Master Gardeners now accepting applications for fall class

The Gonzales Master Gardeners are currently accepting applications for this fall’s Master Gardener training class. Classes are scheduled every other Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 10, 2024 and will run through May 6, 2025.

In order to accommodate holidays and spring break, a slight variance in class scheduling may occur. Classes will be held at PACE: Plantatarium A Center for Exploration located at 623 N. Fair Street in Gonzales.

The Texas Master Gardener program is a program of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension designed to teach a broad fundamental background in horticulture. Classes give students a solid scientific foundation as well as a lot of practical and applied training. Subjects include not only botany and plant fertilizers but also other topics such as how to start and grow plants and cuttings, prepare soil mixtures and install and maintain irrigation in the most water efficient manner.

In exchange for their training, persons who become Master Gardeners contribute time as volunteers, working through the Texas AgriLife Extension Office to provide horticulture-related information to the community. The Gonzales association conducts the training classes under the supervision of County Extension Agent Dwight Sexton. 

The fee for the class is $185 which includes the costs of a textbook, a soil sample test, entrance fees for class field trips, and a state required background check. To obtain an application, visit gonzales.agrilife.org, call 830-672-8531, or go by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office located at 623 N. Fair Street in Gonzales.

The deadline to submit a completed application is Sept. 2. For more information, call Karen Bauer Smith at 512-587-8856 or the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office at 830-672-8531.

The Gonzales Master Gardeners is an all-volunteer organization and a 501(c)(3) dedicated to advancing the mission of horticultural education under the direction of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.