Grow It Eat It

The Master Gardeners of Charles County Grow It Eat It Education presented at the College of Southern Maryland La Plata Campus on what to do in the fall to select, care for, and harvest cool weather vegetable crops, extend the gardening season for summer crops, dry summer herbs, and perform other autumn gardening activities. 

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The Grow It Eat It (GIEI) Education project team held a garden vegetable talk at the Waldorf West Public Library. Participants learned how to grow vegetables, troubleshoot plant pests and fungal diseases, and strategies. The uploaded presentation contains a few extra slides (starts on page 38) covering vegetable pests and diseases not covered at the event due to time constraints.  After the presentation, participants will be invited to the Southern Maryland Food Bank Learning Garden to look for the problems discussed in the workshop. 

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On April 11, at the Charles County Extension Office, the Master Gardeners of Charles County Grow It Eat It Education project presented a workshop on "Vegetable Garden Planning." The presentation covered the planning of the site, types of gardens, soil testing, planting seeds versus transplants, fertilization, watering, weed management, and garden pests. 

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On March 21, at Christ Church La Plata, the Master Gardeners of Charles County Grow It Eat It Education project presented a workshop on how to choose a container for gardening, selecting the right growing mix, planting in the container, choosing the right cultivar, and more. Also participants learned about growing berries in a home garden both in-ground and in containers. 

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On Saturday, February 21, 2026, at the Charles County Extension Office, the Master Gardeners of Charles County Grow It Eat It Education project presented a workshop on "Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors." Participants learned about reading seed packets, growing medium, microgreens, seed starting light requirements, seed starting care, how to build a DIY light stand, and winter sowing. 

This year, the Master Gardeners Grow It Eat It Program is celebrating container gardening. There was a highlight on a dwarf tomato project, and the tomatoes in the project would be suitable for container growing. 

For more information on vegetable planting, check out the UME Vegetable Planting Calendar for Central Maryland.

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Don't just walk away from your garden in winter — take steps now to make next year's gardening easier and more productive. The University of Maryland Extension Master Gardeners of Charles County will show you how to finish up the summer garden and how to winterize your vegetable garden and small fruit plants. This presentation  includes information on making and using compost and drying herbs easily at home. 

Watch the presentation here

The Master Gardeners of Charles County Grow It Eat It Education presented at the College of Southern Maryland La Plata Campus on what to do in the fall to select, care for, and harvest cool weather vegetable crops, extend the gardening season for summer crops, dry summer herbs, and perform other autumn gardening activities. 

Watch the presentation

• All the Dirt on Winter Sowing Veggies, Herbs, Annuals & Natives (2024) - In this updated edition of "All the Dirt on Winter Sowing" series, Master Gardeners Molly Moore and Marlene Smith provide updated information on the winter sowing method for germinating seeds. They also include lessons learned from other Master Gardeners and expand on companion planting of native plants in the vegetable garden.

• All the Dirt on Winter Sowing Veggies, Herbs, Annuals & Natives (2023) – In this edition of their “All the Dirt on Winter Sowing” series, Master Gardeners Molly Moore and Marlene Smith showcase the what, why, when, and how of the popular winter sowing method of germinating seeds. This time they include vegetables, herbs, annuals and natives, along with their experiences and outcomes with companion planting in the vegetable garden, as well as some of projects that use the winter sowing method.

• Vegetable Garden Planning – In this PowerPoint edition of the Master Gardeners of Charles County GIEI Education Project team’s new series, Michelle Chenault, Beth Grem, Lori Guido, Kathy Jenkins, and Meg MacDonald cover the four P’s of vegetable gardening: Planning the site; Preparing/testing the soil, Planting/selecting food crops; and Producing/maintaining a vegetable garden.

• How to Start a Garden

• Want to Start a Vegetable Garden? Here's How

• Sowing Vegetable Seeds in the Garden
• Planting Vegetables
• Caring for Your Vegetable Garden

• Can You Tell Me the Date of the Last Frost in My Area?
• Vegetable Planting Calendar for Central Maryland
• Planting Dates for Vegetable Crops in Maryland
• When to Plant Vegetables in Maryland

• Soil Testing and Soil Testing Labs
• Soil Basics
• Soil Health, Drainage, and Improving Soil

• Community Gardening
• Growing Vegetables in Containers
• Choose a Site and Growing Media or Soil for a Salad Table™ or Salad Box™

• University of Maryland Extension State Grow It Eat It 

• University of Maryland Extension State Plan, Plant, and Manage Food Gardens

More Resources from Charles County Master Gardeners