Author Archives: PMG Webmaster

March Bluebird House Workshop

Featured

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The Portsmouth Master Gardeners Association is hosting a Bluebird House Workshop on Saturday, March 8, 2025, at 10:00 AM at the Virginia Cooperative Extension Portsmouth Grounds at 105 Utah Street, Portsmouth, VA.

Details:

  • Date & Time: Saturday, March 8, 2025, at 10:00 AM (Rain date: March 15, 2025)
  • Location: Virginia Cooperative Extension Portsmouth Grounds, 105 Utah Street, Portsmouth, VA
  • Fee: $20 per person to cover materials, limit 2 kits per registrant
  • Registration: Pre-registration is required by March 5, 2025. Space is limited to 12 participants.

Registration Form:

You can download the registration form below or pick up a paper copy at the office during regular business hours (M-F 8:30 AM – 5 PM.)

Payment:

Payments can be made by check, cash, or money order payable to PMGA (Portsmouth Master Gardeners Association). Please note that credit cards are not accepted for this event. You may drop off your registration and payment at the Virginia Cooperative Extension Office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the address above. DO NOT PURCHASE “Tickets” from any other source. We DO NOT sell tickets to our events.

Additional Information:

Power tools will be used in this workshop. Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by adult.

For more information, you can contact Cyndi Wyskiewicz at (757) 393-5314 or via email at cyndiw@vt.edu.

Bluebird Image by Naturelady from Pixabay

Download the Registration Form HERE

January Library Talk Recap

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Despite the frigid weather, 33 residents and Portsmouth Master Gardener Association members showed up to hear how to Get Your Garden Going.  Some technical difficulties delayed the start, but once resolved, PMGA member Beatrice Waddell spoke on various gardening methods such as container gardening, trellising, raised beds, lasagne method, and more. Her enthusiasm for gardening was evident as she shared personal vegetable gardening stories, lessons learned from failed attempts, as well as many tried and true methods.  Several excellent publications were handed out as people entered, which explained in more detail some methods that Beatrice touched on during the presentation. (See our January Library Talk Resources post.)

The audience was engaged and asked several questions.  At the end of the presentation, they were invited to attend the upcoming February library talk on Loving Natives. To wrap up the night, raffle items of books and gardening items were given out to enthusiastic winners. The first library talk of 2025 was a success!

CANCELED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER: February Garden Talk: Loving Natives

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February Library Talk Canceled
The City of Portsmouth has announced the closure of all city offices for Wednesday, February 19, 2025. Stay safe and warm. We will see you on March 19th for our talk on Seed Starting and our Seed Swap.

You may have heard the buzz about using native plants in your home landscape. You may also have heard that some can be downright unruly. In this presentation, we will discuss common invasive plants to break up with and native plants that we love for color, texture, and size in a suburban setting.

A beautiful purple-petaled passionflower with green leaves

Date: Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Time 6:30—7:30 p.m.
Place Portsmouth Public Library
Churchland Branch
4934 High Street West

Download Flier HERE

January Library Talk Resources

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Our January Library Talk on Getting Your Garden Going included many resources. We could only offer a few of them at the welcome table. Here is a complete list of PDFs and Books to check out to begin planning your garden.

FREE PUBLICATIONS

Vertical Gardening Using Trellises, Stakes, and Cages SPES-450
https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/HORT/HORT-189/SPES-450.pdf

Intensive Gardening Methods PUB 426-335
https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/426/426-335/426-335.pdf

Sheet mulching — aka lasagna composting — builds soil, saves time
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/soil-compost/sheet-mulching-aka-lasagna-composting-builds-soil-saves-time

Vegetable Garden Planting Guide SPES-170
https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/426/426-331/SPES-170.pdf

Virginia’s Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant

Comparison of Raised Bed Methods, Materials, and Costs SPES-425
https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/spes/spes-425/spes-425.pdf

Container and Raised-Bed Gardening Vegetable Gardening in Containers PUB 426-020
https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/426/426-020/426-020.pdf

Virginia Cooperative Extension Gardener Handbook
https://pressbooks.lib.vt.edu/emgtraining/

BOOKS

The American Horticulture Society Illustrated Encyclopedia of Gardening – CONTAINER GARDENING

LASAGNA GARDENING – Home & Gardening Information Center (Aug. 29, 2019)

STRAW BALE GARDENS Complete. Cool Springs Press   Joe Karsten

The Vegetable Container Gardener’s Container BIBLE by Edward C. Smith

Mason Bee House Workshop

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Join us for our Mason Bee Workshop on February 8th at 11 AM at the Portsmouth Extension Office.
Pre-registration & Payment are REQUIRED before February 5th to reserve your seat.
Fee: $15 for each participant. Maximum 16 participants. An adult must accompany children under 18. You may purchase an additional kit for $15, with a limit of 2 kits per participant.

REGISTRATION FORM can be printed, or you may pick up a copy at the office. Registration
will close on February 5th unless all seats are sold beforehand.

DO NOT Purchase “tickets” from ANYONE. We do not sell tickets. We accept Cash, Check, or Money Orders at the Portsmouth Extension Office during open hours, or you can mail your formal payment to 105 Utah Street, Portsmouth, VA 23701. We can not accept credit or app payments for workshops.

Our Mason Bee House workshop is an educational event that teaches participants how to support mason bees and build a bee house to attract them to their property.

Mason bees are native solitary bees, essential for pollinating flowers and fruit trees.

Image from Wikimedia Commons