Sexual propagation involves the union of the pollen (male) with the egg (female) to produce a seed. The seed is made up of three main parts: the outer seed coat, which protects the seed; a food reserve (e.g., the endosperm); and the embryo, which is the young plant itself. When a seed is mature and put in a favorable environment, it will germinate, or begin active growth. In the following section, seed germination and transplanting of seedswill be discussed.

Garden mums (Chrysanthemum x morifolium) are known for their vibrant blooms and resilience and are a popular choice for adding color to gardens and landscapes in the fall. They are one of the best perennial plants for late summer and fall bloom. They are important in many Virginia landscapes, flowering during September and October when few other plants are in bloom. They bloom over a long period, exist in a very wide range of flower forms and colors, and require a minimum of care.

This publication offers suggestions for creating spring gardens with a patriotic red, white, and blue color scheme using bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and grape hyacinths. It covers bulb selection, planting techniques, site preparation, container gardening, and maintenance tips to ensure vibrant displays. Design strategies for simultaneous blooming and layering are included.

This publication provides guidelines for creating patriotic-themed gardens along entrance corridors and public spaces to celebrate America’s Semiquincentennial. It offers design options for small signs, large signs, and extensive corridor plantings, emphasizing red, white, and blue color schemes. The resource includes curated plant lists featuring annuals, perennials, shrubs, and small trees suitable for Virginia’s diverse climates, with many native species recommended. Practical advice on soil preparation, watering, mulching, and planting techniques ensures successful establishment and maintenance.

This publication offers suggestions for creating spring gardens with a patriotic red, white, and blue color scheme using bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and grape hyacinths. It covers bulb selection, planting techniques, site preparation, container gardening, and maintenance tips to ensure vibrant displays. Design strategies for simultaneous blooming and layering are included.

This publication promotes the use of native plants in red, white, and blue garden designs. It explains the ecological benefits of natives, including their adaptation to local soils and climate, low maintenance needs, and role in supporting wildlife such as pollinators and birds. The guide provides practical advice on site assessment, soil preparation, and care, along with extensive tables listing native trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, and ornamental grasses suitable for Virginia gardens. These selections enhance biodiversity, celebrate America’s natural heritage, and offer aesthetic appeal while reducing reliance on irrigation and fertilizers.

This publication provides guidelines for creating patriotic-themed gardens along entrance corridors and public spaces to celebrate America’s Semiquincentennial. It offers design options for small signs, large signs, and extensive corridor plantings, emphasizing red, white, and blue color schemes. The resource includes curated plant lists featuring annuals, perennials, shrubs, and small trees suitable for Virginia’s diverse climates, with many native species recommended. Practical advice on soil preparation, watering, mulching, and planting techniques ensures successful establishment and maintenance.

This publication covers key questions to consider when planning a vegetable garden.

This publication provides guidance on establishing and managing asparagus, a hardy perennial vegetable productive for 12 to 15 years. It covers site selection, soil preparation, planting crowns or seedlings, and cultural practices such as fertilization, mulching, and weed control. The publication emphasizes proper planting depth, delayed harvesting to build crown strength, and techniques to extend harvest periods. Guidance is also provided for managing common diseases, insects, and cultural problems. Harvesting, storage recommendations, and expected yields help gardeners successfully grow asparagus in home gardens.

Sweet corn varieties differ significantly in time to maturity and in quality; yellow, white, bicolor, standard, and extra-sweet varieties are available. Most varieties planted are hybrids, which have been bred for greater vigor and higher yields. A continuous harvest can be planned by planting early, mid-season, and late-season varieties or by making successive plantings of the same variety every two weeks or when the last planting has three to four leaves (corn sown in early spring will take longer because of cool temperatures).

This publication provides guidance on growing cucumbers, melons, and squash in home gardens. It describes key cultivar types and outlines planting, spacing, fertilization, trellising, and pollination needs. Melons and squash are detailed by environmental preferences, cultural practices, and growth habits, including recommendations for black plastic mulch, transplanting, and managing pollinator activity. Common diseases, insect pests, and cultural problems are identified, along with strategies to reduce damage. Harvesting guidelines, storage conditions, and expected yields are included to help gardeners achieve high‑quality fruit across these warm‑season crops.

This publication provides comprehensive guidance on growing leafy green vegetables, including lettuce, spinach, cooking greens, and chard. It outlines environmental preferences, planting methods, spacing, and fertilization needs for each crop. Cultural practices emphasize cool‑season production, succession planting, proper watering, and mulching to maintain soil moisture and reduce disease. The guide details characteristics and harvest stages for crisphead, butterhead, romaine, and leaf lettuces, as well as strategies to prevent bolting and bitterness. Common diseases, insect pests, and cultural disorders are identified, along with recommended storage conditions and expected yields, helping gardeners achieve high‑quality, continuous harvests.

This publication provides guidance for growing onions, garlic, and shallots in Virginia home gardens. It outlines environmental preferences, planting methods, spacing, fertilization needs, and key cultural practices for each crop. Onions are detailed by type, day‑length response, and methods for producing bulbs and green onions. Garlic production focuses on selecting quality cloves, proper timing, and soil preparation to ensure full bulb development. Shallot culture emphasizes dividing sets, shallow planting, and careful weeding due to shallow roots. Common diseases, insect pests, cultural disorders, and recommended storage conditions are also described, helping gardeners produce high‑quality, long‑keeping alliums.

This publication provides guidance on growing a range of root crops, including carrots, beets, radishes, parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, and salsify. It outlines environmental requirements, planting depth and spacing, fertilization needs, and essential cultural practices such as thinning, moisture management, and soil preparation to promote uniform, well‑shaped roots. Each crop’s unique characteristics, maturity timelines, and harvest indicators are described, along with expected yields and recommended storage conditions. Common diseases, insect pests, and cultural disorders are identified, helping gardeners diagnose issues such as woody roots, poor germination, bolting, and nutrient deficiencies. The publication supports successful production across cool‑season root vegetables.

This publication summarizes results from the first year of Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Home Vegetable Variety Trials, a community-engaged research project evaluating commonly grown vegetable varieties in Virginia home gardens. Participating gardeners assessed varieties based on yield, taste, and overall performance. Recommendations include disease resistance, average days to harvest observed in Virginia conditions, and gardener ratings. These findings aim to help home gardeners make informed decisions about “What variety should I grow?”

Native to the Southern United States, the Sabal minor or Dwarf Palmetto is a smaller and much shorter cousin to the familiar Sabal palmetto that lines the streets and palisades of cities in the Deep South, where the fronds were once cut to make ladies’ hand fans. Part of the Dwarf Palmetto’s native range includes the extreme southeastern portion of Virginia. As a result, S. minor is one of the most cold-hardy palms that can be grown in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Have you ever wondered if it is possible to enjoy the beauty of bulbs in the middle of winter? The answer is definitely yes! Many people are familiar with the hourglass-shaped vase filled with water and topped with a hyacinth bulb, or a low bowl filled with several Paper White narcissus, and the popular boxed amaryllis bulb as a welcome winter holiday gift. Most bulbs can be forced but additional planning is required in order to have a successful period of blooms.

A fact sheet on growing peppers in the Virginia home garden.

A factsheet on growing eggplant in the Virginia home garden.

Everything that Virginia Extension Master Gadeners do involves some sort of risk. It could be risk to their own health and safety, risk to the health and safety of participants in the programs they lead, risk to property (like those new pollinator plants they are planting), risk to natural resources, or risk to the reputation of the volunteers, chapters, program, Virginia Tech, Commonwealth of Virginia, and local partners with whom they are volunteering. “Risk management” is the sum of all the strategies we use to try to reduce the likelihood that an action we take will cause harm. Risk management is the responsibility of every Virginia Extension Master Gardener (EMG). In this publication, we describe the common categories of risk EMG volunteers may encounter as part of their learning and service in the program. We give examples of specific risks in each category, and we describe recommended strategies for EMG volunteers to follow.

Very often, EMG projects and activities “spontaneously generate,” whether from a community request or from a volunteer who has an idea that meets a local need. Because the projects may or may not integrate with the planned educational programming to be implemented by EMGs, the opportunities that arise should be evaluated to see if they are appropriate Extension activities, whether they are feasible, and if there is sufficient commitment to ensure completion. New projects should be evaluated to determine how they fit into Extension program areas, such as sustainable landscape management, the unit’s Situation Analysis and the agent’s plan of work. If EMG projects and activities are planned outside of the educational program plan designed with local VCE agents and staff, then a Project Proposal and Authorization Form should be completed.

The 2025 Virginia Home Vegetable Variety Trials engaged over 200 participating gardeners statewide to evaluate eight commonly grown crops under real‑world conditions. Trialers compared two cultivars per crop for germination, vigor, yield, appearance, and flavor. Most participants used organic or no fertilizers, avoided chemical pesticides, and relied on raised beds or in‑ground gardens. These citizen‑science results provide updated, research‑based recommendations to support home gardeners and inform revisions to Virginia Cooperative Extension resources.

Tarping or occultation is used in farms and gardens to kill weeds and prepare areas for planting without the use of tillage or chemicals. This publication compares different tarping materials and how to use them effectively. Research is shown determining how long different weeds must remain under the tarping material to be killed.

A fact sheet for growing potatoes in the Virginia home garden.

The African violet (Saintpaulia sp.) is an excellent flowering house plant which will grow and flower under low light intensities found in the average home. Where there is insufficient natural light, they can be grown and flowered successfully entirely under artificial light. Large numbers of varieties, types and colors are available, and the ease with which they can be propagated makes this an excellent plant for interior decoration of the home.

Ed Olsen and Wendy Silverman, New River Valley Extension Master Gardener Director, discuss how Virginia Extension Master Gardeners are growing community impact by providing seeds for educational programs and nonprofits through their innovative seed bank program!

A culinary staple used raw, cooked, sautéed or roasted—garlic is easier to grow than you might think. Virginia Cooperative Extension's Ed Olsen shares expert tips for cultivating this versatile ingredient.

Growing figs in marginal hardiness zones requires special care and technique. Virginia Cooperative Extension's Ed Olsen shares expert strategies for successfully cultivating these Mediterranean favorites in challenging climates.

Get ready to level up your indoor plant game as Ed Olsen from Virginia Cooperative Extension and Will Haas from Strange's Florist and Greenhouses share expert tips on helping your houseplants thrive in From the Ground Up.

Spring planting season is upon us as Virginia Cooperative Extension expert Ed Olsen and Henrico County Public Schools Horticulture teacher Heather Veneziano deliver essential seed-starting wisdom to help gardeners kickstart their growing season with confidence.

Looking for a simple way to get a head start on your garden? Try winter seed sowing! Virginia Cooperative Extension Specialist Ed Olsen and Extension Master Gardener Cathy Tignor discuss how you can use those recycled plastic beverage containers sitting in your recycling bin to start seeds! Milk jugs, iced tea containers and lemonade bottles make the perfect mini-greenhouses for this technique.

Discover how foodscaping blends beauty with functionality as Ed Olsen and Master Gardener Phaedra Hise from Virginia Cooperative Extension share expert tips for incorporating edible plants into your landscape design, creating gardens that please both the eye and the palate.

Explore the many culinary and beverage uses of the versatile ginger plant in this conversation between Ed Olsen and Dr. Sanjun Gu of Virginia Cooperative Extension, who shares expert tips on how to cultivate this prized rhizome in your own backyard garden.

The Three Sisters growing technique maximizes your garden space by planting corn, beans and squash together. Ed Olsen and Extension Master Gardener Noel Talcott with Virginia Cooperative Extension demonstrate this traditional companion planting method for efficient gardening.

Drip irrigation is more efficient and better for your garden overall, delivering water directly to plant roots while conserving resources. Ed Olsen with Virginia Cooperative Extension shares essential tips for getting started with this water-saving gardening method.

Red hibiscus, sorrel or roselle—this vibrant plant goes by many names but serves as both a beautiful garden bloom and a staple ingredient in teas and traditional dishes worldwide. Ed Olsen with Virginia Cooperative Extension explores the science and stories behind this versatile garden favorite.

Cold weather slowing down your garden plans? Ed Olsen with Virginia Cooperative Extension and Noel Talcott, Extension Master Gardener, share a winter project: Building raised garden beds indoors so you’re ready for spring. It’s easy, affordable and a great way to stay connected to gardening during the colder months.