Master Gardener – Search
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Soil test kits
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Date Posted: Thu, Dec 28 - 3:33 pm
- Hello! I live in Richmond and would like to get a soil test done. Are there any free programs like the one for Henrico County residents?
- Most of the Richmond Public library branches should have soil test kits in stock. You can call ahead or stop by to ask for one. If you need any more information about getting good samples the Virginia Cooperative Extension has a great resource here: https://www.soiltest.vt.edu/content/dam/soiltest_vt_edu/PDF/urban-sampling.pdf Happy gardening!
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Master gardener classes and certification
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Date Posted: Wed, Dec 13 - 1:28 am
- Does Richmond offer Master Gardener classes and certification?
- Thank you for your interest in becoming a Master Gardener. I wish we were able to bring you on through the City of Richmond, but unfortunately the city does not have an extension agent in place and we are not sure when or if the position will be filled in the future. Without an extension agent in place, the current Richmond Master Gardeners are all volunteer lead, but unable to offer the training course. We are hoping to be able to offer the classes in an online version in connection with other counties in the future, but do not have any solid plans for that currently. You can reach out to the other counties to see when they will be offering classes if you would be interested in going through them to complete the program. Once a master gardener has completed the training process, you are able to transfer to a different locality if you wish.
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Composting - continued!
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Date Posted: Sun, Nov 12 - 5:36 pm
- I am very appreciative of the options you recommended for me to compost. I think I was not very clear in my question. I already know where to bring food scraps, and I already do bring food scraps for composting. My dilemma is where to bring dead plants. I have a tiny yard, and, therefore no space for a compost bin. Now that summer potted plants are dead, I need to know where to bring the large dead plants. Thanks
- I'm sorry my first answer did not give you the information you were looking for. I've reached out to a few others in our Master Gardener group but none of us have used a composting service specifically for large plants. I believe some of the suggestions I gave you may be able to take them, but the next steps would be to reach out them to ask.  I did try to reach out to Richmond Grows Gardens, but have not yet heard back from them. I have previously spoken with some of the ladies that work at the Bird House Farmers Market and she shared that the compost company that picks up their bins can compost anything and everything organic. At the time, I didnt ask specifically about large plants, but here is the email address for the company if you would like to reach out and ask:  info@nopeva.com I admire your determination for finding a good place to take these plants! I currently have a small pile in my back yard where they are breaking down, but it would be great to have other options available.  Hope this information helps you get to what you are looking for!
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Composting Options
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Date Posted: Fri, Nov 10 - 12:55 am
- im wondering where i can bring pretty large seasonal plants that have been in pots and are now dead. can i bring them somewhere to be composted? is there a service the city of richmond offers on a regularly scheduled basis? i am new to richmond. thanks so much.
- First of all, welcome to Richmond!! And thanks for thinking about composting! The city does have compost collection sites where you can drop off your materials to be composted: https://www.richmondgrowsgardens.org/composting and there is an additional drop off site at the Bird House Farmers Market: https://birdhousefarmersmarket.org/info. There are also a local services that will do compost pick ups if that is a service your are interested in: https://enrichcompost.com/ or https://compostrva.squarespace.com/ thanks again for thinking about composting!
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Japanese Spirea
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Date Posted: Tue, Oct 10 - 5:24 pm
- My japanese spirea has large dead sections that I just trimmed back. I don't see any bigs. Any ideas? And should this be cut way back in fall?
- Maintenance pruning for spirea can be done anytime of year and damaged or dead branches should be removed as you see them. When removing these branches, be sure to prune back to a point where the branch is still healthy, or back to the ground if the damage occurs throughout the length of the branch. An overall pruning can be done in late winter, just before new leaves begin to appear. Dwarf varieties (which typically grow 1-3ft tall) can be cut back to 4-6" above the ground. Taller growing varieties can be cut back to 10-12" above the ground. Without more information, it is difficult to say what might be causing the dead sections on your plants. These plants do not require a lot of water, and typically do well on rain water alone unless there is an extreme period of drought. You could monitor your soil to be sure it is draining well and not staying too soggy and moist which could lead to disease issues. One thing to keep in mind about Japanese spirea is that it is a non-native invasive plant. It has small seeds that can last for years in the soil making it very difficult to control. Once Japanese spirea is established outside of its intended areas, it can quickly crowd out native species. Unfortunately, the best control method is to remove existing plants. There is a native spirea that could be considered as a replacement: white meadowsweet (Spiraea alba). I hope this information helps you! Happy gardening!
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Class Registration- indefinitely unavailable
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Date Posted: Sun, Aug 27 - 12:23 pm
- When does class registration start and how do I sign up?
- Hello! We would love to be able to welcome new master gardeners to the Richmond team. Unfortunately, the city of Richmond has not had an extension agent in place for the past few years and we do not know if any expected time the position will be filled again. Without an agent in place, the city is unable to offer the master gardener classes. You could consider reaching out to any of our neighboring counties (Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico) to see if you can get connected with them.
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Volunteering
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Date Posted: Tue, Aug 22 - 1:12 am
- I’d love to help volunteer. What is your schedule?
- We love volunteers! And would love to help you get plugged in. Unfortunately, the City of Richmond does not currently have an extension agent in place which means we are unable to offer programming to bring on new Master Gardeners to our team. If you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener, you could consider reaching out to some of the surrounding counties to ask about their programs and see if and when they are starting new classes. If you are interested in garden volunteer work in and around the city, there are numerous opportunities available without being a master gardener. To name just a few, you could consider reaching out to Maymont, Lewis Ginter, or Shalom Farms. If you have a connection to any of the public schools, many of them have garden programs going as well and may be able to use more volunteer support. Good luck, I hope you find a great place to plug in and serve!
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Stunted vegetable garden
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Date Posted: Sat, Aug 12 - 6:55 pm
- My vegetable garden has been stunted in its growth this summer and I’ve been trying to figure out what I can do differently. I think we may have some Red Thread in the yard.
- I think many local vegetable gardens have experienced some stunting this year. The prolonged cooler weather we had at the beginning of the summer seemed to have a big impact on plants that were put in the ground in late April and May. In addition, we have had several periods with very little rain to help keep gardens watered which has also been having an impact. Before planting next year, its a good idea to do a soil test to see where your soil could use some support. Soil tests are available through the master gardeners at your local library. You can use these results to ensure you are planting in a robust healthy soil that is ready to provide a good home to your plants. Also, if you aren't already doing this, I would suggest fertilizing your garden with an organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizers slowly release nutrients giving a steady supply of food to your plants without disrupting the work of earthworms and other beneficial organisms. Follow the recommendations on the label for frequency of fertilizing. I'm not aware of nor have I been able to find any literature on red thread having an impact on anything other than turf grass. I'm not sure if you mentioned that in correlation with your concerns about your vegetable garden or as a separate concern. However, if you were looking for recommendations to deal with the red thread as well, fungicides are not usually advised for red thread control on residential turf for various reasons. The disease is largely cosmetic. Unless environmental conditions that promote disease development persist for extended periods, the turf will recover — usually with no lasting effects of infection. Good luck and happy gardening!
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Invasive plant removal / Joining Master Gardeners
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Date Posted: Fri, Aug 11 - 10:16 am
- Any good contractors in the area to help with invasive removal by a utility line. Have privet in my backyard it’s growing into power lines. Oh also I would love to be part of the master gardener program but got no response when contacting vatech contact. Let me know what’s required to join the local chapter
- I don't have personal experience with any contractors for removing invasive species, but have always heard really good things about Davey: https://www.davey.com/environmental-consulting-services/invasive-species-management-control/ Also, we would love to have new members join the Richmond Master Gardeners! But unfortunately, the city does not currently have an extension agent and hasn't for a few years now. This means there is no one in place to run the Master Gardener training program so we are unable to take on new members at this time. I believe that Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover are still able to offer the new member program, so I would suggest reaching out to them if you are interested.
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HT wood pallets for compost bin
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Date Posted: Thu, Jul 06 - 12:44 pm
- where can i find HT wood pallets to build my composting bin?
- This is a great question! I have not personally made a compost bin from pallets, but I love the ones we have at my community garden! Having not sourced heat treated wood pallets myself previously, I did a quick google search and found there are a couple of different companies in our area that do sell them. The two I found are Alpha Recycling and Hauling and BE Pallets. It sounds like you already have a good plan together for your compost bins, but just in case you or anyone searching these answers later is looking for more information, the Colorado State Master Gardeners have a really great publication with lots of good information about composting: https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/Gardennotes/246.pdf Good luck and happy composting!