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https://42ndVegConf.eventbrite.com
Multi-Track Agenda for Backyard/Master Gardeners, Preserving the Harvest, Small Market Producers, Community/School Gardens with CPEs offered, and Ag Pesticide track with 5 CEUs offered!
New this year – Vendors will be allowed to sell their products and the CEU track to be held in a new, larger area of the Epicenter!
The Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association is proud to announce the 2026 annual college scholarships winners. Scholarships were awarded to high school graduates from Austin, Colorado, Fayette & Washington Counties, Texas. To view the winners’ bios, see below. The winners are:
Layne Malinowski – Austin County
Alazay Moreno – Colorado County
Avery Nelius– Fayette County
Paige Fritsch – Washington County
The recipients demonstrated outstanding achievement in leadership, citizenship, community service and other endeavors that form the basis of becoming lifelong responsible, productive citizens and leaders in their communities.
Congratulations to our 2026 scholarship winners!
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Programs will be held at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension office located at 800 E Wendt St, Bellville. Doors will open with registration beginning at 11:50 am and the program beginning promptly at 12:00 pm, concluding by 12:55 pm. At the end of each session, the speaker and our Austin County Master Gardeners will be available to help answer gardening questions.
All Master Gardener Lunch-N-Learn programs are FREE and OPEN to the public, and you are welcome to bring your own lunch and drink. We will have a few refreshments available as well. Registration is not required but is encouraged.
Colorado County members of the Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association are pleased to announce the upcoming Colorado County Lunch-N-Learn Series for the summer and early fall focused on gardening and horticulture!
Programs will be held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at the Colorado County Services Facility located at 305 Radio Lane in Columbus. Registration will open at 11:50 am with the program starting promptly at 12:05 pm and ending by 1:00pm. Attendees are asked to bring their own lunch. Light refreshments including tea and snacks will be provided. No preregistration is required for this free program.
The following is our program line-up:
For more information please contact the Colorado County AgriLife Extension Office at 979-732-2082.
Free to the Public! Light refreshments provided. Bring your lunch and learn!
Congratulations to the 2025 BMGA Master Gardener intern graduates.
Class Coordinators were Cheryl Rose & Ruth Zabransky.
Pictured are:
L-R Front Row: Laramie Kettler (CEA), Andrew Harbich, Brian Jessogne, Ellen May, Cheryl Rose (Class Coordinator), Molly Harkness, Tammy Potter, Jennifer Posso.
L-R Back Row: Colin Marburger, Robin Jessogne, Joy Kamani, Tijuana Kamani, Kristie Kemp, Gerry Wells, Mark York, Ruth Zabransky (Class Co-Coordinator).
Not pictured: Larry McCarty, Susan Brack, Susan Fernback, Frances Dorgant, Kent Jamison, Carolyn Givens, Donna Martinez, Joanne Stewart, Paul Dorgant
The Sprout to Share Free Seed Library relocated to the Colorado County AgriLife Extension Office at 316 Spring St #106, Columbus, TX. New hours are Monday thru Friday, 8a-5p. Join the public Facebook group to watch for occasional Saturday hours and events: fb.com/groups/sprouttoshare.
The library, a project of Bluebonnet Master Gardeners of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, is full of seeds, ready for spring planting! It is open to anyone from Austin, Colorado, Fayette, Lavaca, or Wharton counties. No library card or any official documentation is needed.
Seed borrowers are encouraged to grow their seeds and enjoy the produce, sharing it with family and friends, then saving seeds from a small part of the produce to return to the library for the community’s future gardening needs. Want to be a seed library volunteer? Drop by the seed library to sign up.
The Bluebonnet Master Gardener Association (BMGA) and the Washington County AgriLife Extension Service is proud to announce the graduation of 20 Master Gardener Interns who completed the 2024 Master Gardener Training Class. The intensive training classes began January 10, 2024, and continued every Wednesday through April 24th at the Washington County Event Center in Brenham, Texas. Trainees from all four BMGA counties were eligible for the class. The training class will not be held again in Washington County until 2028.
After completing 60+ hours of intense instruction, classroom training, field trips and passing a final exam, the interns are required to complete 50 hours of gardening volunteer service within one-year to certify as a Master Gardener. Such volunteer activities on BMGA projects are designed to assist Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in educating the public about gardening. One of the 2024 interns, Ms. Jennifer Burnett, completed her 50-volunteer hour requirement prior to the class graduation date of April 23, 2024, so is now a certified Master Gardener.
Class Coordinator Al Prescott said that the 2024 class schedule incorporated “new field trips, new speakers and other new material not used before in BMGA training classes.” Christy Schweikhardt added that changing the presenters and curriculum helps keep the program fresh and current.
Congratulations to the 2024 BMGA Master Gardener intern graduates:
Joe Bluemel, Donice Karl, Shawn Brightwell, Helen Luchak, Aubrey Brinkmeyer, Shari McCoy, Jennifer Burnett, Rebecca McDowell, Brenda Coston, Gloria Mifflin, Susan Finster, Sally Pitts, Kirby Gor, Rita Saulsbery, Jennifer Groleau, Ashlee Schaper, Heather Horton, Kelsey Wilson, John Jacobs and Christina Wise.
The 2024 Class Coordinators were BMGA Master Gardener volunteers Al Prescott, Christy Schweikhardt and Gary Scardino. Washington County AgriLife Extension Agent Kara Matheney was the AgriLife sponsor of the class. Class Coordinators were assisted by Master Gardener volunteers Beverly Anderson, Cathy Conway, Linda Jordan, Teresa Wilson, Kay Przyborski, Renee Urish, Lisa Nicklow and Cindy McAllister.
FREE to the Public!
