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
🌳 Did you know a small patch of forest can hold over 160 years of history?
A recent Virginia Tech study reveals just how much we can learn from tree rings in a small woodland near the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center. By studying tree growth patterns through a field called dendroecology, researchers were able to uncover centuries of disturbance, recovery, and change hidden within the forest.
What they found challenges a common assumption, that the largest trees are always the oldest. In some cases, smaller trees were actually the oldest survivors, likely left behind after past logging removed the larger ones. 🌿
Even more interesting, the study highlights that these small, urban-adjacent forest fragments, often overlooked, can still hold significant ecological value and tell powerful stories about resilience and change over time.
It’s a great reminder that important natural history isn’t just found in remote wilderness areas—it can be right in our own communities. 🌱
📖 Read more about the study here:
news.vt.edu/articles/2025/11/cnre-research-tree-ring.html?utm_source=cmpgn_extmstrgrdn&utm_medium...
🌳 Every tree really does have a story to tell! ...
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🍎🌿 Have you ever stopped to think about what makes an apple an apple?
Apples have a fascinating botanical story, from their evolution and relationship with wildlife to the surprising structure of the fruit we eat. 🍏
This month’s Gather & Sow takes a deeper look at apples, their history, evolution, and even what you can discover by cutting one open!
🍎 Read the full article and explore the fascinating world of apples:
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Thank you so much to those of you who supported our seed library at North Suffolk Public Library this week! We received donations of 5,000 envelopes and 3,000 labels purchased through our Amazon Wish list at amzn.to/4c6zXkr and a $20 donation through www.suffolkmastergardener.org/donate/ that will go toward seed for 2027! We so appreciate our community's support in this program that has reached over 2,700 families!
There's still time to help give out the next 10,000 packets of seeds! A donation of a few dollars can buy a pack of seed that helps dozens of families grow a fresh vegetable for the table, an herb to season their meals, a native plant to support local wildlife, or flowers to cut for their table. Happy gardening! ...
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