Victoria County Master         Gardener Association

COME JOIN US

Master gardeners to host annual Meet and Greet

November 5, 2022

By Carla Rodriguez/Victoria County Master Gardener

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER CARLA RODRIGUEZ

The Victoria Educational Gardens is next to the Victoria Regional Airport.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER CARLA RODRIGUEZ

The master gardeners grow and develop 20 different types of gardens.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER CARLA RODRIGUEZ

Master gardener classes are held at the Victoria Educational Gardens Pavilion.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY CARLA RODRIGUEZ/VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER

Waterfalls are part of the Victoria Educational Gardens.

IF YOU GO:
Victoria County Master Gardener Association's  Meet and Greet

When: 2-4 p.m. Nov. 12

Where: Victoria Educational Gardens, 283 Bachelor Drive in Victoria, TX

The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com, or comment on this column at VictoriaAdvocate.com.

The Victoria County Master Gardener’s second annual Meet and Greet will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Victoria Educational Gardens (VEG) Pavilion, 283 Bachelor Drive in Victoria.

The garden is next to the Victoria Regional Airport.

Learn about our upcoming 2023 master gardener’s training program and what it takes to become a master gardener. Visit with master gardeners and let us take you on a tour of our gardens.

The master gardener program is an educational volunteer program and is under the direction of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. The training program covers plants, soil analysis, composting, plant diseases, insects, lawn care, water conservation, plant propagation and a whole lot more.

The classes will start in mid January and continue through April. Classes will be at the VEG Pavilion. Here you will be able to learn from the best in the state. Speakers include experts for Texas A&M University and around the state.

The cost of the class is $200, which includes the updated class manual.

Not sure if you can make every class? No problem, you can log in to the state web site and view the class from anywhere you have a Wi-Fi connection. It could not be easier.

Within the master gardener organization we wear many hats. We participate in a variety of activities besides pulling weeds. One of our most interesting activities is to maintain the Victoria Educational Gardens.

We work together to grow and develop 20 different types of gardens. We sell some of these plants at our annual spring and fall plant sales.

We present programs such as “Lunch and Learn with the Master Gardeners,” a noon-time session where we present information to the community about various garden related topics.

We give talks on various topics to garden clubs and other organizations. We host a week-long Children’s Summer Camp. We give garden tours for a variety of groups and schools, and we volunteer for numerous community projects like planning and building elementary school gardens.

Why become a master gardener?

Pat Plowmen, from the master gardener class of 1998 (our second class) said her motivation to become a master gardener was “just to learn.” She said she grew up on a farm and “I needed to know what I was doing.”

She said she enjoys meeting everyone and acquiring knowledge.

“Coming out to the gardens is how to learn stuff and find repose,” she said.

Sandi Coleman, from the class of 2005, said her motivation came from wanting to help her mother in the garden. “There was a flower bed on the side of the house and my mother said for me to go at it,” she said.

Coleman was working two jobs and had Thursdays off so “I just took the class. I like being outside and I enjoy the knowledge and freedom by being with the master gardeners, and I like watching things grow.”

Master gardeners join for a variety of reasons, but we all enjoy the friends we meet along the way and the comradery with our fellow gardeners. We love to laugh, joke, eat, work hard, and we have a whole lot of fun.

I hope to see you at our meet and greet. If you are unable to attend but you are interested in taking the class and becoming a certified master gardener you can call the Victoria County Texas A&M Extension Office at 361-575-4581 and request an application or stop by their office at 528 Waco Circle, Victoria to pick up one.

2023 could be your year to become a master gardener. You can do it.

For more information, check the Master Gardener Association website at vcmga.org or contact me at cjrod50@outlook.com.