Hill City Master Gardeners Association
Welcome to the Hill City Master Gardeners Association!
Virginia Master Gardeners are volunteer educators who work within their communities to encourage and promote environmentally sound horticulture practices through sustainable landscape management education and training. As an educational program of Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Master Gardeners bring the resources of Virginia’s land-grant universities, Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, to the people of the commonwealth. All information we disseminate must be research-based by VT/VSU.
Community plots are now available at DIG on the HumanKind campus. For more details, see below.
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GARDEN PLOTS AVAILABLE FROM MASTER GARDENERS
Have you wanted a garden but don’t have room in your yard or apartment? Hill City Master Gardener Association (HCMGA) and Humankind are pleased to invite members of the community to lease a garden plot in the Davis Instructional Garden (D.I.G.) on the Humankind campus at 150 HumanKind Way. Physical address is the first right turn on Humankind Way access road. There are twenty-five 15’x 24’garden plots in the fenced site that will be supplied with water, garden tools and tilled by HCMGA this spring. In addition, a new surrounding wire fence is being installed to protect all garden plots as well as topsoil and organic material are being added to quickly absorb heavy rainstorms. Garden plot leases will run from April 1 to November 1 in 2026.
This is a wonderful individual or family opportunity for healthy outdoor exercise, hands-on experience with nature, increased knowledge of gardening, and a great source of fresh, healthy produce. To help make participation an educational experience, the HCMGA offers information on gardening, harvesting, preparing, and storing your crops. An agreement between the lessee and HCMGA will outline the expectations for each party. Available on a first-come, first-served basis, don’t wait if interested. The planting season will begin April 1, 2026, for successful lease holders.
As participants in the D.I.G. garden, there will be opportunities to attend FREE classes and workshops when held at the garden site. Master Gardeners may also be available at the site to answer questions and provide timely information on specific vegetables and diseases. You may also call the Master Gardener help desk with specific questions. In addition, there will be a community garden mentor to address issues.
Plots are rented for $40 each and can be shared with a friend if you need less garden space. There is a one-plot maximum garden lease per family. For additional information and application forms, please contact Frank Tiller at frank.davtill@gmail.com.
School Programs
For more than two decades we have partnered with five inner-city Lynchburg public schools to provide programs for fourth-graders on the importance of healthy soil, composting, plant structure and plant requirements. Each program starts with a lecture complementing VA science SOLs and then moves to a hands-on activity relevant to the topic. We are now teaching the children of those who participated when they were young which is reward enough for the effort. In 2015, we reached 1,163 students!
Community projects
Summer, of course, is prime time for vegetables – an opportunity to teach not only sustainable land management but good nutrition as well. From March through November, we run a weekly program at the Lynchburg Boys & Girls Club. Last year alone, our MG team guided the harvest of 1,564 pounds of vegetables which were sent home with the very happy youngsters who participated in that garden!
The HCMGA also has projects at Jubilee Family Center, and Fairmont Nursing Home; each is tailored to the venue. At DePaul Community Resources, our MGs work with special-needs participants. With the diversity and scope of our projects, we try to reach all in the city of Lynchburg as well as Amherst and Campbell counties.
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Learn about our annual Plant Sale
The Festival of Gardening, our annual plant sale and celebration of all things gardening, was held the first weekend of May with great success. Next year, we’ll be setting up again on the lawn of E.C. Glass High School with thousands of plants for sale, from heirloom tomato varieties to sought-after perennials to fragrant herbs. There will also be vegetables, annuals, native plants, trees and shrubs, vines and groundcovers as well as container gardens and garden décor items. All plants are grown from seed, divisions, or cuttings by our Master Gardeners. This sale is our annual fund-raising event that supports our training programs, and various community projects. Keep watching this site for a map of the sale layout so you can plan your plant-shopping adventure!
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Gardening Tips for March
Weed Control – Apply pre-emergence crab grass control and water it in when our forsythia bloom (probably in March or early April) and again mid to late May. A less tenuous timing would be based on germination happening when soil temperatures remain at 55+ degrees for a week. Since most of these herbicides have a soil activity for 6-8 weeks, it’s better to apply early rather than late.
Rose Garden – Spring pruning should be done for hybrid teas, floribunda and miniatures just before first growth or just as leaves emerge. Remove any leaf litter left from last year. Begin spraying roses with a fungicide for black spot and continue through the growing season at 7 to 14 day intervals.
Propagation – Most perennials may be trimmed and divided late winter or early spring. New growth will help determine where to divide. Iris and Peony should be divided in the fall. Garden Phlox, Hosta, Coreopsis, Daylilies and Coneflowers are some that may be divided at this time. Wait until Chrysanthemums have 3″ of new growth before dividing. Seeds of many annuals and perennials may be started now. Check the seed packet for timing.
Vegetable Garden – It’s the month to plant cool season vegetables, i.e. Peas, potatoes, lettuce, spinach, radishes, onions etc. Seeds for many vegetables may be started indoors for transplanting later.
Lime/Fertilize – Lime Peonies, Bearded Iris, Lilacs, Hellebores, Daylilies and Hybrid Lilies in March if you didn’t apply it in the winter and fertilize your perennial plants with 5-10-5 or 5-10-10. This can be repeated every six weeks. Avoid the center or crown of the plant. Water in to wash fertilizer off foliage. Azaleas may be fertilized from April until July 4 with an acid-forming fertilizer. Bulbs may be fertilized again after they bloom.
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Available at HCMGA events and project sites, and at the Community Market Information Booth.
Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and local governments, and is an equal opportunity employer. For the full non-discrimination statement, please visit ext.vt.edu/accessibility.
A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows. – Doug Larson.