Norfolk Master Gardeners

09/03/2026

Congrats Jeff, new Master Gardener from Class of 2026. We caught up with him at the Eco Garden this morning.

09/03/2026

The EOV Team has been very busy cleaning up the garden, especially the squash bugs. We welcomed Emerson (first time to the garden) who showed us more edible parts of the sweet potato vines. We were also glad to have Talib tidy up the perimeter of the garden and also work on the squash bugs. We are looking forward to preparing for our fall plantings and constructing our new planters. The city worker holding the cucumber had the pleasure of receiving the first cucumber produced by our garden and now receiving one of the last cucumbers of the season. Our visiting garden cat helps keep our garden clear of field mice. Thanks Blanch and the EOV Team.

09/01/2026

Enjoy our September Flower of the Month! Yes it's September.

09/01/2026

Thanks to our Suffolk Partners! Yes it is September!

Who else is excited about all the delicious veggies we can start adding to our gardens this month?

Check out the image below to see what you can start growing this month!

Direct Sowing:
Zones 6A & 6B: Baby Salad Lettuce, Mustard, Radish, Spinach
Zone 7A: Beginning of the month: Beets, Swiss Chard, Collards, Kale, Kohlrabi. All month: Baby Salad Lettuce, Mustard, Radish, Spinach, Turnips
Zone 7B: Beets, Swiss Chard, Collards, Kale, Kohlrabi, Baby Salad Lettuce, Mustard, Radish, Spinach, Turnips
Zone 8A: Beginning of the month: Carrots, Rutabaga. All month: Beets, Swiss Chard, Collards, Kale, Kohlrabi, Baby Salad Lettuce, Mustard, Radish, Spinach, Turnips
Zone 8B Direct Sowing Recommendations are available in the publication linked below.

Transplanting:
Zones 6A & 6B: Beginning of the month: Head Lettuce
Zone 7A: Beginning of the month: Broccoli. All month: Head Lettuce
Zone 7B: Beginning of the month: Broccoli, Cabbage, Chinese Cabbage, Leeks. All month: Head Lettuce.
Zone 8A: Beginning of the month: Cauliflower, Cabbage, Leeks. All month: Broccoli, Chinese Cabbage, Head Lettuce
Zone 8B Transplanting Recommendations are available in the publication linked below.

You can prepare for the entire planting season by visiting https://brnw.ch/plantguide
- keep in mind that this resource has not been updated to reflect the new hardiness zones. To determine your USDA zone, you can enter your zip code here: https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/

08/30/2026

We are excited to announce our upcoming Info Sessions to tell you all about the Norfolk Master Gardener Training Program for the Class of 2027.

Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 2:00 pm (in-person), by emailing [email protected]. Location will be provided following registration.

Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 7:00 pm by Zoom. Use this link to pre-register: https://bit.ly/4594FXt

You can also visit www.norfolkmastergardeners.org for more info.

08/29/2026

Save the date. October 10. We are working hard getting ready for our Fall Plant Sale! Stay tuned for more info!

08/28/2026

The Elizabeth River Trail Collaboration team was happy to guide eager Elizabeth River Trail volunteers during its monthly beautification morning along the10 1/2-mile urban trail. The collaboration is a partnership between Norfolk Master Gardeners and the Elizabeth River Foundation. The partnership includes both monthly Elizabeth River Trail beautification opportunities and botanical walking or biking tours.

On August 28, our eclectic and hard-working group of 12 community volunteers included Navy personnel from the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, Tommy’s Express car wash staff, and a researcher with Old Dominion University’s Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience. After highlighting native trees, grasses and other plants flourishing along the trail, Master Gardeners and a Foundation staff member helped volunteers identify invasive weeds to remove. Their work freed up tall native grasses in center of the trail’s fitness loop and will let young long-leaf pine trees thrive nearby without being choked by weeds. Please enjoy this improved trail area behind the Fort Norfolk Medical Center just down the path from Plum Point Park. Thanks Sally!

08/28/2026

This week 15 children from Solstice Hybrid Academy joined us at our Square Foot Gardening Demonstration Garden. Norfolk Master Gardeners instructed and supervised them in the selection and harvesting of a variety of vegetables for delivery to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia. Always a big hit with the children, they all gathered around and got down into the dirt for the sweet potato grow bag reveal. We all enjoyed an afternoon of discovery of growing and giving.

Our Square Foot Gardening team is located at the Fred Heutte Garden at 1000 Botetourt Gardens, Norfolk, VA, Thursday mornings from 8:30 AM to approximately noon. We enjoy showing off our garden and talking about the fundamentals and benefits of Square Foot Gardening and vegetable gardening. It’s an ideal system for growing in limited space such as our urban environment. Stop by to chat, or contact us at [email protected] for all your garden questions and challenges. Thanks Ziggy!