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.
Learn about our annual Plant Sale
The Festival of Gardening, our annual plant sale and celebration of all things gardening, is held the first weekend of May. This year, the sale was Saturday, May 2 on the lawn of E.C. Glass High School. There were thousands of plants for sale, from heirloom tomato varieties to sought-after perennials to fragrant herbs. There were vegetables, annuals, native plants, trees and shrubs, vines and groundcovers as well as container gardens and garden décor items. All plants were grown from seed, divisions, or cuttings by our Master Gardeners. Master Gardeners were on hand to answer questions about the plant selections, or about gardening in general. Also in attendance were Don Davis, horticultural columnist, Master Naturalists, Tree Stewards, Wild Ones, Parks and Rec, and Ann Zudeski, bee expert. We had a great turnout from the community, despite the chilly weather, and we appreciate the support of everyone who came out. We hope to see you next year on May 1!
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DIG at Human Kind
The garden was formed almost 11 years ago as a cooperative project between Humankind, VA Tech and HCMGA in Lynchburg. The vision was a public garden dedicated to teaching people about gardening and raising food for the hungry. The fenced garden area you see today (0.7 acres) was once a horse paddock with highly compacted soil. Turning the area into a garden took several years and involved incorporating compost (or aluminum sulfate) into the soil after 160 tons of limestone was removed.
After a lot of work and setbacks like COVID, we have an exceptional urban garden area today. In addition, the setting is beautiful and peaceful while also giving the small farm feel of the former Presbyterian Home to the HumanKind campus.
We now have 35 garden plots (24′ x 15′). Community Gardeners lease 25 plots, while local Master Gardeners manage 10 demonstration plots, 3 raised beds, and several flower gardens. Depending on where we are in the gardening season it requires as many as 25 Master Gardeners or Interns to operate and maintain the garden.
The Demonstration Plots are used to give MG Interns hands-on garden experience after 50 hours of training, produce food for local nonprofit denotations and discuss their work at Community Outreach Programs.
Services Provided to Community Gardeners.
- Spring Garden Tilling and Preparation
- Automatic and Manual Watering Services
- Tools Provided in Storage Shed
- Organic Material Provided/Wood Chips/Leaves/Topsoil
- Crop Advice Provided by Master Gardeners
- Pest Trapping Support (Groundhogs/Rabbits)
- Pavilion as a shaded rest area for work breaks
Community Outreach Program
Our monthly Saturday morning educational programs present garden advice from selected experts that is timed to answer the expected seasonal questions about your garden as the season progresses. Also, Demonstration Gardeners will review crops they are raising, issues/solutions found and a brief garden tour. The 2026 Programs are scheduled for the garden pavilion as:
- Vegetable Gardening Techniques & Hints: Saturday morning 10:00 till noon on May 9
- Common Garden Pests: Saturday morning 10:00 till noon on June 6
- Experimental Gardening Straw Bale vs. In Ground : Saturday morning 10:00 till noon September, (date TBD)
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.
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!
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Gardening Tips for May
House Plants/Tropicals – Most may go outside in May in a protected area. Don’t put tropicals (tender perennials) out until 60+ degree temperatures are maintained.
Perennials/Annuals – After bloom has faded, cut flower stalks to prevent seed formation. Some plants may need to be pinched back to keep their growth short, compact and dense. If your mature peonies fail to bloom make sure they are not planted too deep, get at least six hours of sunlight and are not in competition with tree roots. Install support rings or stakes for tall growing plants or those with heavy blooms.
Stem Cuttings – May, June or July is a good time to root many shrubs from softwood cuttings.
Vegetables- Pull up lettuce, mustard, broccoli and spinach when they start to bolt. Replace with heat-loving vegetables. Some seeds such as cucumber, squash, cantaloupe, okra and watermelon are sensitive to soil temperature so if the spring is cool, you might wait another week or two before planting. Always plant your tomatoes in soil where no tomatoes have grown for several years. This will minimize their exposure to disease. Also, choose a sunny place for growing tomatoes as the more sun they get, the better off your tomatoes will be.
Roses – For the best show of roses, make sure your plants get plenty of water throughout the summer, get plenty of sun and are fertilized on a regular basis. Small holes in foliage indicate rose slugs. Treat as recommended by VCE. To discourage black spot and mildew, water in the morning avoiding the leaves.
Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/hillcitymastergardeners/
Look for our latest HCMGA postcards.
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.