Projects

The Big Country Master Gardeners worked on the following projects:

• Pollinator gardens at Swenson House.

• Pollinator garden at Hope Garden at First Central Presbyterian Church.

• Demonstration Gardens at the Taylor County Extension Office.

• Beds at the Modern Living Mall on the Expo grounds.

• Expo planters on the Expo grounds.

• Demonstration Gardens on Maple Street.

• Beds at the Abilene Zoo.

• Various projects in the BCMGA greenhouses.

• WASP Museum gardens in Sweetwater.

• Sweetwater Community Garden in Sweetwater.

• Several projects at schools and churches.

BCMGA can provide these educational opportunities as well as provide financial support for projects with funds raised during the Spring and Fall Plant Sales.  We have plants that survive – and thrive – in the Big Country area during the sales, and we are also available to answer questions and help customers with plants delivered from online sales as well as during the in-person sales. 

We accomplished these things because of:

• Support from the Extension Office – Steve, Dawnyel, Pam, Amy, Kim, Lora, and Maggie.

• Executive Committee – President Jackie, President Elect Dawn, Vice President Rachel, Secretary Jo, Treasurer Kathy, and Past President Pleas.

• Committees that handled projects, advanced training, special events, programs, presentations, etc., etc., etc.  This list goes on and on.

• And Master Gardeners and Interns who volunteered 10,142 hours from January through December last year.  None of the education programs, projects, or events could have been accomplished without the many hours worked by these dedicated individuals. The value of a volunteer hour in 2024 was $33.49, so BCMGA’s volunteer time last year was valued at $339,655.58!

Every year Texas Master Gardeners recognize outstanding Master Gardener Associations throughout the state, and the Big Country Master Gardener Association received several awards in May for the volunteer service we provided in 2023.

The Awards we received for 2023 are:

• 1st Place – Written-Recorded Education for the Weekly Garden Articles on the BCMGA Website and Facebook.

• 1st Place – Research for Master Gardener participation in the Fly Demonstration Project at the Expo Center.

• 1st Place – Outstanding Individual (Master Gardener) for Jackie Sledge.

• 2nd Place – Youth-Other for the Fruit, Vegetable, and Grain Programs presented at Long Early Learning Center.

• 2nd Place – Outstanding Association in Texas for the Big Country Master Gardener Association.

• 3rd Place – Workshop Presentation for the Tomato-Thon Saturday Seminar.

We recently submitted award nominations for 2024, and the Texas Master Gardener Association will announce the finalists in May 2025.  

I want to applaud the work of BCMGA and recognize the Master Gardeners and Interns who volunteered so many hours to ensure that projects were completed, programs were presented, and public inquiries were answered.  We have continued to be busy volunteering this year through education programs, projects, and events, and we have reported 2,888.50 hours from January through March this year.  We hope you join us for events and programs, so watch our website and Facebook page for information on our activities each month.

If you have any questions, call the Taylor County Extension Office at 325-672-6048 or email us at bcmgardeners@yahoo.com.  We hope you visit bcmgtx.org for information on all Big Country Master Gardener events, like us on BCMGA Facebook, and check out training presentations on BCMGA YouTube.  We are here to help you.