The UC Master Gardener Program of Santa Clara County is a volunteer organization sponsored by the University of California Cooperative Extension. Our mission is to extend research-based knowledge and information on home horticulture, pest management, and sustainable landscape practices to county residents.
Our volunteers complete a 16-week, 60+ hour training program in home horticulture and remain certified on a yearly basis.
UC Master Gardeners are a primary resource for delivering gardening information from the University of California to the Santa Clara County community. Learn more on the California Master Gardener website.
What We Do
We're actively involved in the community. Our services include:
- Help Desk, accessible by email or telephone message
- Monthly email newsletter providing timely gardening tips and a list of upcoming classes and events
- Demonstration gardens throughout the county showcasing best practices for home gardeners, including fruit trees, edible gardens, low water, and California native landscapes
- Events and classes, mostly free, on a wide variety of gardening topics, held at venues throughout the county
- School garden support offering advice to support school gardens and classes, including gardening basics, training for adult volunteers, and children's classes.
- Our annual Spring Garden Fair and Fall Garden Fair which offer a wide variety of seedlings for sale, plus educational talks, horticultural information, and one-on-one interaction with UC Master Gardeners
We hope you find our services useful and we look forward to helping you with your gardening challenges. You can Make A Gift to our program. All gifts are tax-deductible as prescribed by law.
History
The UC Santa Clara Master Gardener program was started in 1982, just a year after the first programs were established in California. Visit the UC History page for more information.
Becoming a UC Master Gardener
If you're interested in learning how to become a UC Master Gardener, visit the Becoming a UC Master Gardener page.