York/Poquoson Master Gardeners

Advice, education, and resources from trained volunteers.

Upcoming events

Kids Gardening Club

Introduce children to the beauty and joy of gardening! Join us in the York Learning Garden as we read a book, do a craft, and explore the garden!
301 Goodwin Neck, Rd. Yorktown, VA
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Saturday, May 30
Wednesday, June 10
Saturday, July 11
Wednesday, August 12
Saturday, October 3

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Healthy Virginia Lawns Program

Schedule a visit with our Healthy Virginia Lawns program to learn how to get the most of your lawn.

- You may or may not need fertilizer.
- You may need a different fertilizer than you've used in the past.
- A different type of grass may do better with your individual conditions.

Find out with a visit from our master gardeners!
Visits cost $20, registration is required
Only available to York County and Poquoson residents.

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Programs

Help Desk

Email us with questions about your lawn and garden: yk.pq.mg@gmail.com

Contact
Healthy Virginia Lawns Program

Each spring and fall, our master gardeners will visit your yard, test the soil, and provide personalized advice that will help you have a beautiful lawn that follows best practices to minimize harm to the environment and wildlife.
Registration is required.
Visits will occur from August 11 - 27, 2026
Call the office to register: 757-890-4940 or click on the button below

Sign Up
Plant Sales

Our Fall Plant Sale is in September at the Poquoson Learning Garden.
Our Facebook page will have the most up-to-date information.

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Sustainable Landscape Squad

Want to enhance your landscape with better soil, native plants, wildlife habitats, or other sustainable practices?
Call us to schedule a visit by the Sustainable Landscape Squad for personalized advice!
757-890-4940

Sign up
Tree Stewards

Our tree stewards have specialized training to advise you on how to address your tree problems.
Does a tree look sick or odd? Are you unsure of whether to fertilize or use herbicide on a troublesome tree? Call us out by contacting the Help Desk and a few members of our team will visit your property to help you develop a plan.

Sign up
Gardening Classes

Learn about everything from starting seeds to dealing with mosquitoes during our spring classes.
Check our Facebook page for the most up-to-date information.

Facebook
Learning Gardens

Visit our learning gardens for ideas about landscape design and gardening techniques.
Poquoson Learning Garden: 968 Poquoson Ave, Poquoson, VA 23662
York Learning Garden: 301 Goodwin Neck Rd, Yorktown, VA 23692
Children's Classes

We offer several classes at the York Learning Garden this year.
The next ones will be on July 11, August 12, and October 3rd at 10:00 am.
Check the website and Facebook page regularly for information.

Facebook

Who are Extension Master Gardeners?

Extension Master Gardeners are trained volunteer educators. They work within their local communities to encourage and promote environmentally sound horticulture practices through sustainable landscape management education and training.

As an educational outreach component of Virginia Cooperative Extension, the Master Gardener program brings the resources of Virginia’s land-grant universities – Virginia Tech and Virginia State University – to the people of the commonwealth.

All volunteers are trained and have at least 50 hours of horticultural classes and return at least 50 hours of volunteer community service through their local Extension office.

Learn more

Are you interested in becoming a

York/Poquoson Master Gardener?

Role

Master Gardeners are a vital resource to the York County/Poquoson Extension Horticultural Program. These volunteers teach classes, answer horticultural inquiries, present programs, and diagnose plant diseases. Master Gardeners extend the resources of the land-grant university through their volunteer efforts.

Course Overview

The Master Gardener Training class for 2025, is a 14-week virtual course from August 13 – November 19, utilizing the Canvas learning management system. Canvas course class assignments will be completed on your schedule prior to the required evening Zoom classes on Wednesdays from 7:00pm-8:30pm. There will be optional in-person hands-on Saturday field trips.

Upon graduation the participant will return 50 hours of service to their local Virginia Cooperative Extension by participating in various Master Gardener services to the community such as answering horticulture questions at the help desk, conducting educational programs, leading a team, or providing support to other Master Gardeners in many other areas. To maintain Master Gardener status after the first year, each volunteer must complete 20 hours of service to the community and 8 hours of continuing education, per year.

Course Fee and Application

The cost is $185. Applications will be accepted April 30 - July 7, 2025. Course fee includes a digital version of the training manual and a non-refundable background check fee of $12.50 and a non-refundable credit card fee of $7.33.

Classes cover some of the following topics: