Information on our 2025 training program will be available in March 2024.

Join Us

Extension Master Gardeners — Part of Virginia Cooperative Extension

If you love gardening, want to learn more about it and want to share your skills and knowledge with others, why not become a Master Gardener? Join the Fairfax County Master Gardeners Association, Inc., a nonprofit organization of volunteers that provides community service by teaching others to increase their gardening skills. We operate under the auspices of the Virginia Cooperative Extension office of Fairfax County.

Training Program

Whether you have many years of experience as a gardener or just a few, your knowledge of gardening will expand many-fold as a result of our training program. You will be able to diagnose plant diseases and insect damage, understand basic botany, describe how to plant a vegetable garden, how to prune a bush, how to plant a tree, how to maintain a lawn, how to design a perennial garden, and much more.

New members receive 33 hours of training per year for three years, with classes taught by horticultural experts specializing in various fields. You have a choice of weekly morning or evening classes offered each Wednesday from January through March. Due to covid restrictions, this year’s classes are being offered virtually. There are 10 classes per year; each online class is 1.5 hours in length with additional required individual online activities. All members, both interns and certified members, must also meet a requirement to provide 24 hours per year of community service.

You must be a Fairfax County resident to join. If you live outside Fairfax County, contact your local Cooperative Extension office for information about the Master Gardener program in your county.

The Fairfax County Master Gardener training class for 2024 is in progress. If you are interested in becoming a Fairfax County Master Gardener, please check back in March 2024 for information on our 2025 program.