Gardening | Extension | West Virginia University

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Gardening Guide

plot of wooden raised garden beds in community garden

Creative Gardening

Find new, adaptive ways to make use of limited and difficult space for gardening. Get fun and creative in your growing solutions.

Container Gardening
Gardening with Limited Space
Grow Your Own Pizza Garden

Grow Your Own Salad Garden

Raised Bed Gardening

Using Bulbs to Beautify Your Garden

Gardening 101

Gardening requires time and attention. But, with the right guidance and some patience, even a beginner gardener can have a successful garden.

Bringing Back the Victory Garden

Conserving Water with Rain Barrels

Fertilizer & Lime for Beginners
Garden Site Assessment & Preparation

Growing Blueberries for Beginners

Growing Broccoli for Beginners

Growing Grapes for Beginners

Growing Strawberries for Beginners

Growing Sunflowers for Beginners

Herb Gardening for Beginners

Insects in the Garden

Low Tunnels for Beginners

Planning Your Garden

Seed Starting

Setting up a Garden

Soil Testing for Beginning Gardeners

Understanding Your Seed Catalog

Using Transplants in the Garden

Variety Selection for the Home Garden

Vegetable Gardening for Beginners

hand in soil starting a garden of lettuce

Garden Management

Make your garden work for you and get the most out of your precious resources all year long.

Beneficial Insects Commonly Encountered by Gardeners

Common Problems Encountered in Indoor-grown Seedlings and Transplants

Companion Planting

Controlling Garden Pests Year-round

Cover Crops

Crop Rotation Guide

Getting Ready for Fall

Getting Strawberry Plants Ready for Winter

Invasive Species in Your Landscape

Succession Planting

Too Much of a Good Thing? Garden Fertilization Tips
Which is Best? Fall Planting or Spring Planting
Wildlife Pest Fencing for Gardens

Heritage beans growing on poles with a barn in the background.

West Virginia Garden Guide

Get gardening recommendations suited for West Virginia's unique growing conditions, like hilly terrain, and microclimates created by mountains and valleys.

Growing Basil

Growing Beets

Growing Carrots
Growing Cauliflower

Growing Garlic

Growing Green Beans

Growing Kale

Growing Lunchbox Peppers
Growing Melons

Growing Peas

Growing Peppers
Growing Popcorn

Growing Pumpkins

Growing Sweet Corn

Growing Summer Squash

Growing Tomatoes

Managing Garden Diseases

Potato plant herbicide injury: symptoms of exposed growth regulator include wilting foliage.

Identifying & Preventing Herbicide Injury

Other Plant Disease Resources

Biological Controls Managing Soilborne Diseases

Steps to a Healthy Garden Cover of 2025 Garden Calendar with tomatoes growing in the background.

The WVU Extension Garden Calendar is produced and distributed each year as a service to West Virginia’s many home gardeners and agricultural producers. The annual calendar is just one of many meaningful projects, programs and outreach efforts provided by WVU Extension throughout West Virginia’s 55 counties.

If you have gardening questions or want more information, please contact your county’s WVU Extension office. Be sure to check out information for controlling garden pests year-round as well as related coloring pages and learning activities for even more opportunities.

Enjoy this year’s Garden Calendar!

Download the 2025 Garden Calendar Get a Garden Calendar at Your Local County Office

This PDF download is provided as a convenience for printing the document at home.
WVU Extension is committed to providing reasonable accommodations upon request.

Note: To print as many Garden Calendars as existing funds allow, WVU Extension may not be able to honor web or email requests for mailed calendars. Please contact your nearest county office to get a calendar. Your understanding is sincerely appreciated.

Fresh from the Garden Calendar

Organic Matter Maintenance for Thriving Soil

The feet of someone in brown cowboy boots with embroidered flowers, stepping on a shovel stuck in the soil.

Soil organic matter consists of the remains of plants and animals in varying stages of decomposition. Organic matter can fall into one of three types: plant residues and living microbial biomass; active organic matter, otherwise known as detritus; or stable soil organic matter, otherwise known as humus. The living microbial biomass and detritus contribute to the fertility of the soil and the release of nutrients from decomposition. Humus is the end result of decomposition and is considered stable organic matter. This contributes to the structure, tillage, cation exchange capacity and dark color of the soil.

Benefits of maintaining high stable organic matter include physical benefits, such as reducing runoff, easier tillage and increased water holding capacity; chemical benefits, such as increased cation exchange capacity, accelerated mineral availability and increased buffering capacity; and biological benefits, such as increased nutrients for living organisms in the soil and enhanced biodiversity.

Browse Garden Calendar Articles

Extension Master Gardener Program

We’re growing

The WVU Extension Master Gardener Program provides people interested in gardening with the opportunity to expand their knowledge and sharpen their skills by taking part in Basic/Level 1 and Advanced/Level 2 training programs that provide in-depth training in various aspects of horticulture.

The program helps residents better understand horticultural and environmental issues through community engagement in gardening and beautification projects at schools, parks, public institutions, community organizations, and locations throughout the state.

Benefits of becoming a WVU Extension Master Gardener

Among the many benefits for getting involved with the WVU Extension Master Gardener program, here are the highest-ranking ones:

Getting to know more about gardening and horticulture to expand personal horizons and be able to help others
Significant improvements in quality of life, including physical activity, social activity, self-esteem and nutrition
Offers opportunities for professional development through continuing training opportunities
Meeting like-minded people and engaging in the garden activities you are passionate about
Opportunities to assume responsibility
Encourages individual independence
Gaining respect in the community for your newly developed horticultural skills
Flexibility to conduct volunteer work

Mission, Vision & Purpose

Learn more about Extension's Master Gardener Program