school gardens, arboretums, and food bank gardens across Hamilton County.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UT ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Tennessee Extension provides educational programming and affiliation. MGHC operates from UT/TSU Hamilton County Extension office at 6183 Adamson Circle. UT Extension materials are used in classes and programs.
• Chattanooga Area Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for community garden projects. Food Bank provides seeds for gardens like Carver Community Center. Garden coordinator Laura Robinson works with MGHC.
• Crabtree FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as partner organization. MGHC has Magical Monarchs project at Crabtree Farms Monarch Waystation.
• Reflection RidingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as partner organization. Master Gardener Series events held at Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center.
• Chattanooga Bluebird SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on bluebird trail project at Orchard Knob Elementary School Outdoor Leadership Program, partnering with City of Chattanooga Parks Department.
• Orchard Knob Elementary SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOutdoor Leadership Program partnered with MGHC for bluebird trail and community garden projects.
• Tennessee Urban Forestry CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertified Bonny Oaks Arboretum as one of the first eight State Certified Arboretums in Tennessee in 2000.
• Tennessee Federation of Garden ClubscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-certified Bonny Oaks Arboretum as State Certified Arboretum in 2000.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Chattanooga Area Food Bank: Core strategic partner that supplies seeds for MGHC's community gardens. Comparable as a regional nonprofit addressing food access in Chattanooga, with overlapping programs in food-desert communities that MGHC serves.
• American Horticultural Society: National nonprofit dedicated to gardening education and horticulture. Comparable as a higher-tier, geographically broader peer offering overlapping educational programming, publications, and member services to the gardening community.
• National Gardening Association: National nonprofit that has historically supported garden-based education and community gardening. Comparable as a broader peer in the gardening-education nonprofit space with overlapping community-garden and youth-education missions.
• Tennessee Urban Forestry Council: Statewide nonprofit focused on urban forestry and arboretum certification. Comparable because it co-certified MGHC's Bonny Oaks Arboretum and operates at the intersection of horticulture education, certification, and community planting.
• Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs: Statewide umbrella organization that co-certified Bonny Oaks Arboretum. Comparable as a larger, broader gardening and horticulture membership organization serving the same Tennessee geography with overlapping educational programming.

Regional players

• Chattanooga Zoo: Regional zoological institution where MGHC maintains a butterfly and hummingbird garden. Comparable as a Chattanooga-based nonprofit operating public-facing horticultural and educational programming, though focused on animals rather than gardens.

Direct peers

• Crabtree Farms: A Chattanooga-based nonprofit farm and garden education organization that is both a strategic partner and a peer. Comparable because it runs gardening education, hosts pollinator habitat (Monarch Waystation), and serves similar community-gardening audiences in the same metro.
• Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center: Chattanooga-based arboretum and nature center that hosts MGHC's Master Gardener Series events. Directly comparable as a regional arboretum/education nonprofit operating certified plant collections and outdoor learning programming.
• Knox County Master Gardeners: The Knoxville-area UT Extension Master Gardener chapter. Operates the same volunteer training pipeline, public classes, and project-garden network as MGHC, making it one of the closest peer chapters in the state.
• Master Gardeners of Davidson County (TN): The Nashville-area Master Gardener chapter operating the same UT Extension-affiliated training, classes, and project-garden model in a different Tennessee county. Directly comparable as a peer Master Gardener chapter with the same funding model (donations, classes, events) and program structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@mastergardenersofHC
• Facebookfacebook.com/mghctn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/master-gardners-of-hamilton-county-tennessee-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Master Gardeners of Hamilton County