Chesapeake Master Gardeners

The mission of the Chesapeake Master Gardener Volunteers (CMGV) is to teach citizens in Chesapeake to garden better and more efficiently, while training them also to be more environmentally aware.

If you are among the many local residents who love to garden and you would like to share this passion and learn more, training to be a Master Gardener may be 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 to the local community.

Chesapeake Master Gardeners are provided 50 hours of intensive training on many aspects of Urban Horticulture such as:

• Bedding Plants, Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Native Plants
• Composting and Recycling
• Fruits and Vegetables
• Insects and Diseases Diagnosis and Control
• Landscaping and Soils
• Nutrient and Fertilizer Management
• Pruning and Propagation
• Turf Management
• Water and Irrigation

Classes begin in January of each calendar year, with sessions held twice weekly. Graduation is in April. Visit the Master Gardener site for application forms or email us at gardener@cityofchesapeake.net to be added to the list of potential master gardeners.

Upon completion of the Master Gardener training, interns are required to volunteer 50 hours for Master Gardener projects. To maintain their Master Gardener status, they must attend 8 hours of training yearly and donate 20 volunteer hours to projects.

The Master Gardeners share their wide-ranging knowledge of horticulture with the citizens of Chesapeake by participating in many different educational programs and projects. You can participate in any of our on-site events or you can request to have a Master Gardener come out and share with your group of five or more. Please access our Speakers Bureau Listing to view the topics that are available for a 30 minute to 2 hour program, depending on the needs of your group. Once you have selected a topic you can contact the specific Master Gardener listed for that topic. To accommodate the speaker's schedule, you will need to make contact with them 2 to 3 weeks prior to your scheduled event.

Plant a Row for the Hungry is a partner program between the Master Gardeners and the food bank at Harvest Assembly of God. The food donated will be used to help feed Chesapeake's needy families. Anyone growing fruits, vegetables or herbs and would like to donate their extras can do so every Tuesday (9 a.m. – Noon) during the months of June through September (tentatively scheduled to begin in June). Your crop donation and even food staples like canned goods are accepted at our Educational Trailer on the corner of Holt and Shea Drive, near the Great Bridge Community Center. You can also receive growing tips and healthy recipes when you drop off your donations. Please help us reach our goal of 10,000+ pounds and come share and learn more about vegetable gardening too.

Plant Help Desk – We provide plant disease and insect identification services. If you have any questions about  plants call us at 757-382-6348.  Unfortunately, the Chesapeake Master Gardener Volunteers that staff the desk most days from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. – April through October, are not available.  HOWEVER, we can put you in contact with the Horticulture Agent for assistance.      

Events/assistance on site (On site assistance is cancelled, until further notice):

• Master Gardener Answerline/Help Desk (March - October) - Cancelled until further notice
• Master Gardener Plant Sale - CANCELLED
• Master Gardener Workshops - CANCELLED until further notice
• Plant a Row for the Hungry: June - September - TENTATIVE

Events/assistance off site:

• Arbor Day and Earth Day
• Chesapeake Jubilee, State and Regional Fairs
• Paint Your Heart Out
• Ready-Set-Grow, educational program delivering SOLs to the schools
• Speaker's Bureau Listing

We invite you to learn even more about Chesapeake's Master Gardener Volunteer Program by calling 757-382-6348.