Chesapeake Master Gardeners

If you are among the many local residents who love to garden but would like to learn more, the Master Gardener Program is for you. Sponsored statewide by Virginia Cooperative Extension and locally by the Chesapeake office, Master Gardeners are volunteer educators who provide research-based information from Virginia Tech and Virginia State Universities for the local community. Chesapeake Master Gardeners are provided an intensive 50-hour training and upon completion, as Master Gardener Interns they are required to volunteer 50 hours for Master Gardener projects. To continue their Master Gardener status, they must attend 8 hours of training yearly and donate 20 volunteer hours to projects. The initial training is for 8 weeks and covers many aspects of Urban Horticulture such as:

• Turf Management
• Nutrient and Fertilizer Management
• Water and Irrigation
• Composting and Recycling
• Landscaping and Soils
• Insects and Diseases Diagnosis and Control
• Pruning and Propagation
• Bedding Plants, Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Native Plants
• Fruits and Vegetables
• Many topics of concern for local gardeners

Chesapeake Master Gardeners share their knowledge with the citizens of Chesapeake and participate in many different horticultural educational programs and projects some of which include:

• Master Gardener Answerline (Available March - October)
• Rain Barrel Workshops
• Plant-A-Row for the Hungry, food bank program
• Plant Sale
• Chesapeake Jubilee, State and Regional Fairs
• Paint Your Heart Out
• Arbor Day and Earth Day
• Ready-Set-Grow, educational program delivering SOLs to the schools
• Educational programs, workshops, "lunch and learn programs" for civic associations, neighborhoods and citizen groups
• Southeastern Virginia Training Center Horticultural Therapy Program, Community and School Gardening programs