Traditional Master Gardener programming in the NE Panhandle has involved a series of classroom sessions with Extension Specialists, Educators and guest speakers lecturing on trees, irrigation, Xeriscape, entomology, plant propogation, soils, fertilizers and plant pathology for 1 to 2 hours at 4 to 6 sessions. Most presenters use handouts, Power Point presentations, and/or slides with few hands-on or outdoor activities. Master Gardeners are usually all at different education and experience levels on these topics. In 2005 the Extension Educator planning group for the Master Gardener program decided to use a different approach by offering a series of hands-on basic training to cover these topics. The training programs offered equal amounts of lecture followed by hands on lab experiences that related to the materials covered in the lectures. The hands-on activities kept the Master Gardeners' interest in the subject matter and increased their comprehension as measured by pre and post tests. The Master Gardeners appreciated the different format, the excellent laboratory facilities and expertise of specialists and educators.