History of the Texas Master
Gardener Program
In 1972 Dr. David Gibby, a Farm Advisor for
Washington State University Cooperative Extension, found
that he could no longer handle the volume of incoming
calls to his office. The closest he could come to
cloning himself was to teach horticulture to interested
people and then have those people volunteer to assist in
answering horticultural questions from the public. This
was the birth of the Master Gardener Program, and
providing horticultural information to the public
remains the program’s basic function today.
When the term "Master Gardener" was first coined in
the early 1970's, few could have predicted that it would
spread into Texas and blossom into one of the most
effective volunteer organizations in the State. In fact,
the program has been so successful that there are now
Master Gardeners in all 50 states, in Canada and in
several other foreign countries. Each program is
administered by the local County Extension office in
partnership with the state land-grant university.
The Texas Master Gardener program had its beginnings
in 1978, in an Extension horticulture training at Texas
A&M University, when Dr. Sam Cotner (then an Extension
Vegetable Specialist) described the success of the
movement in Washington state. At that time, County
Agents in the Texas Agricultural Extension Service (now
known as Texas Cooperative Extension) were experiencing
overwhelming demand for horticultural information, much
like their colleagues in the Pacific Northwest.
The first Texas Master Gardener class was held in
1979 in Montgomery County and drew about 25 people. The
50-hour course was taught by Extension Agents and
Specialists from Texas A&M using a manual compiled from
Extension publications and news articles. Two more
counties, Galveston and El Paso, started programs in
1981. By the end of the decade, five more counties had
Master Gardener programs: Harris (1986), Dallas (1986),
Tarrant (1987), Bexar (1989) and Denton (1989). El
Paso’s program was started by County Extension Agent
John White, who now works for New Mexico State
Cooperative Extension, in Doña Ana County.
The Texas Agricultural Extension Service made an
official commitment to a Texas Master Gardener program
in 1987 with the hiring of a statewide coordinator.
Guidelines were developed for the program, including a
minimum of 50 hours of formal training and 50 hours of
volunteer service to become a certified Texas Master
Gardener. The 500-page training handbook was also
completed at that time.
In the 1990's the Texas Master Gardener movement
exploded, fueled by the program’s success and
visibility. In 1991, a statewide, non-profit
organization was formed and called the Texas Master
Gardener Association. El Paso County also has an
Association, which meets regularly to conduct business
and to provide an atmosphere of camaraderie for local
Master Gardeners.
As of 2004 there were 5,550 Texas Master Gardeners
based in 112 counties. Also in 2004, these volunteers
contributed 360,710 hours of time and talent to Texas
AgriLife Extension Service. This volunteer service,
equivalent to 173 full-time employees, increases the
human capacity of Texas AgriLife Extension Service by 17
percent. The economic value of this service translates
to a $6.2 million benefit to the State of Texas. In 2004
in El Paso, 52 volunteers contributed almost 3, 000
hours, representing a benefit to El Paso County of over
$51,500.
Some projects are common to all Master Gardener
programs. Answering homeowner’s questions by phone is at
the heart of most Texas programs. Classroom gardening at
local schools is another popular project. Other common
projects are speakers bureaus, community gardens and
informational booths at local events.
Many Master Gardener projects directly reflect the
needs of their communities. Examples are the Big Tree
Contest (Orange), Wetlands Reclamation (Galveston),
state historical park landscaping (Paris, Grayson), and
State Capitol landscaping (Travis).
A love of gardening and search for knowledge is
central to why Master Gardeners join the program. They
remain Master Gardeners to enjoy the camaraderie and
friendship of others who share their interests, to gain
and share horticultural knowledge, and to give back to
the community.
Although they have many similarities, the 110 Texas
Master Gardener programs are as individual as the
gardeners who inhabit them. Size of overall programs
varies from one Master Gardener (Leon) to over 600
(Bexar and Harris). Regardless of the size of the
program, there is usually a waiting list of individuals
wanting to become Master Gardeners.
Though Texas Master Gardeners are united in name, the
program’s strength lies in its ability to meet the
diverse needs of the individual communities it serves.
By combining statewide guidelines with local direction
and administration, the program offers the flexibility
necessary to maintain a vital and responsive
organization that serves all of Texas.
Ms. Daphne L. Richards
County Extension Agent-Horticulture
1030 North Zaragosa Road, Suite A
El Paso, TX 79907-1862
Phone: 915-859-7725 x 235
Fax: 915-860-0331
Email: drichards@ag.tamu.edu
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