I had the best time volunteering at this garden! I went to the PVCC Garden on April 14. Immediately, I felt welcomed, and all the volunteers were kind and inclusive. David, who runs the garden, gave me and other newbies a tour and explained the shift’s plan. He’s very knowledgeable about all things gardening! We learned about how the garden operates and even specifics about the plants. It was so lovely to have someone show us around like that! Even though we were given tasks, there was still a sense of independence and trust as David allowed us to figure out how to do the task. He trusted us ..read more

Last week, I cranked up the ol’ mower and ran it around the place. It might not seem like that has much to do with gardening, but it absolutely does. During the course of the 1.5 hours it takes to mow, I get to eyeball pretty well most areas of the garden, including all the garden plots. We now have about 30 people regularly attending to different plots. Some are there daily, others less often, and at all different days and time so you never know who you’ll run into. As I mow, I notice which plots are doing well, who’s growing what, what gardening techniques people are practicing, pest problem ..read more

Two UVA student volunteers, Ava Marshall and Elena Boyle, have written blog posts that I will share over the next month. Below is the first one. Enjoy. I had the best time volunteering at this garden! I went to the PVCC Garden on April 14. Immediately, I felt welcomed, and all the volunteers were kind and inclusive. David, who runs the garden, gave me and other newbies a tour and explained the shift’s plan. He’s very knowledgeable about all things gardening! We learned about how the garden operates and even specifics about the plants. It was so lovely to have someone show us around like that ..read more

If you live in Virginia and have the capacity to see, a simple glimpse outside the window may elicit a quickened pulse if you’re lucky enough to be within eyeshot of the Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) tree, currently ablaze. From pink to purple, with the occasional touch of red, this brilliant native is a showstopper for two weeks or so in the early spring. Half a century from now that might be February, but let us all take actions to prevent that. We are back in the garden. Group volunteer hours are Fridays from 3:00-5:00 and Sundays from 2:00-4:00, weather permitting. For more informati ..read more

Hi all, Yesterday was the 2023 United Way Day of Caring and we had nearly 40 people from two areas of UVA volunteer from 9-12. Again, it was a beautiful weather day. Just amazing how this happens on this special volunteer day year after year. One team was led by Rose Oliveira-Abbey and came from the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library. The second team was lead by Tim Robinson with UVA’s Communications team. It was just awesome to work with them and I hope that they will come back to the garden again. When you next come to the garden take a walk around and admire all the work t ..read more

Approximately a dozen members of this wonderful community-based organization volunteered in the PVCC Community Garden a few Sundays ago. We had a wonderful few hours spent cleaning up a garden bed and planting two fruit trees: an apple and a peach. We were fortunate, and the days weather was perfect, sandwiched between hard rain the day before and rain the day after. The ladies worked hard! And they are welcome back anytime to work in the garden and watch their donated trees grow. Thank you to all of them, especially Dr. Keisha Taylor for arranging the date ..read more

Recently we said farewell to this spring’s student volunteers. A few will stay on for summer, managing individual plots. Others will be back in the fall to volunteer again. A few, some of who have spent years with us, are graduating. Included among that last group are “Boss Lady” and “The Admiral”, Madison House Project Directors who have been such a huge part of the garden. They will be greatly missed ..read more

The weather Sunday was sunny and beautiful but it couldn’t compare to the smiles of the women’s volleyball team as they spent several hours in the garden learning about growing food and helping ready the beds for the next season. And oh, did they get a lot done! Five plots were readied, plus the community flower section, plus the communal herb bed, and they also helped weed, wheelbarrow and integrate fresh compost/topsoil mix, plant potatoes, and lots more. They couldn’t have been friendlier or more gracious, and we would love to welcome them back someone later in the season when there is more ..read more

September 21st dawned clear and bright the way the Day of Caring always does in Charlottesville, VA. It shone on hundreds, perhaps thousands, of eager folks looking forward to the largest day of volunteering of the year. Or maybe they were really just looking forward to getting out of their workplaces. We’ll never know. About thirty of those volunteers came from the UVA department of student athletes to volunteer in our community garden. Students, coaches, and staff joined Debbie Ashby and Nehali Patel of PVCC’s Student Success Office and worked on a number of tasks throughout the morning. The ..read more

Gardening in the summer can feel so overwhelming at times with the heat, humidity, insects, groundhogs, occasional drought (not this year) and sheer exuberant growth. So by late summer many gardens look overgrown and a little bit neglected. Even passionate gardeners feel a little bit of summer wilt. But then cooler weather begins to steal in and as temperatures slide down into the 80’s and cooler nights make being outdoors a little more enjoyable again, so does our attention turn back to the garden. It has, after all, not only continued to produce but as always, we’re trying to remain one seas ..read more