Dougherty County Extension Office is looking for interested candidates who would like the opportunity to become Master Gardener Extension Volunteers and serve their communities with other garden enthusiasts. Training for certification as a Master Gardener Extension Volunteer will be offered through the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension office in Dougherty County.
The Master Gardener Extension Volunteer program is designed to train volunteers to assist UGA Cooperative Extension Agents in providing unbiased, researched-based horticulture education to the public. The prospective master gardener agrees to volunteer a minimum of 50 hours, within a year following the completion of training, in exchange for 50 hours of horticultural training by Extension professionals. Activities in a volunteer program may include, but are not limited to, native plants gardening and landscape designs, plant clinics, newsletters, news articles, community gardens, beautification projects, civic or garden club presentations, youth programs, homeowner visits and phone consultations from home or the Extension Office and information booths at fairs and festivals.
The cost of the program is $200.00 which includes a Master Gardener textbook, a name badge, one-year membership in the Georgia Master Gardener Association, training handouts and supplies. Lunch will not be provided in the training.
Classes will be held every Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. beginning March 05, 2026, and concluding on May 28, 2026, at the Dougherty County Extension Office located at 125 Pine Ave., Suite 100, Albany, GA 31701.
Topics of discussion will range from ornamental and landscape plants, turf management, vegetable gardening, organic gardening to basic entomology, weeds, diseases and insect pests of ornamentals and vegetables and their integrated pest management.
If you feel that this program is of interest to you, please contact the Dougherty County Cooperative Extension Office or complete the online sign-up survey available at https://uga.questionpro.com/t/AcOUrZ7axr. Once you provide your contact information, we will email you the application packet or you can pick up the application packet from our office during office hours. Please complete the application forms and submit it back to us no later than 5:00 p.m. on January 30, 2026. Once your application has been received and reviewed, you will be notified of your enrollment into the program in February 2026. The selected trainees must pay the training registration fee of $200 in cash or check payable to Dougherty County Extension / 4-H before 5:00 pm on February 20, 2026.
For more information or questions regarding 2026 Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Training Program in Dougherty County or if you are an individual with a disability who may require assistance or accommodation to participate in this training, please contact UGA Dougherty County ANR Extension Agent Vivek Bist at (229) 436-7216 or vivek.bist@uga.edu.
“The Master Gardner experience has been exciting and positive from the beginning. Our training was the best, introducing us to smart new people and smart new ideas. We were reminded to base advice on research, and we are still receiving that “in spades”. In retirement I have honed my leadership skills serving in various positions in the organization, and I continue to expand my involvement in the community. Gardening is fun when you are with people you enjoy, as we are in our native plants and pollinators garden at Chehaw Park. When asked if I recommend the Master Gardener program, I always answer, “Oh MG, Yes! Master Gardeners are the best.”
-Jimmy Lindsey, SOWEGA Master Gardener Secretary
