Master Gardeners Of Davidson County

What Master Gardeners Of Davidson County does

Master Gardeners of Davidson County is a non-profit volunteer organization founded in 1986 and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, affiliated with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and Tennessee State University Extension (UT/TSU Extension). The organization's mission is to promote gardening and home horticulture in Davidson County through education, environmental stewardship, and volunteerism. It does not operate proprietary technology; its core delivery model is in-person education through trained volunteer Master Gardeners, demonstration gardens, library programming, and a phone/email helpline. Its underlying operational technology is a basic website (mgofdc.org), newsletter archives, and social media channels used for community engagement.

The organization's service portfolio includes six demonstration and educational gardens (at Ellington Agricultural Center, Belle Meade, Tennessee Agricultural Museum, Meigs Middle Magnet School, Nashville City Cemetery, and Sevier Park), an Ask a Master Gardener helpline, a Speaker's Bureau for community presentations, a Native Bee Farming program, a UT Extension Arboretum at Ellington, and member garden tours. It serves two primary segments: Davidson County residents seeking home horticulture guidance (primary) and local schools/educational institutions with garden programs (secondary). Revenue is generated through donations and member contributions; there are no commercial prices for educational services, which are provided free of charge.

In 2025, the organization reported 7,066 volunteer hours of community service with an imputed value of $167,396. It maintains strategic partnerships with UT/TSU Extension (core), Nashville Public Library Seed Exchange (core), Metro Water Services, Gardens of Babylon Landscapes, Nashville City Cemetery, Napier Elementary School, Friends of Warner Parks, Tennessee Agricultural Museum, and Belle Meade Historic Site & Winery. The organization is member-governed with board oversight and Extension agent supervision, with no parent company, institutional investor, or venture capital ownership.

Name

Master Gardeners Of Davidson County

Legal name

Master Gardeners of Davidson County

Website

https://mgofdc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Master Gardeners of Davidson County is a non-profit volunteer organization, founded in 1986 and affiliated with UT/TSU Extension, that provides free research-based horticultural education and community outreach to Davidson County, Tennessee residents through six demonstration gardens, workshops, and a Master Gardener helpline.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Horticulture Education Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (1151), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Seasonal Color, Planting & Horticultural Services (BPABADAL)

Keywords

• Community gardening education
• Volunteer horticulture programs
• Home horticulture advice
• Extension master gardener
• Demonstration garden tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization accepts donations from the public to support its mission of promoting gardening and home horticulture through education, environmental stewardship, and volunteerism in Davidson County.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Master Gardeners of Davidson County is a nonprofit volunteer organization that delivers research-based home horticulture education through demonstration gardens, an Ask a Master Gardener helpline, a Speaker's Bureau, native pollinator programs, and community events. Its core offering is community gardening education and outreach supported by trained volunteer Master Gardeners, delivered in partnership with the UT/TSU Extension to Davidson County residents at no cost.

Product overview

Master Gardeners of Davidson County is a volunteer organization affiliated with UT/TSU Extension that promotes gardening and home horticulture through education, environmental stewardship, and volunteerism. The organization operates a portfolio of educational programs including demonstration gardens at multiple locations, the Ask a Master Gardener helpline, a Speaker's Bureau for community presentations, Native Bee Farming initiatives, and garden tours. Their services are delivered through in-person consultations, community events, educational workshops at libraries, and online resources including newsletters and articles. The core offering is education and extension services rather than a commercial product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Demonstration & Educational Gardens at Ellington Agricultural Center
• Ask a Master Gardener Program
• Native Bee Farming Program
• Speaker's Bureau
• UT Extension Arboretum at Ellington
• Garden Tours Program
• Gardening Resources & Newsletter Archive

Quantifiable outcome

• 7,066 volunteer hours of community service in 2025
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UT/TSU ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial affiliation with University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and Tennessee State University Extension providing research-based horticultural expertise and administrative support. Amy Dunlap serves as ANR Extension Agent for Davidson County.
• Nashville Public Library Seed ExchangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint programming partnership delivering educational gardening programs at Nashville Public Library branches. Programs include herbaceous ornamentals, plant propagation, food preservation, and fall gardening workshops.
• Metro Water ServicesminorOthersCity of Nashville water utility partnership supporting community outreach and environmental programs.
• Gardens of Babylon LandscapesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal landscaping company partnership supporting community gardening initiatives.
• Nashville City CemeteryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric cemetery garden partnership maintaining and preserving heritage gardens.
• Napier Elementary SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool partnership supporting educational garden programs for students.
• Friends of Warner ParksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partnership supporting Warner Parks through volunteer gardening and educational programs.
• Tennessee Agricultural MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership maintaining the Heirloom Garden at the Tennessee Agricultural Museum site.
• Belle Meade Historic Site & WineryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric site partnership supporting Harding Gardens at Belle Meade location.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Cheekwood Estate & Gardens: Nashville-based botanical garden and arboretum offering public plant collections, horticulture education, and demonstration gardens; operates as a paid-admission institution rather than volunteer nonprofit, but overlaps in mission and audience.
• Tennessee Master Gardener Program (UT Extension): The statewide umbrella coordinating body for all Tennessee Master Gardener chapters including Davidson County. Provides training curricula, certification standards, and program oversight.

Direct peers

• Master Gardeners of Hamilton County (TN): Sibling Master Gardener chapter also affiliated with UT/TSU Extension in Tennessee, operating under the same national Master Gardener program structure with comparable volunteer-led horticulture education and demonstration gardens.
• Master Gardeners of Knox County (TN): Tennessee-based Master Gardener chapter providing the same extension-affiliated volunteer horticulture education model, with comparable programs in demonstration gardens, Speakers Bureau, and community outreach.
• Friends of Warner Parks: Nashville-based nonprofit partner of Master Gardeners of Davidson County supporting Warner Parks through volunteer environmental and gardening programs; comparable volunteer-driven nonprofit model with similar donor base.

Emerging players

• Gardens of Babylon Landscapes: Nashville-based commercial landscaping partner that supports Master Gardeners' community gardening initiatives; comparable regional player offering garden installation and maintenance with adjacent sustainability focus.
• Tennessee Native Plant Society: Statewide nonprofit focused on native plant education, conservation, and habitat restoration — overlapping with Master Gardeners' native pollinator, Native Bee Farming, and sustainable gardening programming.

Regional players

• Shelby Bottoms Nature Center: Metro Nashville Parks nature center where Master Gardeners of Davidson County provide in-person Ask a Master Gardender consultations; shares environmental education and horticulture interpretation mission in the same geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mgofdc
• Facebookfacebook.com/mgofdc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Master Gardeners Of Davidson County