Master Gardeners are volunteers who assist Extension in promoting research-based horticultural practices to help residents succeed in creating and maintaining their home landscapes. In Fort Bend County, classes begin with 35 hours of comprehensive training conducted by Texas A&M professors and Extension specialists and delivered over 10 weeks. That training is supplemented with Fort Bend County local classes to round out the training.
Volunteer opportunities are many and varied, including maintaining demonstration gardens, responding to gardening inquiries, making presentations to small community groups, teaching youth about the fundamentals of gardening, assisting in community gardens, and writing articles and social media posts to name a few. A member must re-certify each year by satisfying minimum volunteer service and continuing education requirements.
Master Gardeners at planting time
What exactly is that special training?
Read the 2021 Master Gardener Application Packet for information about the training and the application.
In exchange for this training, persons who become Master Gardeners contribute time as volunteers, working through their county’s Texas A&M AgriLife Extension office to provide horticultural-related information to their communities.
Master Gardeners are representatives of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. In all volunteer work related to the program, Master Gardeners follow the research-based recommendations of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. The title “Texas Master Gardener” can be used by volunteers only when engaged in Extension-sponsored activities.
Training will result in greater confidence in your own efforts in the garden, provide the opportunity to learn with professional instruction, the “Texas Master Gardener Handbook”, community service opportunities, gardener friendships, and continuing educational opportunities through their Extension office.
Read more about Texas Master Gardeners.
The Fort Bend County Master Gardeners, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Is the Master Gardener Program for Me?
To help you decide if you should apply to be a Master Gardener, ask yourself these questions:
- Do I want to learn more about the culture and maintenance of many types of plants?
- Am I eager to participate in a practical and intensive training program?
- Do I look forward to sharing my knowledge with people in my community?
- Do I have enough time to attend training and to complete the volunteer service, described below?
If you answered yes to these questions, the Master Gardener program could be for you!
Fort Bend Master Gardeners working in the composting area
In exchange for training, participants (“associates”) are required to volunteer 50 hours of time to their Extension office consisting of approved projects by a date certain to be determined, after which the title Texas Master Gardener is earned. The type of volunteer service performed by Master Gardener Associates varies according to community needs, abilities and interests of the Master Gardeners. Master Gardeners will answer telephone requests for information related to gardening, plant and maintain demonstration gardens, care for the greenhouse, participate in plant clinics, seminars, or garden club presentations, attend committee meetings and organizational meetings. Master Gardeners may speak to local groups and conduct workshops. They may help establish community garden projects, work with 4-H youth, schools, libraries or assist agents with news or radio releases related to gardening. The County Extension office decides how volunteer time can be best utilized.
This is a certification course. Once this initial certification is achieved, one becomes a Certified Texas Master Gardener. It is important to note that once Certified is not always certified, and a person could lose his or her status if all the requirements of 12 hours of Continuing Education and 24 hours of Volunteer time are not completed each year.
Usually, we have classes for new master gardeners in the fall of each year. Announcements will be made on our home page and our Facebook page in the months before the classes are scheduled to start. These announcements will provide information about how to apply and the class schedule.
For additional information, visit our Contact page.
