Concho Valley Master Gardeners

With Members in Tom Green, Coke, Concho and Sterling counties

The Texas Master Gardener Program (Master Gardeners) is an educational activity offered by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. It is designed to increase the availability of horticultural information and improve the quality of horticultural projects. Goals are implemented through the training of local volunteers known as Master Gardeners. For professional and vocational horticulturists, the Master Gardener program provides invaluable training and educational opportunities. Amateur horticulturists, as well as persons simply seeking up-to-date horticultural information, can advance their gardening expertise and gain a considerable amount of self-satisfaction. The volunteer aspect of the Master Gardener program allows individuals to dedicate their time and talents to enhancing, improving and beautifying their local community utilizing the science and art of horticulture.

Objectives

To expand the capacity of the AgriLife Extension to disseminate horticultural information to individuals and groups in the community.

  • may be landscape improvement, activities with civic groups, horticultural therapy projects or community gardens. Other programs include special activities such as demonstration fruit or vegetable gardens designed to improveTo develop and enhance community programs related to horticulture. Depending on community needs, these living conditions for minority or low income groups.
  • To enhance 4-H programs through the establishment of 4-H horticultural and garden clubs.
  • To develop a Master Gardener volunteer network that is administratively self-sufficient

Who are Texas Master Gardeners?

Texas Master Gardeners is a volunteer program designed to grow horticultural information throughout the state, town by town. To become a Texas Master Gardener, a participant attends 50 hours of instruction, conducted by the local Extension county agent, then shares this knowledge by donating 50 hours of volunteer service back to the community.

The touch of Texas Master Gardeners’ green thumbs can be found across the state -- in school garden projects, horticultural therapy projects, community gardens and demonstration gardens; by volunteers who also conduct gardening programs and answer gardening questions. Anything anyone wants to know about gardening, a Master Gardener can help. That includes young wannabe gardeners too – Master Gardeners help set up 4-H gardening clubs and Junior Master Gardener groups.

In fact, when it comes to green and growing things, Master Gardeners dig into their service in all kinds of ways: teaching, giving presentations, writing newsletters and articles, providing clerical help, and designing and maintaining Web pages.

Want to Know More?

In 2008, more than 6,400 volunteers were Texas Master Gardeners, according to the organization’s annual report.

That year Texas Master Gardeners gave 2,200 presentations for a combined audience of 68,087 of their neighbors, and provided research-based horticulture information to 18,000 others.

Volunteers contributed 454,036 hours to horticulture-based educational projects in 2008, a benefit to the state that was worth $9 million.