These are the most helpful things I can think of to have in a Virginia garden toolbox. After thirty years of gardening in this great state, these are the organizations, memberships, websites, seeds, apps, books and actual tools) I use,and return to year after year.

Virginia-based organizations (alphabetically):

Buy fresh Buy Local Guide “Buy Fresh Buy Local Virginia supports local farms, retailers, restaurants and food businesses by promoting local farm and food products to consumers.  Our program includes local food producers of all philosophies who are interested in connecting with local markets.”

VABF Virginia Association for Biological Farming “VABF encompasses a community of farmers, gardeners, homesteaders, students, teachers, researchers, and general supporters of local and sustainable food systems! Find out more about VABF memberships [here].”

Virginia Cooperative Extension– Based out of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and Virginia State University in Petersburg. The cooperative extnesion in our state offers low-cost soil testing and analysis, the annual Master Gardener, Master Naturalist and Tree Steward classes and certifications, and Master gardener plant sales and hotlines to call with your questions.

They also conduct workshops for gardeners and farmers on diverse topics like pond building and health, growing cut flowers for sale, and canning produce at season’s end. It is your tax dollars at work, and a great resource for all Virginians.

Virginia is for Gardeners Instagram page – Daytrips and tips for Virginia gardens and gardeners. This is the companion social media page to this website, Virginiaisforgardeners.com Updated regularly with garden calendars, free/inexpensive garden education and events around the state for gardeners and garden-enthusiasts. Also: read this to learn my best tips for how to stay comfortable while gardening

Virginia Native Plant Society “is a nonprofit organization focused on the appreciation, preservation, and conservation of Virginia’s native plants and ecosystems. The Society supports programs such as the Wildflower of the Year, the Native Plant Site Registry, plant rescues, educational workshops, and invasive plant management. VNPS chapters across the state organize field trips, plant sales, volunteer activities, and school or community programs to engage the public in native plant conservation.”

Virginia seed companies

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange SESE offers “about 850 varieties of vegetable, flower, herb, grain and cover crop seeds. We emphasize varieties that perform well in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Gardeners and farmers over the country grow our seeds.

“As of 2025, over 60% of the varieties we offer are Certified Organic, and over 60% are grown by small farmers we know and contract with directly. We offer many unusual Southern heirlooms. [These include] peanuts, southern peas, naturally colored cotton, collards, okra, roselle, turnip greens, corns for roasting and meal, and butterbeans. We do not sell chemically treated seeds.”

The Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants was “established at Monticello in 1986, collects, preserves, and distributes historic and native plant varieties. [They] strive to promote greater appreciation for the origins and evolution of garden plants. We are Monticello’s unique nursery located in a beautiful garden setting at Jefferson’s Tufton Farm”.

Virginia nurseries

Because I live in Afton, the nurseries listed below ae very close to my neck of the woods. As time passes, and this website grows, I hope this section will grow along with it! Send me your favorites. I love stopping in and visiting new plant places:)

Edible Landscaping Afton, VA

Fifth Season Gardening Charlottesville, VA

Hummingbird Hill Free Union, VA

Little Bluestem Afton, VA

Milmont Stuart’s Draft

Tools

Bamboo gloves– See picture above for general attributes. These have lasted much longer than the cotton or nylon gloves used in my student garden.And, because they are bamboo, I daresay they are more sustainably-produced than garden gloves of other materials.

Bullnose shovel– Necessary for double digging and planting trees.

Homi– A Korean garden handtool that serves as a weeder, trowel, hand rake and bulb planter. It is a beautiful (if quite sharp) all-in-one that reduces the necessity for multiple hand tools. Thank you to my friend and former coworker Tommy Gardens for telling me about this tool!

Leaf rake– Useful if you have a lot of leaves falling in your garden in Autumn.

Metal Rake– I use this upside down to level just-dug beds and to create planting rows/divets in the freshly-added compost.

Pitchfork– Necessary for turning compost and breaking up clods in more clayey soil. I am short, so I like the 3/4 size.

Sunhat– A must if you aren’t working in a shady garden or only on cloudy days. Plus, it makes you look cute. The one below is a Screamer!

Tarps– easier to use when weeding than having to roll a wheelbarrow around. Also, preferrable if you are in tight spaces or going up or downhill a lot. Plants you want to transplant a day or two later can be left in a folded tarp (it will hold moisture better than in a pot or wheelbarrow). For professional gardeners, tarps are infinitely easier than wheelbarrows to fit in any vehicle.

Wheelbarrow– But speaking of the old trusty and true, nothing beats a metal True Temper for getting the job done. The one below is over twenty years old. Older salesmen advised me once in Lowe’s that I was a “a little lady” and tried to steer me to a much smaller plastic wheelbarrow.

I bet that plastic one would’ve been in a landfill within five years. I think of this every time I use it!

Books

Foraging book links for Virginia

Fruit and Nut tree and shrub books for Virginia- tba

Native plant books for Virginia-tba

Vegetable Gardening books for Virginia

Websites & apps

Gardenary is a blog, a source for calendars, books, garden tools and raised beds. They also offer an entire academy of short and long courses, a certification and a network of garden consultants. The Business owner Nicole Johnsey-Burke used to live in Virginia! (Charlottesville).

Merlin “Identify Bird Songs and Calls as Merlin’s Sound ID listens to the birds around you and shows real-time suggestions for who’s singing. Compare your recording to the songs and calls in Merlin to confirm what you heard. Sound ID works completely offline, so you can identify birds you hear no matter where you are.

“Available for birds in the US, Canada, Europe, with some common birds of Central and South America, and India.”

Picture This “was born from a child’s curiosity. One day, a mother and daughter were walking in the park when the child spotted a flower. “Mommy, what’s this flower?” she asked.
This simple question sparked an idea: What if we could identify plants just by taking a photo? Inspired by this child’s curiosity and a desire to help more people learn about the plants, trees, insects and world around them, we created Picture This. Seven years later, the app has over 100 million users who have collectively identified over one billion plants!”

Virginia Flora App-“Flora of Virginia publications are relied on by thousands of environmental advocates as a critical reference. Professionals use our data to drive botanical research, environmental assessments and restoration planning work that will protect and restore Virginia’s amazing natural communities. Enthusiasts and private property owners rely on the Flora to identify beautiful natives that need active protection from invasive species, and educators introduce students to the amazing flora of Virginia in primary, secondary and college curricula.”