Becoming a Certified Master Gardener
By Jennie Pritchett
Victoria County Master Gardener
Recent Master Gardener Interns working on a project in front of Victoria Educational Gardens
During the Meet & Greet on Saturday, January 31 from 10 until noon, anyone interested can come and meet in Victoria Educational Gardens Pavilion. (Previous Meet & Greet in photo.) Come see what soil testing is all about and other facets of gardening.
There are two types of gardeners. The first kind are the ones who can bury a broomstick handle and grow a tree. Then there is the rest of us. Through no fault of our own, we buy plants that struggle and die, leaving us frustrated. This vicious cycle of buying and re-buying plants that end up dying is very frustrating.
I was in the latter group of gardeners until a new friend convinced me to join a garden club. This urging was pure peer pressure at its worse. What if they found out that plants would not survive in my care? After joining the garden club, I realized I wasn’t a bad gardener after all but lacked knowledge on how to properly take care of my plants.
That’s when I enrolled in the Victoria County Master Gardener Association program. The classroom and speakers were excellent and expanded my knowledge on a variety of topics. The best part of the program for me was working side by side with the experienced master gardeners. They patiently showed me plant propagation processes for different plants and how and when to prune shrubs and how to harvest vegetables.
I graduated in December 2023. For me, it was a life-changing event. While not all my plants survive, I now have resources to quickly assess what the problems are. Often, I have been able to save the troubled plants.
My story is to encourage other wanna-be gardeners to invest in yourself so you can create your own dream garden. We do, however, have a choice. We can throw in the towel, or we can armor ourselves with knowledge. The solution is right in Victoria County, near the Victoria Regional Airport. I’m talking about the 2026 Master Gardener Training Program.
The Master Gardener Training Program provides a unique opportunity for individuals who are interested in horticulture to have both classroom and hands-on experience working in the Victoria Educational Gardens.
To check out this opportunity you are invited to come to the “Meet and Greet” event on Saturday, January 31, 2026, from 10 a.m.to 12 noon at the Victoria Educational Gardens (VEG) Pavilion, located at 283 Bachelor Drive, Victoria, TX 77904. Several Victoria County master gardeners will be on hand to explain more about our many projects and to entice you to join the 2026 class.
The training class will begin Thursday, February 5, 2026 – May 21, 2026. We meet every Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. We will have a 2-week spring break. When the class ends, trainees will have completed 50 hours of classroom instruction. From May 21 to November 30, 2026, the trainees become interns and complete 50 hours of approved projects and working in the Victoria Educational Gardens and Greenhouse. Graduation will be December 10, 2026.
The class fee is $200 which includes 50 hours of classroom instruction and your book. Your book is a 400 plus color gardening manual, and 50 hours includes instructions from experts in numerous horticultural fields, and hands-on experiences with field trips and class activities throughout the training. Class size is limited, and students will be enrolled based on when applications and payments are received.
The instruction part of the course includes the following topics: Earth Kind Landscaping, Freeze Preparations, Fruits, Insects, Integrated Pest Management, Irrigation, Lawn/Weeds, Plant Development, Propagation, Plant Pathology, Soil, Trees, and Water. Faculty from Texas A&M University teach many of the course modules.
Our class activities will include soil samples to be taken from each student’s yard. Samples will be sent off to Texas A &M. The results will be emailed back to class coordinator, and we will learn to read results in class. Trainees will assist Master Gardeners with projects which may include setting up an irrigation system, propagation in our greenhouse, and other noteworthy projects. One field trip will be planned.
To register visit our website, https://txmg.org/victoria for more information including an application form. Click on the 2026 VCMGA Training Class on the top left side of the page. Find a link to download the application and instructions for submitting.
MORE INFO:
Meet and Greet – Saturday, January 31, 2026, 10 to noon at Pavilion, 283 Bachelor Dr.
Master Gardener Class- Thursday, February 5-May 21, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at VEG Pavilion, 283 Bachelor Drive, Victoria 77904.