How to Become a Smith County Master Gardener

The award-winning Smith County Master Gardener volunteer educator program (txmg.org/smith/) is seeking applicants to join a highly trained corps of enthusiastic volunteers to assist the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in providing horticultural education to East Texans.  

Do you enjoy gardening?  Do you like sharing your interest in gardening with others?  Do you like answering questions, public speaking, teaching, writing, conducting workshops, or talking on the phone? Would you like to learn more about the culture and maintenance of many kinds of both ornamental and edible plants? Would you like to participate in intensive horticultural training? Do you have time to attend a three-month training course from 9-4 each Thursday, starting January 8, 2026? Are you willing to complete 72 hours of prescribed volunteer work for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Smith County within one year of training and continue volunteering each year?
  

If you answered yes to all these questions, the Texas Master Gardener program (txmg.org) is for you. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is accepting applications from Smith County residents who would like to receive horticultural training and use their knowledge and experience to teach others about the many aspects of Earth-Kind gardening.

The Smith County Master Gardener program is a volunteer endeavor through which trained volunteers provide research-based gardening information to the residents of Smith County. This is done through various programs and activities such as workshops, conferences, speaking engagements, school gardens, written articles for publications and social media, the Tyler Botanical Garden, and answering individual requests for gardening information at the Smith County Master Gardener Help Desk.  

Participants become certified Master Gardeners after completing both the 3-month training and a 12-month internship. The certification lasts for one year and is renewed through ongoing volunteer participation, continuing education, and paying annual dues to the Smith County Master Gardener Association.  According to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Youth Protection Standards, all Master Gardeners are required to pass an initial background check, with updates every 3 years.

If interested, your first steps are to contact Amanda Southard at amanda.southard@ag.tamu.edu to have your name placed on our interest list and then to apply online at evs.tamu.edu.

 

All applications must be submitted online by August 31, 2025.  Not all applicants will be accepted into the program. Class size is limited, and preference will be given to qualified Smith County residents with gardening experience, dedication to education, enthusiasm, and time to volunteer.  

The 2026 Smith County Master Gardener class will begin Thursday, January 8.  Classes will be held every Thursday at the Cotton Belt Building (1517 W Front St) from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. through March 26, 2024.  The $203 fee includes the 450-plus page Texas Master Gardener Handbook, handouts, refreshments, speakers’ honoraria, and travel expenses for visiting specialists.       

     

A mandatory orientation meeting for potential Master Gardener volunteers will be held at the Smith County AgriLife Extension office classroom (1517 W. Front St.) on Tuesday June 24th from 2-4, Wednesday July 16 from 10-12 or Monday August 18th from 2-4 (choose one). If you have questions, call (903) 590-2980.