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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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.
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
- How to Improve Garden Soil through Year-Round Composting: Saturday morning 10:00 till noon September 19
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Gardening Tips for October
First Frost – October 27 is the average first frost date in Lynchburg. Drain rain barrels before hard freeze. Unhook garden hoses from your buildings and drain them.
Lawn Fertilization – If you are only going to apply one application of fertilizer, do so in October.
Leaves – Don’t let leaves lay on your lawn. Run over them with a mulching mower or pick them up and compost or use as mulch.
Weed Control – Annual bluegrass and other winter weeds germinate when air temperatures fall below 75 F for extended periods as autumn approaches. Controlling these weeds with pre-emergence herbicides is similar to controlling crabgrass with pre-emergence herbicides except for the timing. If fall seeding is planned, control weeds at least 1 month prior to seeding.
Bulbs/Tubers – Plant bulbs in soil with good drainage and fertilize with low nitrogen, high phosphate fertilizer. If you are not sure which end of the bulb is the top, plant it on its side. The stem will always grow upright. Canna, ginger and elephant ear may be overwintered by cutting stalks to the ground after killing frost, potting up and storing in an unheated garage or porch. Water lightly no more than once a month.
Perennials/Annuals – Cut Sweet Autumn Clematis back to 6-12 inches if you want to remove all those vines from arbors or railings before the winter. Do not mulch the crowns of cardinal flower and use very little mulch over peonies. They like the cold. Divide and plant ferns in early fall for best results. Plant pansies for fall, winter and spring color. Place in a sunny spot in the garden or in a container with good drainage.
Vegetables – Remove asparagus ferns once they have yellowed. If they are green, they are still nourishing the crowns.
Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/hillcitymastergardeners/
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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.