How to Become an Extension Master Gardener (in person)
2024-09-11 14:00 - 15:00, 2024-09-20 11:30 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | VA
Join us for an in-person information session on how to take part in the 2025 training class for Extension Master Gardeners serving the Charlottesville and Albemarle County area. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how you can deepen your expertise in gardening and share it with the community in fun and rewarding ways.

Rain Barrel Workshop at Starr Hill Downtown
2024-09-19 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | VA
A single rain barrel can collect hundreds, even thousands of gallons of rainwater each year. Visit the Piedmont Master Gardeners’ Help Desk at this rain barrel workshop presented by the James River Association and the Rivanna Stormwater Education Partnership. For the $50 registration fee, participants receive a 55-gallon drum, a RainRecycle rain barrel kit from The Rain Barrel Depot, and a pint of beer. Register here.

Garden Basics: Square-Foot Gardening
2024-09-21 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | VA
Learn how to maximize your growing space in the vegetable garden by using the square-foot gardening method. Square-foot gardening makes it easy to organize your garden layout and stop guessing about spacing. You will also identify weeds more easily. You will take home a chart with suggested spacing for the most commonly grown vegetables, along with a template for laying out your garden.
Garden Basics is a partnership with the Bread and Roses ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church.
Space is limited. Please register below to reserve your place in the class. Registration closes at 5 p.m. September 20, 2024, or when the class is full.

How to Become an Extension Master Gardener (online)
2024-09-24 18:00 - 19:30, 2024-09-26 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
Join us for an online information session on how to take part in the 2025 training class for Extension Master Gardeners serving the Charlottesville and Albemarle County area. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how you can deepen your expertise in gardening and share it with the community in fun and rewarding ways. To attend, please register here.

Saving Seeds from Your Garden--at Scottsville Library
2024-09-28 14:00 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | VA
Join us to learn about the benefits of saving your own seeds and to receive great tips on how to harvest, process, and save seeds from your garden.
Our workshop will cover:
• Plant pollination
• Cross-pollination issues and preserving variety integrity
• Seed processing and storage
• Special needs of some seeds
• Seed viability testing.
We will also suggest plants that are good candidates for seed saving.
Hosted by the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library, Scottsville Branch, to kick off its new Seed Library.

Open House at the Demonstration Gardens at The Center at Belvedere
2024-10-01 09:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | VA
From 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., the Piedmont Master Gardeners will offer educational exhibits and tours of the rose and pollinator demonstration gardens at The Center at Belvedere in Charlottesville. As part of The Center’s programming during the International Council on Active Aging’s Active Aging Week, the free tours will show how a rose garden can be successfully maintained with organic practices. Tours of the pollinator garden will highlight how an assortment of at least 70 percent native perennials, combined with nectar-rich annuals, will support pollinators across the growing season. Throughout the day, a Mobile Helpdesk staffed by Master Gardeners will answer gardening questions and provide resources such as kits for submitting soil test samples to Virginia Tech.

Dig into the Health Benefits of Gardening
2024-10-01 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | VA
In addition to providing nutritious fruits and vegetables, beautiful landscapes, and fresh flowers, gardening offers a variety of health benefits. As a part of special programming in recognition of the International Council on Active Aging’s Active Aging Week, retired nurses and PMG members Kathy Floyd and Beth White will explain how we can reap all of the physical and mental health rewards that gardening can bring us. They will examine the benefits of gardening from a historical perspective while exploring the positive impacts of being outside and caring for a garden–on both our physical well-being and our state of mind. Further, they will outline strategies for protecting ourselves and avoiding injuries while working in the garden. This presentation will also highlight opportunities for gardening in our community. To register for this event, visit https://thecentercville.org/calendar/event/124147//2.

Planting for Fall and Winter Interest--POSTPONED to October 8
2024-10-08 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | VA
Part of our regular series at The Center at Belvedere, this program was originally scheduled for Tuesday, October 1. It has been rescheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 8.
Join us that evening to discover how to give your garden four-season interest, whether with the plants themselves or with bird or human activity. Simple steps such as skipping fall cleanup and adding a few plants that benefit wildlife will go a long way toward creating a winter garden that will grab your attention with its chaotic beauty.

Garden Basics: Fall Tasks in the Perennial Garden
2024-10-19 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | VA
Take a trip to the demonstration garden at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital to learn how to prepare your garden for winter. We will cover:

how and when to cut back plants,
fall mulching and soil amendments,
dividing and planting bulbs, and
fall transplanting.

You will go home with a flowering perennial to transplant into your own garden. Garden Basics is a partnership with the Bread and Roses ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church.
Space is limited. Please register below to reserve your place in the class. Registration closes at 5 p.m. October 18, 2024, or when the class is full.

Garden Basics: Nature’s Cornucopia of Holiday Plants and Decorations
2024-11-16 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | VA
Welcome the winter holiday season with this festive workshop.

Learn how to select, showcase, and maintain plants such as amaryllis, paperwhites, and Christmas cactus.
Discover possibilities for decorating with materials collected in the yard or on the trail.
Get inspired with examples using a variety of fragrant greens, cones, berries, dried flowers, and seed pods.

You will create a simple take-home decoration. Garden Basics is a partnership with the Bread and Roses ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church.

Space is limited. Please register below to reserve your place in the class. Registration closes at 5 p.m. November 15, 2024, or when the class is full.

Saving Seeds from Your Garden—at Gordon Avenue Library
2024-11-18 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | VA
Join us to learn about the benefits of saving your own seeds and to receive great tips on how to harvest, process, and save seeds from your garden.
Our workshop will cover:
• Plant pollination
• Cross-pollination issues and preserving variety integrity
• Seed processing and storage
• Special needs of some seeds
• Seed viability testing.
We will also suggest plants that are good candidates for seed saving.
Registration is encouraged. Please sign up here.

PMG Speakers Bureau: Permaculture
2024-12-03 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | VA
Permaculture: What is it? Learn about this fascinating approach to land use that can be applied whether designing a small garden plot or embarking on a large agricultural undertaking. Permaculture works in concert with your ecosystem by allowing design, soil, plants, and water to work harmoniously. Learn about analyzing the elements of your outdoor space to create a beautiful and sustainable environment. Nature leads us to the answers.
The in-person program is hosted by the Piedmont Master Gardeners and The Center at Belvedere and is open to all. Register here for this free event.

Garden Basics: Indoor Gardening—You Don’t Need a Green Thumb!
2025-01-18 14:00 - 16:00 UTC | Trinity Episcopal Church, 1118 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville, VA, United States
Indoor gardening has been “growing” in popularity over the last several years. Join us to learn how to grow plants indoors to beautify your surroundings. By taking into account environmental factors, you will be well on your way to long-term “plant parent” success. We will focus on plant selection, repotting, containers, and ways to maximize your use of greenery indoors.
Space is limited. Please register below to reserve your place in the class. Registration will close at 5 p.m. January 17 or when the class is full. Garden Basics is a partnership with the Bread and Roses ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church in Charlottesville.
RSVP HERE

PMG Speakers Bureau: When, Where, and How to Prune
2025-02-04 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | VA
Pruning landscape trees, especially when young, will set them on a path to a long, healthy life. At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 4, the Center at Belvedere will host a free presentation by the Piedmont Master Gardeners on “When, Where, and How to Prune.” It will cover:

the basics of structural pruning,
when to prune various species,
where and how to make proper cuts,
the right tools and how to use them, and
how to stay safe while pruning.

The Center at Belvedere is at 540 Belvedere Blvd. in Charlottesville. To register, visit https://thecentercville.org/calendar/event/134614/3.
