Welcome to
Suffolk Extension Master Gardeners
We Exist to Serve You
Suffolk Extension Master Gardeners (Suffolk EMGs) volunteer their time and expertise to provide FREE horticultural education for residents of the City of Suffolk, Virginia. They provide programs for both youth and adults on a variety of topics like tree care, native plants, flower and vegetable gardening, pest and disease identification, integrated pest management, and more. Visit the programs, events, and demonstration garden pages to learn more!
Ask a Master Gardener
Getting help is easy! Suffolk EMGs can be found at our office, on Facebook, by phone, email, and at various Suffolk farmers markets. Take advantage of our Ask a Master Gardener program, where you can contact us from the comfort of your own home! To submit a question, email us at SuffolkMG@gmail.com or call us at 757-514-4335. When emailing, attach pictures of the plant, pest, or problem and provide a detailed description. This will allow us to serve you. A Suffolk EMG volunteer will respond in a timely manner. Beginning in 2024, volunteers will be providing monthly office hours. Stop by our Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) classroom and obtain research-based assistance with your gardening questions and concerns.
Spotted Lanterfly Information
Pest Alert: Spotted Lanternfly Identification
and Reporting in Virginia
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We’re looking forward to meeting prospective new Master Gardener Volunteers tomorrow at 6:00! You can still register to join an information session and learn more about volunteering and expectations, get your questions answered, and meet some of our volunteers. Register at https://forms.gle/qLUrtyTzGmnAv9Xy9.
This year’s training fits into busy lives with only 3-5 in-person commitments per month.
Basic details:
- Training runs September 16, 2026 - March 10, 2027 with 6+ weeks off over for holidays.
- Meets Wednesdays at VCE from 6 - 8:30pm.
- Meets one Saturday each month for a field trip/lab from 9 - noon.
- Training pauses for Veterans Day, two weeks at Thanksgiving, and four weeks early December to early January.
- $195 cost includes:
- $82 Suffolk course fee,
- $100 state program fee, and
- $13 state background screening fee.
Some scholarship funds may be available.
See a PDF of this flyer at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F_nAQymtTLisdlL6oP-1yyu2ko7mk5sA/view?usp=sharing.
While we hope you can join us in person so you can chat with us, if you cannot make May 6th, a portion will be recorded and available by Zoom on May 16th. Register for either date at https://forms.gle/qLUrtyTzGmnAv9Xy9.
The full class schedule will be available and application link will be provided at the information session. Application period ends May 31st.
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Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and local governments and is an equal opportunity employer. For the full non-discrimination statement, please visit ext.vt.edu/accessibility.
If you are a person with a disability and desire assistance or accommodation, please contact Andrea Slye, VCE City of Suffolk, at 757-514-4337 during business hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. *TDD number is (800) 828-1120.
21 years of Ready, Set, Grow! If you or someone you know came home with a potted sunflower seed/seedling in 1st grade in the City of Suffolk, it was probably through this Virginia Cooperative Extension-City of Suffolk Master Gardener program. In 2026 and most other years, over 1,000 children planted a sunflower seed and learned with our volunteers who reinforce standards of learning around what plants need to grow using "Oh Say Can You Seed? All About Flowering Plants." Here are a few photos over the years, some including the training class of 2025! Plus a nice thank you note received yesterday.
And if YOU want to help teach our youngest gardeners, register for tomorrow's Zoom webinar to learn more and see our flyer with class details at forms.gle/qLUrtyTzGmnAv9Xy9. ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentsComment on Facebook
Did you know you can help create more butterfly habitat as a Master Gardener? Yep! You can share information about butterflies or YOUR favorite topic of interest.
I'm a butterfly gardener, and in my garden, the purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens) is in full bloom and the common milkweed (A. syriaca) is just starting to bloom. These are just two of the milkweeds we can grow in Virginia. Monarch butterfly caterpillars are specialist feeders, and common milkweed is their favorite in my (their) garden. I also grow swamp and whorled, which doesn't get as much attention. Avoid insecticides anywhere near your plants, and you could watch the entire lifecycle in your garden, from egg to butterfly! Common is easy to grow and spreads aggressively by runners. Butterfly milkweed (A. tuberosa) or Swamp milkweed (A. incarnata) are both better behaved and spread by seed and increasing clumps. If you have a hot, dry area, grow Butterfly milkweed. If you have a wetter area, grow Swamp milkweed.
What's YOUR gardening passion? Want to stop runoff into our waterways? Want more native plants? Have a knack for growing tomatoes? You can help home gardeners as a Suffolk VCE Master Gardener by educating about a topic you already love!
Join us by Zoom Saturday at 9:00 for a short webinar to learn more. Register and see our flyer with details at forms.gle/qLUrtyTzGmnAv9Xy9.
The full class schedule will be available and application link provided at the webinar. Application period ends May 31st.
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Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and local governments and is an equal opportunity employer. For the full non-discrimination statement, please visit ext.vt.edu/accessibility.
If you are a person with a disability and desire assistance or accommodation, please contact Rose Hughes, VCE City of Suffolk, at 757-514-4331 during business hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. *TDD number is (800) 828-1120. ... See MoreSee Less
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
We asked last year's class about volunteer training. See Kristen's quote in the graphic. Kristen had to wait a whole year to take Master Gardener training because we didn't have enough interest in 2024 (don't let that happen this year!), and she hasn't wasted a minute since. She put together a seed-starting talk and display for the seed swap, created our "save the date" postcards, and has stepped up as a volunteer on our help desk to answer questions. She's also certified as a Master Gardener Volunteer!
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You don't have to wait. If you want to volunteer in a gardening-focused program, register for Saturday's Zoom information session to learn more, and see our flyer with more details, both at: forms.gle/qLUrtyTzGmnAv9Xy9.
The full class schedule will be available and application link will be provided at the information session. Application period ends May 31st.
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Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and local governments and is an equal opportunity employer. For the full non-discrimination statement, please visit ext.vt.edu/accessibility.
If you are a person with a disability and desire assistance or accommodation, please contact Rose Hughes, VCE City of Suffolk, at 757-514-4331 during business hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. *TDD number is (800) 828-1120. ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentsComment on Facebook