The best free and low-cost garden education
resources for Virginia gardeners
Free and Low-cost garden education resources in Virginia
In this post, we will discuss apps, local classes local certifications, schools, conferences, public gardens and nature center programs, WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms), and intern and work suggestions. These are free or low-cost garden education resources here in Virginia.
Garden apps
In my garden class, we go around to different beds and wild areas to identify and learn more about plants and compare garden app results. We have mostly used iNaturalist, Seek, Picture This, and Google Lens.
A newer one I have heard of (mostly for native plants) is the Virginia Flora app, and I also like Merlin (a bird identifying app developed at Cornell).
Garden apps are quickly advancing
Two years ago, Picture This was the most accurate, and it was one that cost money. Seek and Google Lens are free or have free versions. Because of the rapid development of AI, Google Lens has become much more accurate in just the few years I have used it.
I will keep paying for Picture This, though. Why? Because it also has plant care tips, relevant seasonal posts, disease diagnoses. It is unique: it also tells you where that plant has appeared in literature and poetry. As an English major, I like that!
Master Gardener, Master Naturalist and Tree Steward Programs
I took the Virginia Beach Master gardener program many moons ago. It is still run the same general way in cities and counties throughout Virginia. Offered through the Virginia Agriculture Extension Program, it lasts about two months.
For $200-300, one receives an ENORMOUS binder and approximately 50 hours of training in gardening topics. Soils, flowers, herbs, disease prevention, etc. are covered. Usually, these lectures and field trips are led by different speakers. You learn so much in a short time!
After you complete the training (you may miss ONE class, that is all), you are expected to complete about 50 hours of volunteer work. When you complete THOSE hours, then you become a certified Master Gardener. To maintain that certification, you must complete 50 hours of volunteer work a year.
It sounds daunting, but that is equivalent to less than 1 hour a week, 10 five-hour days, or about 4 hours a month. There usually MANY events for which to volunteer, and you will meet many local gardeners or garden enthusiasts.
They are happy to have people take calls on the plant line. If you prefer to address crowds, you could speak at events. Need to work more from home? Write for the newsletters, and donate plants. There are always opportunities to work with your hands as an MG: garden in the myriad beds they maintain.
You will make friends with more plant people, see beautiful gardens, and come away with at least one plant. (I promise!) It is a great deal, and a wonderful way to be involved in your community.
The other programs, Master Naturalists and Tree Stewards have similar costs and time commitments, and also are overseen by the Extension service. I would like to complete both of those as well, one day!
Garden groups, Clubs, Societies
There is something for almost everyone in Virginia: Camellia societies, Native plant societies, Herbal groups, cannabis clubs, Butterfly societies, neighborhood garden groups, schoolyard gardens, community gardens. Most of these types of groups meet 1-4 times a month. Their membership and time commitment is usually low-cost and minimal.
Conferences and festivals
There are organic farming conferences (January, Virginia Association for Biological Farming), Cut Flower programs year-round online and in-person (Virginia State University), Herbs (May, in Richmond), Wildflower Symposiums (Wintergreen, in May), and a huge Flower show (nearby Washington, D.C., also in May). I could go on and on.
There are many Farmers Market and harvest festivals toward the end of the growing season. Home and garden shows at conference centers around the state are quick ways to get a lot of info, usually in mid-winter.
I try to share news of these fun events on this blog and its companion social media site, Instagram. All have beautiful plants and plant products for sale, and classes available for free or (in some cases) a reasonable fee.
Other certification programs
Of course, there are other private-led certification programs. There are, of course, University 4-year degrees (Virginia Tech and Virginia State University are generally known best for their agricultural programs statewide). The community college system across Virginia is wonderful and many localities of late (2021) offer free tuition for first-time students hoping to obtain an associate’s degree.
In Charlottesville, Piedmont Virginia Community College offers classes in gardening, landscape design, vineyard planting and management, and hops and cannabis classes, even.
I have taken mushroom i.d. classes at Blue Ridge Community college, and I know they have a great Organic gardening program at J. Sargeant Reynolds.
With 23 community college systems at 40 campuses throughout the state, there are ample opportunities to obtain certificates and 2-year degrees in all things agriculture related. Some of the best programs offer in-person and online classes, so do not let distance deter you if there is a program you are interested in.
Additionally, there are online and in-person Herbalist and Permaculture classes all around our great state. These offer classes, workshops and full-blown design certification courses with a more personal touch.
Sacred Plant Traditions (herbalism near Charlottesville), Blue Ridge Permaculture (in the Shenandoah Valley), Living Earth School (Afton) and Vicki Shufer’s wild foods classes (Virginia Beach) are some that come to mind. These programs have good reputations, and many happy former attendees can vouch for their offerings.
Internships
What if you have a desire to learn a lot more, but you do not have unlimited funds?
You are interested in the economics of pursuing a career or a degree in agriculture, but do not have the money to take a gamble on whether something is a good fit for you?
There are several opportunities at University of Virginia, where I currently teach: a small organic raised bed garden; a LARGE organic garden at Morven Farm across town, in the historic Pavilion gardens on the Lawn. We all gladly accept volunteers and offer a few paid internships as well.
Also in Charlottesville, for example, interns lead programs at Ivy Creek Nature Center. Perhaps you’d prefer removing invasive plants at Piedmont Botanical Garden. If not maybe you see yourself planting Heirloom vegetables at historic homes such as Monticello or Ash Lawn.
I am sure the situation is similar in most public gardens, colleges and universities around the state, near wherever you may live.
Paid work
Would you like to spend time outside with plants or gardening part or full-time? Check out the local garden centers or farmers markets. Call landscape firms, visit florists and ask about their local providers, and refer to the local food guides for nearby farms.
C.S.A.s are a good first place to check, because they generally need help for longer seasons, and are expert in producing crops nearly year-round. (We live in Virginia, so yes, we can do that here!)
Wanderlust
What if you really want to be outside and try local food and help grow it, but ALSO want to travel and try growing things like pineapples or rice, or dairy sheep (things we admittedly don’t have much of in this state)? Check out Willing Workers on Organic farms.
For a small membership fee, you can feel both rooted and travel far and wide and bring home memories of great food, beautiful farms, and knowledge. My friends did this for their extended one-year honeymoon.
They liked French food and eventually wanted to farm, so they became wwoof-ers for a year, travelling around France. Sharing tables with farmers and goats. Learning how to grow and cook new things… they got a crash-course on what it takes to be effective at the farm business.
Airbnb also offers lodging and experiences on farms, where you can pay to stay on a farm and merely observe or tune into Airbnb experiences and take advantage of low-cost experiences you can ONLY get on-site.
Not just yoga with goats, but cheese and pasta-making, grape harvests and wine tastings…there are endless ways in Virginia and beyond to try your hand at growing things and make money (or great memories) while doing it!
Please write me if you have an experience I should cover or add to this post. I LOVE hearing about educational opportunities in Virginia agriculture!