New River Valley Master Gardeners

Sharing Knowledge, Empowering Communities

Project Spotlight

Share the Spare Celebrating 10th Anniversary

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The 2021 season of Share the Spare will begin Saturday June 5th at the Blacksburg Farmers Market.  Photo: Lynn Brammer, Project Leader

In 2010 the NRVMGers initiated a program at the Blacksburg Farmers Market. A master gardener booth was set up to encourage those shopping the market to consider purchasing an extra item (or two) of produce to donate to our booth’s basket. It was an experiment to see how we could support and supplement our food pantries with locally grown fresh produce.  

 

Through the generosity of our community, we have proven we can do big things when we work together towards a common goal. Literally tons of produce have been put on the plates and tables of our local friends and neighbors in the 10 years of Share the Spare.

 

In addition to engaging with the market goers about our mission of produce collection, we also get a chance to share our passion for successful, sustainable growing. With encouragement from the market manager, we take advantage of the opportunity to function as a Plant Clinic as well. Our table is full of soil test kits, planting charts, seeds to share and resource information.

 

During last seasons hiatus the New River Valley Glean Team stepped up and served in our place. Discussions with their leaders led us to offer an invitation to collaborate with the NRVMG in the upcoming season. The glean team secures garden sites in the area in order to plant produce for harvesting, strictly for the purpose of donated to those in the underserved areas of our community.

 

We are looking forward to another successful season at the Blacksburg Farmer’s Market and hope you will join us – Sharing Your Spare!

Stadium Woods Update

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In 2020, despite a 3.5 month break for COVID-19 concerns, over 60 volunteers contributed a total of 350+ hours in the woods. Progress is being made that has been amazing to those who have spent several years volunteering.

 

Because this is such a unique habitat, when we remove invasive plants, native plants start popping up. This would not happen in heavily disturbed areas. Because of the rain this summer, fungi of all kinds were prolific. This variety of species would not be seen in other wood- lots in our area. If you have just spent an hour or two working in Stadium Woods, you have helped to free the natives. 

My Goals for 2021:

Ghost Pipe
  1. Keep removing non-native invasive plants with the help of as many volunteers possible in Stadium Woods and Depot Park.
  2. Establish list of invasive plants for local governments to not plant as part of their buildings and grounds policy.
  3. Ask landowners in the community to allow members of the New River Valley Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society as well as Master Naturalist to allow us to collect divisions, cuttings and seeds of local plants on their private property to establish stock plants to use in future restorations, such as Stadium Woods, Huckleberry Trail, Depot Park, Heritage Park.
  4. Encourage removal of invasive plants and planting of natives by visiting homeowners property and identifying invasive plants and following up with suggestions of natives to plant in their place. 

Anywhere you work to remove invasive plants, even your yard, helps our parks and natural habitats. So cut down that Callery Pear and cut that English ivy, winter creeper and Asiatic bittersweet out of your trees. 

Pulaski Community Youth Center Garden Project

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Under the direction of Master Gardener Beth Kirby, the Garden Project at PCYC’s Summer Camp offered Fairlawn youth the opportunity to learn about gardening and practice their new skills – planting, weeding, watering and harvesting. With a lot of compost and elbow grease, the kids transformed a blank slate of raised beds into a tasty assortment of veggies and lovely annual flowers and perennials. Future Master Gardeners, here we come!