Welcome to the information site cultivated by the Permian Basin Master Gardeners. We are an educational service organization of volunteers trained by Texas A&M AgriLIFE Extension Service (formerly Texas Cooperative Extension), The Texas A&M University System in topics such as horticulture, landscaping, soil improvement, water conservation and many other subjects of importance to West Texas Gardeners.
Our members offer services to residents of the Permian Basin through a wide variety of projects, via guest lectures and other public education efforts, through consultation at the Ector or Midland County Texas A&M AgriLIFE Extension Service Offices, and through this informational site.
Gardening remains the number one hobby in the United States. Here in the Permian Basin – in spite of climatic extremes and challenging soils – it is a highly popular pursuit. The secrets of working with this area’s special conditions are what Master Gardeners have spent long hours learning and sharing. We are happy to pass along that gardening know-how to you.
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.
