About Us - Wichita County Master Gardeners Association

The Texas A & M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas cooperating to provide educational programs conducted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension to serve people of all ages, regardless of disability, religion, race, color, sex or national origin.

What Are Master Gardeners, and What Do They Do?

The Texas Master Gardener Program is an educational activity offered by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, It is designed to increase the availability of horticultural information and improve the quality of horticultural projects. Goals are implemented through the training and employment 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 Texas A&M AgriLife Extension to disseminate horticultural information to individuals and groups in the community.

To develop and enhance community programs related to horticulture. Depending on community needs, these 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 improve 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 Master Gardener Volunteers?
People all over the country with horticultural skills, a willingness to learn and desire to help others can become Master Gardeners. When the program started, Master Gardeners usually did only a few jobs: answering phone requests for gardening information and staffing plant clinics were typical tasks. In recent years, Master Gardeners work has diversified. Thanks to the perceptiveness of Extension Agents working with individuals in the program, non horticultural skills have been recognized and combined with gardening interests and knowledge to produce a variety of interesting volunteer tasks.

The Master Gardener Program is open to all people regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion or national origin. A Wichita County trainee must attend a minimum of 60 hours of instruction, pass an examination and volunteer 60 hours of service to earn the title of Master Gardener. In order to retain the title, individuals are required to participate in 6 hours of training per year and 15 hours volunteer time per year through the local Extension Office. Follow this link to learn more Texas Master Gardeners.

The Wichita County Master Gardeners Association Web Site is, edited and published by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension of Wichita County, Texas, and the Wichita County Master Gardeners.

The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is implied.

We are also not responsible for any information displayed on any web page but our own. Any hypertext links to other pages from this site are provided for your convenience only, and no endorsement of – or discrimination against – other web sites is intended or implied.

How Can I Become A Wichita County Master Gardener?

The Wichita County Master Gardeners Program is sponsored by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

For more information on the Master Gardener Program, or to inquire about becoming a Master Gardener in Wichita County, contact the Wichita County Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office at (940) 716-8610 or email David Graf by clicking on this link, cdgraf@ag.tamu.edu.

The Wichita County Master Gardeners are volunteers who work with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension to improve gardening skills throughout the community. We share our gardening knowledge through community service and outreach, gardener training and educational programs.Our first Master Gardener class was held in 1995, and we are growing strong. Our Speakers Bureau offers gardening programs to civic groups, garden club and the general public. Our Junior Master Gardener program offers training to area youth. Please visit our Xeriscape Bed at the MPEC installed by the Master Gardeners..