About Us!

The application portal IS OPEN for the 2025 Master Gardener class now.  To apply click Here. 

The Master Gardener Program

Over thirty-five years ago, an Extension agent dealt with the questions of a few hundred farm families. In many regions, however, land that once constituted a single farm now encompasses several subdivisions, significantly increasing the number of families an Extension Office serves.

In addition, many individuals and families are recent arrivals and are unfamiliar with the grasses, shrubs, trees, and diseases that comprise the micro-environment of their new home. They often call their local Extension Office for advice on what to plant and how to care for it.

Consequently, the Extension Master Gardener Program, created in 1972 in the state of Washington, has since spread to all 50 states and four Canadian provinces. Master Gardeners have become a vital part of the Virginia Cooperative Extension’s ability to provide consumers with up-to-date, reliable information so they can enjoy and protect the value of horticulture around their homes.

Who are Master Gardeners?

Virginia Master Gardeners are volunteer educators who work within their communities to encourage and promote environmentally sound horticulture practices through sustainable landscaping management education and training. As an educational gardening program of the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Master Gardeners bring the resources of Virginia’s land grant universities, Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, to the people of the Commonwealth. Each extension receives funding from specific counties and covers a specific geographical area.

Comprised of over 200 master gardeners, the James City County Williamsburg Master Gardener Association serves the gardening public in Williamsburg, New Kent, Charles City, Upper York, and James City Counties. Our office is at 3127 Forge Rd., Toano, VA 23168. Our mailing address is PO Box 1951. Our email is [email protected]. You can also call our Help Desk at (757) 564-2175.

Interested in Becoming a Master Gardener?

If you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener and want to get on our mailing list to receive notifications and updates on the next session, please click here...

We are looking for individuals who have a passion for gardening, a thirst for learning things, and a desire to volunteer in our community with other like-minded gardening friends.  If that sounds like you, then consider applying for our Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) Master Gardener Program.  You don’t need to be a plant expert, but you will need to have an email account and be able to use basic computer skills. 

The Extension Master Gardener Training program is broken down into two parts.  One is the training course of 50 Hours focusing on core horticultural topics.  The second is an intern period where students volunteer 50 hours in gardening-related projects serving our community.

Master Gardener Training Course

Formal classroom/hands-on training runs typically from the end of February to the middle of May.  Classes generally are held on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at various James City County/Williamsburg locations or other local horticultural-related venues.  A small part of our training may be conducted online.

Training Sessions topics include:

  • Soils & fertilizers
  • Entomology (insects)
  • Propagation
  • Fruits and Vegetables
  • Woody and Herbaceous Plants
  • Turf
  • Pruning
  • Water Quality
  • Plant Pathology (diseases)
  • Pesticides
  • Landscape design

The course costs $250, covering all materials and instruction, including the Master Gardening Handbook, other reference materials, VCE program fees, and the required background check. A limited amount of tuition assistance is available. To request tuition assistance, please email [email protected] stating your need and the portion of the course fee you can pay.

Intern Period

As an Intern, you will work alongside Master Gardeners to complete 50 volunteer hours in gardening-related approved projects. Refer to our website's "Home Visits" and "Our Garden" tabs for a complete description of what Master Gardeners do in our community.

Application Process

Because we work with children and others in the local community, a basic background check and an interview are required before final acceptance into the training program.

To complete and submit an application, you will need to establish an account in the Better Impact Volunteer Management Program.  Applications will be completed and submitted online using your established Better Impact account. Please read our Application Tip sheet before you fill out and submit an application (BI-Application-Tip-sheet). 

Complete and submit your reference form (MG Reference Questionnaire) and e-mail it to [email protected].  Likewise, your two, non-family member references must send their completed references to the same email address.

If you have additional questions, don't hesitate to get in touch email us at [email protected]

Already a Master Gardener?

If you are already a Master Gardener from another unit or another state, contact us at [email protected], and you will be contacted with details on how to transfer to our unit.

JCCWMG Association Project List:    2024 Project List.

The JCC Williamsburg Master Gardener Association Board 2024

 

Press Contact

If you are a member of the media, please contact Marion Guthrie, [email protected].

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