Winterizing the Vegetable Garden and Composting
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.
Fall Vegetable Gardening
The Charles County Master Gardeners Grow It Eat It Education project presented a workshop on Fall Vegetable Gardening on Saturday, August 23, at the Charles County Extension Office. Participants learned about finishing summer gardening, preparing the garden area for spring, planting cool weather crops, and extending the season through plant protection techniques. As it is the "Year of the Herb," we also touched on cold hardy herbs. Check out the Presentation!
Vegetable Garden Problems
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 41) covering vegetable pests and diseases not covered at the event due to time constraints. Check Out the presentation!
Vegetable Garden Planning
Charles County Master Gardeners Grow It Eat It Education project presented a workshop explaining how to start growing your own vegetable garden following the four Ps: Plan, Prepare, Plant, and Produce. A test of a new topic on growing berries was also included. Watch the presentation HERE.
Introduction to Winter Sowing: Vegetables and Herbs
Charles County Master Gardeners Grow It Eat It Education project presented a workshop explaining the benefits of winter sowing for starting vegetable and herb seeds outdoors. Topics included how to select, prepare and care for winter sowing containers, what crops to sow, and timing of seed starting. Watch the presentation HERE.
Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors
The Charles County Master Gardeners Grow It Eat It Education project presented a workshop on Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors on Saturday, February 1, at the College of Southern Maryland. Participants learned about reading seed packets, growing medium, seed starting light requirements, seed starting care, and how to build a DIY light stand. Included in the presentation was a short section on herbs because this year, the Master Gardeners Grow It Eat It Program is celebrating herbs. For more information on Vegetable Planting, check out the UME Vegetable Planting Calendar for Central Maryland. Watch the slide presentation below.
Gardening for Food, Fun and Health
There’s nothing better than a homegrown vegetable or fistful of herbs fresh from your own garden—whether it’s a big backyard patch or an apartment window box.
The Master Gardeners Grow It Eat It program promotes backyard and community food production. We teach Marylanders and others how to grow their own affordable and healthy food using sustainable gardening practices in their home, community and school gardens.
You can start small or go big. We offer plenty of resources here to get you digging. Learn what to grow and when to grow it. Learn why beneficial bugs are better than pesticides, how to plant to reduce disease and how to save your back and your soil with best no-till gardening practices.
Great Gardening Guides
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Getting Started
Getting StartedAll you need to know to create a garden from scratch, featuring Joyce Browning Horticulturist, Master Gardener Coordinator, Harford County.
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Be a Bug Detective
Be a Bug DetectiveMike Raupp, "The Bug Guy" for the University of Maryland Extension, teaches you the clues to use to find out what’s eating your garden.
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Keep Bugs Off Your Vegetables!
Keep Bugs Off Your Vegetables!Winning the battle against garden pests without using dangerous chemicals from Mike Raupp.
Resources
Starting A Garden
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 the experiences of 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 Charles County Master Gardener 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.
Want to Start a Vegetable Garden? Here's How
Maryland Planting Calendar
Soil
Community Gardening
Small Space Gardening
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Home and Garden Information Center
Home and Garden Information CenterGet science-based, sustainable gardening and integrated pest management education for better human and environmental health.
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Have a Gardening Question?
Have a Gardening Question?Get answers from our team of Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturists, Extension Faculty, and Master Gardeners.
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Maryland Grows Blog
Maryland Grows BlogWe help Maryland residents grow! Learn timely tips to manage your lawn, ornamental plants, and food gardens, with advice from University of Maryland experts and certified horticulturists