03/28/2020
๐ฉ๐ฒ๐ด๐ด๐ถ๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฑ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐๐-๐ญ๐ต:
We want to take a moment to acknowledge that, due to the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many new and seasoned gardeners suddenly interested in producing their own food. We have a number of resources for you at the bottom of this post!
While we are not concerned about the integrity of our food supply (shout out to Virginia farmers and Virginia Cooperative Extension), growing your own vegetables at home does create a more resilient food system and offers many other benefits, including an opportunity to engage with nature, the chance to try new and exotic vegetable varieties you can't find in stores, fun, and personal fulfillment.
If you have questions about growing your own food in Virginia--or you're just wondering how you can get started--we have compiled some of our best research-based publications on home horticulture here: https://ext.vt.edu/lawn-garden/home-vegetables.html
We are so excited to see this recent interest in gardening, though we wish the circumstances were different, and we have this message: the Extension Master Gardener program is here to help and support you!
You can find a team of local Extension Master Gardeners in almost every county in Virginia who are eager to offer you advice and education. You can reach your local Extension Master Gardeners via your local VCE office (find it here: https://ext.vt.edu/offices.html) or by searching online or on Facebook.
Whether you're converting your front yard to vegetable beds, propagating indoor plants, reseeding a lawn, mitigating runoff into a local waterway, planting a rain garden--you name it--Master Gardeners can help.
No matter where you're starting from, we welcome you to join us in the garden this spring, and in the springs to come.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ด๐ถ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ ๐ด๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐:
NEW resource page with all our awesome veggie gardening pubs: https://ext.vt.edu/lawn-garden/home-vegetables.html
Find your local extension office & Master Gardeners: https://ext.vt.edu/offices.html
For more gardening info, follow this page, Virginia Cooperative Extension, VSU College of Agriculture and your LOCAL Extension Master Gardener FB page (check the comments for tags). You might also check out National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture.
๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐
๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐:
NC State Extension Collard greens & common ground community food gardening manual: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/collard-greens-and-common-ground-a-north-carolina-community-food-gardening-handbook
Resources from UT Extension: https://www.uthort.com/category/vegetables/
Resources from University of Maryland Extension: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/growing-vegetables
๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ผ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ:
Please see https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-331/426-331.html for the complete calendar and more info!
Authored by Alex Hessler, Instructor, Organic and Sustainable Vegetable Production and Director, Homefield Farm, School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
