Volunteers are welcomed at all of the following projects. Please contact the Chairperson or Coordinator to get more information.

The Help Desk is a service offered at the James City County Extension office and at the MG Farmers’ Market Booth to answer home horticultural questions. Citizens can call, e-mail, or come to the extension office or Farmers’ Market with questions or problems they have encountered in their home gardening. An active master gardener or intern will perform the necessary research for these questions and relay the information to the questioner. All information asked and answered is recapped on daily logs that are kept for several years.

Through the Speaker’s Bureau, Master Gardeners utilize their expertise, knowledge and awareness to educate the public on requested horticultural topics. The speakers bureau is organized to best use our members’ knowledge for the direct education to a wide variety of community groups. Programs include landscape management, best practices horticultural methods using the guidelines of Virginia Cooperative Extension.

The Williamsburg Farmers’ Market is held on Saturdays at Merchants’ Square in downtown Williamsburg. The Master Gardeners have a booth there every other Saturday from 8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. from May through October. Out booth is comprised of 3 tables under two canopies: one table provides turf information, one table provides general information and answers questions from the public (much like the Extension MG Help Desk), and the third table varies from market to market. This table features a theme developed by various Master Gardener project volunteers. Themes have included herbs, vegetables, trees/shrubs, drought tolerant plants, plant propagation, perennials, etc. This project recruits 3 volunteers for each market at the help table while the turf and theme tables recruit their own volunteers.
For a schedule of themes to be presented, see the Farmers' Market page--CLICK HERE.

Turf Love is a partner program between PRIDE and Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener volunteers. Through public workshops and home visits, Master Gardener volunteers teach homeowners how to produce healthy turf while reducing the use of fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides which pollute streams, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay. Water conservation is also promoted through proper mowing techniques. Information and answers to questions on lawn, soil and weeds are given at the MG Farmers’ Market booth every other week. Turf Love is also part of the Master Gardener exhibit at the James City County Fair and various community gatherings.

Master Gardeners in 2-3 person teams visit homes to assist local residents with a variety of non-turf related problems. Our audience is local property owners requesting education about general (non-turf) landscaping topics, or if they are experiencing landscape problems and need assistance. We also see the potential of working with local homeowner community groups in either an educational or general problem solving capacity. Advice is offered on animal pests, flowers, groundcovers and mulch, insect pests, irrigation, landscape design, pruning, tree and shrub identification and care. The Landscape Love team has developed an extensive website database to help distribute landscape information to volunteers and homeowners (which can be accessed at http://jccwmg.org). There are two working sessions. The first is in the spring and generally runs from April 15 to June 1. The second runs in the fall from September 15 to October 31. We do not operate Landscape Love during the summer. We typically have about 8-10 teams made up of experienced Master Gardeners and Interns. We try to limit the number of homeowner visits to 5 per team, per season.

There are two CW learning gardens that the Master Gardeners are involved in. The Reid Learning Garden is an 18th Century combination of an herb, perennial, vegetable garden and orchard. The Shields Learning Garden is devoted solely to vegetables. Both are located in the restored area of Colonial Williamsburg. Separate interest groups of Master Gardeners focus on different areas of the garden and are coordinated by the project chairperson. In addition, Master Gardeners, who have been trained by Colonial Williamsburg, lead “Meet the Gardener” educational tours through the gardens. The Vegetables Group and the Herbs Group meet weekly from March through October and coordinate their work schedules. The Flowers Group meets regularly at least once a month from March through November. The Composting Team meets whenever needed. The Orchard Team, involving pruning and care of the 18th Century orchard, is coordinated as needed by the Peninsula Tree Stewards.
For a list of plantings in the Reid Garden, CLICK HERE.

Melissa’s Meadow is a native plant meadow located on the campus of William and Mary. It was designed and created as a joint project of the JCC/W Master Gardeners and members of the John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society. Members of both groups share their skills in maintaining both the meadow and developing programs. Presentations and seminars on drought-tolerant native plants grown in the meadow are conducted throughout the year, both formally and informally. In the fall seeds are collected and made available to outreach programs, such as through the Farmers’ Market and several area elementary schools where they have become the beginning of school gardens. There are about a dozen newcomers as well as vintage Master Gardeners who maintain and monitor the meadow’s health. We generally meet every third Thursday throughout the growing season. This Meadow is a wonderful resource for newcomers to Virginia to learn what will work here in spite of drought and deer (who frequently sleep in the meadow!)

There are two low-maintenance water-wise gardens. One is located at the Human Resources Center (HRC) on Old Town Road. The second is located on the east side of the JCC Extension Office., near the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Toano.
HRC Garden: A variety of native and hardy drought tolerant perennial plants provide a showcase garden of low-maintenance requiring little watering. Many of the plants are identified with small plant markers to help educate the public. A large sign, identifying the garden as Water Wide Low Maintenance Garden created by the JCC/W Master Gardeners was installed in August 2003 courtesy of the James City Service Authority “Let's Be Water Smart Program”. Master Gardeners maintain the garden when necessary throughout the year.
EOC Garden: With a major construction project underway at this site, the garden has been reduced to a small strip of surviving perennials, and we are waiting until the building is occupied (3/2006) to begin again in this garden. We would like to develop a native grasses demonstration garden, to show the public the benefits of native grasses. We will emphasize low maintenance, drought tolerance, hardiness and longevity; use a wide range of soil types, and resistance to deer damage.
In 2006, a Power Point program is being developed to use in community, as well as Master Gardener education to promote use of these plants, emphasizing their low water, low-maintenance features. We will include native grasses in this presentation.

This is a new project aimed at establishing a sound relationship with the Williamsburg Botanical Garden by planning and supervising the planting of a perennial garden in the WBG demonstration garden in Freedom Park. It is hoped that this project will continue by using the garden as an educational tool for the community.

The CW Nursery-MG Outreach Project gives hands-on propagation, seedling and grafting experience to Master Gardeners and Interns. Horticultural research from the CW Greenhouse is shared with the Extension MG Help Desk. Volunteers at the greenhouse work with a variety of community organizations on educational projects.

Structured horticultural activities improve physical and mental health, expand recreational options and enhance health and well-being. In the Spring House at Patriot’s Colony, we have a program for the memory-impaired with independent-living residents assisting. At Morningside we run two programs consecutively, one for assisted-living residents and a shorter program at The Garden for the severely memory-impaired. Moderately-retarded, emotionally-handicapped and assisted-living adults attend the Eastern State program. The Methodist Respite Care is a year-round, once a month program for the severely physically and emotionally handicapped.

• Spring House at Patriot’s Colony, 2nd&4th Tuesdays April-August, 2nd Tuesday Spring & Fall, 9:30-11:30. Genrose Lashinger
• Morningside Assisted Living and The Garden at Morningside, 1st & 3rd Thursday, April-August, 1st Thursday Spring & Fall, 1:30-4:00. Linda Lucas and Jeanne Gilman
• Eastern State, 1st & 3rd Tuesdays, April-August, 1st Tuesday Fall 9:30-11:30. Barbara Gustafson
• Methodist Respite Care Center, 2nd Thursday every month, 1:00-3:00. Charlie Clapper

This garden is a hands-on outdoor classroom at Matthew Whaley Elementary, aligning the science curriculum and SOL’s with gardening activities. Master Gardeners and volunteers from the American Herb Society help kindergartners learn about seeds by growing salad vegetables, and herbs. The kindergarteners also have a butterfly garden. First graders are involved in the Master Gardener Seeds of Learning Project, raising their own plants as well as reading literature about gardening and plants. Second graders work and study in the garden with the Roots and Shoots program. Third graders do a test garden with loam, clay and sand. Sugar snap peas and decorative gourds are also grown in that area. Gourds are harvested the following fall to be made into birdhouses. Fourth graders have a 4-H unit sowing plants grown in Colonial Virginia. Fifth graders help prepare the garden for planting in the spring and putting the garden to bed in the fall. Parents and other community volunteers also assist in all phases of the garden.

The Seeds of Learning project involves approximately 950 first grade students in all our elementary schools with four Master Gardener volunteers generally presenting the program to each class of 18-20 students in every first grade classroom in the Williamsburg-James City County School System. The objective is to introduce students to gardening using the Standards of Learning science curriculum as a guide. The demonstration lessons are designed to assist the teachers in meeting first grade SOL requirements regarding plants using hands-on interactive activities. Master Gardeners teach children about different types of seeds, growing requirements (soil, water, sun, and air), and how plants grow. The Seeds of Learning Project presents important concepts of science in a clear, non-threatening manner while meeting the Virginia Science Standards of Learning concerning plants for the first grade. SOL runs from April through early June.

We have a chance to strengthen children’s knowledge of plants, animals, insects, and environment, supporting and reinforcing Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL’s) in a positive fun way. Children will learn to ask questions, find answers, increase their knowledge about the world and increase their skills in working with the land. The impact on SOL's will be primarily in science, but with a literacy emphasis, it will enhance children's desire to read. Volunteers are needed to act as school leads, classroom assistants or subject matter experts.

VCE Special Projects includes various projects requested by the Extension Office. Special projects can include a number of community activities and special seminars, as well as scheduling volunteers for extra Extension MG Help Desk or program delivery assistance. The one time or short term programs respond to Community needs and address requests from community groups or partner organizations. Programs include the JCC Fair, reforestation projects, consulting with schools or non profit organizations for horticultural program development; water shed and farm tours, outreach programs at fairs and community special events.

The Master Gardener Plant Sale is held every spring as our organization’s major annual fund raiser. Master Gardeners grow plants from seed, transplant plants, repot plants and collect plants and then price and label them for the sale. We also solicit donations and sponsors, develop publicity, and organize specialty booths and information centers on the site. Many volunteers are needed for a variety of activities from February through April.

Incredible Edibles is a project designed to help Master Gardeners sharpen their skills in the area of "edible gardening", i.e., vegetables, fruits, and herbs. The main idea is to learn ourselves, with an eye toward adding variety and quality to our own families' diets, while also exploring ways to expand this to include community gardens, particularly in underserved areas. By learning successful gardening techniques for growing edible plants, we hope to pass on that knowledge to other adults and children in our community. Master Gardeners now involved: 4-6 Summer. Could use 3 more Summer.

This program is dedicated to working with the community to enhance tree plantings. Projects fall under the heading of Inventory, Reforestation and Presentations.

Water Stewards contribute to the improvement of the condition of residential water quality as affected by agricultural non-point source pollution in their communities through public education programs, demonstration sites, and landscape management.

Master Gardeners build bluebird houses to establish more habitats for wildlife. These are made of second growth cedar, which needs no preservatives. The use of second growth wood protects our virgin stands of old growth trees. Profits from these sales support JCC/W Master Gardeners and Cooperative Extension educational programs in horticulture for the greater James City County community.