About Us!

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 of the 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, which was 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 located at 3127 Forge Rd., Toano, VA 23168. Our mailing address is PO Box 1951. Our email is [email protected] or call our Help Desk at (757) 564-2175.

If you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener and would like to receive notifications and updates on the next session, please get on the mailing list: https://jccwmg.org/wordpress/master-gardener-training-class-2023/.

How do I become a Master Gardener? 

Registration for our 2024 training class is now closed. We have filled our class and have a complete waitlist.

 

Interested in Becoming a Master Gardener?

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 perform 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 an assortment of gardening-related projects that serve our community.

Training Course:

The classroom/hands-on training runs from Feb 27 until May 16, 2024.  Classes will be held on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at various James City County 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 cost of the course is $250 which covers the cost of 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 send an email to [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 the projects tab on our website to get a more complete description of what Master Gardeners do in our community. Registration for our 2024 training class is now closed. We have filled our class and have a complete waitlist.  A completed application and two references will secure your place in the class.

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.

You will need to establish an account in Better Impact to complete an application. Please read our Application Tip sheet before applying (BI-Application-Tip-sheet). Applications will be completed online, (Link to Better Impact)

Your two references will need to complete and submit the reference form  MG Reference Questionnaire and e-mail to [email protected]

Frequently Asked Questions about Master Gardener Training: FAQ

If you have additional questions, please contact [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 of how to transfer to our unit.

The JCC Williamsburg Master Gardener Association Board 2024

Here is a list of the projects updated February 2024 and currently being run by the JCCW Master Gardener Association: Project List Roster

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