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.

Asexual propagation is the best way to maintain some species, particularly an individual that best represents that species. Clones are groups of plants that are identical to their one parent and that can only be propagated asexually.

Annual flowers complete their entire life cycle in one growing season, offering gardeners vibrant color and design flexibility. This publication provides guidance on selecting, establishing, and maintaining annual beds, including distinctions between warm‑ and cool‑season annuals and tropical plants treated as annuals. Topics include site analysis, soil preparation, watering practices, fertilization, mulching, pest management, and care techniques such as deadheading and staking. Instructions for starting seeds indoors and outdoors are summarized, with reference to VCE Publication 426‑001 for more detailed propagation guidance. Proper planning and maintenance help gardeners achieve healthy, productive annual displays throughout the growing season.

“Bulbs” is a term loosely used to include corms, tubers, tuberous roots, and rhizomes as well as true bulbs. This publication will refer to all of the above as bulbs. Many vegetables are propagated from or produce edible organs of these types (e.g., tuber, Irish potato; tuberous root, sweet potato; rhizome, Jerusalem artichoke; bulb, onion).

Mulching is a practice adaptable to nearly all home gardens. To mulch is simply to cover the soil around plants with a protective material, organic or inorganic.

This publication outlines the principles and practices of successful vegetable container gardening. It explains how limited spaces such as patios, balconies, and windowsills can support productive crops while avoiding soil‑borne pests and poor ground conditions. Guidance is provided on selecting appropriate containers, preparing potting media, choosing crops suited to confined spaces, and managing light, watering, and fertilization. The publication highlights the importance of drainage, lightweight yet supportive soil mixes, and frequent watering due to limited soil volume. It also covers general care, indoor vegetable production, pest management, and recommended container sizes for common crops, enabling gardeners to grow vegetables year‑round in versatile locations.

Home gardeners often use more pesticides per square foot in their gardens than farmers do in the fields, thinking that if a little is good, more will be better. This is a serious mistake and a serious misuse of pesticides. This publication will take the reader through different ways to manage home gardens using integrated pest management strategies, including using cultural and biological control methods for pests. It provides the reader with proven ways to manage pests responsibly by using the least amount of naturally derived or man-made pesticides possible.

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.

This publication provides guidance for growing cole crops—broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and kohlrabi—in home gardens. It outlines environmental preferences, planting methods, spacing, fertilization, and essential cultural practices for each crop. Management recommendations address shallow root systems, mulching, transplant production, blanching cauliflower, and timing plantings to avoid heat stress and bolting. The guide identifies common diseases such as clubroot and black rot, insect pests including cabbageworms and aphids, and cultural issues like poor heading or woody stems. Harvest indicators, storage conditions, and expected yields are included to help gardeners achieve high‑quality cool‑season brassica crops.

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 for growing potatoes, peppers, and eggplant in home gardens. It outlines environmental requirements, planting methods, spacing, fertilization, and cultural practices essential for each crop. Potatoes require cool temperatures, certified seed pieces, proper hilling, and careful harvest to prevent greening and rot. Peppers thrive in warm soils, with transplants recommended for reliable production; guidance covers sweet and hot varieties, fertilization, and moisture management. Eggplant requires warm conditions, rich soil, and consistent care to prevent stress and promote fruiting. Common diseases, insect pests, harvest indicators, storage recommendations, and expected yields support successful production of these warm‑ and cool‑season crops.

This comprehensive guide from Virginia Cooperative Extension provides gardeners with practical, research‑based information on successfully growing tomatoes in home gardens. It explains ideal environmental conditions, planting methods, maintenance practices, fertilization schedules, and common cultural challenges. The publication also outlines different tomato plant types—determinate, indeterminate, dwarf, cherry, beefsteak, paste, and heirloom varieties—helping gardeners choose the right tomato for their needs. In addition, it covers troubleshooting tips for poor fruit set, environmental stress, pests, diseases, and storage recommendations. A detailed section on heirloom tomatoes highlights their flavor advantages and popular varieties. Designed for beginners and experienced gardeners alike, the guide supports productive, disease‑resistant, high‑yield tomato gardening throughout Virginia’s growing season.

Most botanists would define an herb as a plant that dies back to the ground each year without forming woody stem tissue. This definition limits the number of plants technically called herbs. Most gardeners include plants that have culinary, medicinal, aromatic, or ornamental uses. This definition would include lavender, rosemary, and bay, which form woody stems.

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?”

It is often necessary to provide extra attention to plants in the fall to help them over-winter and start spring in peak condition. Understanding certain principles and cultural practices will significantly reduce winter damage that can be divided into three categories: desiccation, freezing, and breakage.

Conifers, also known as narrow-leaved or needled evergreens, are planted primarily for the attractiveness of their evergreen foliage. The variety of sizes, shapes, and colors available contributes to their popularity. Conifers range in size from prostrate plants growing only a few inches tall to large trees. Shapes include flat ground covers; horizontal spreaders; upright, pyramidal forms; and even weeping and contorted forms. Foliage color ranges from a gold and cream variegation to all shades of green, gray-green, and blue-green.

Landscapes are composed of plants that form ceilings, walls, and floors spaces. Groundcovers serve as attractive carpets of foliage that cloak and beautify our landscape “floors” (fig. 1). A groundcover is a low-growing plant species — 3 feet tall or shorter — that spreads to form a relatively dense layer of vegetation. In covering bare soil, groundcovers reduce soil erosion and provide habitat for insects and other animals, along with a host of other positive environmental effects.

Trees are the basic element for any landscape plan. They set the stage for the entire home grounds design. The type used and their location determine to a great extent what other plantings are appropriate. Providing shade usually requires tall, sturdy, long-living species. Density of foliage, which determines the amount of shading, is important. A tree such as a Norway maple will produce a very dense shade that prevents other plants from growing under it, while a honey locust will produce a light partial shade which is not a hindrance to other plants growing below it. Deciduous trees should be used to shade the south windows of a home in the summer, thus allowing the sun to penetrate in the winter.

Soil erosion occurs when soil particles are carried off by water or wind and deposited somewhere else such as into a stream or at the bottom of a bay. Often soil particles are carried by runoff, water that does not soak into the ground, but flows over the surface and runs to another area – such as into stormdrains, streams, or lakes.

In Virginia, we rely on reservoir systems, wells, and other sources for our freshwater. In recent years, our previously plentiful clean water supplies have been threatened not only by overuse, but also by contamination. Pollutants are carried down with water soaking through the soil to the water table. Runoff (water that does not soak into the ground) flows over the surface, often taking soil and polluting chemicals with it into lakes and streams.

Soil erosion occurs when soil particles are carried off by water or wind and deposited somewhere else such as into a stream or at the bottom of a bay. Often soil particles are carried by runoff, water that does not soak into the ground, but flows over the surface and runs to another area – such as into stormdrains, streams, or lakes.