Grow It Eat It

The University of Maryland Extension Grow It Eat It Program is to promote backyard and community food production. Master Gardeners teach classes and workshops, develop demonstration gardens, and educate Marylanders on how to produce their own affordable and healthy food using sustainable gardening practices in their homes, communities, and school gardens.

In Charles County, the project team holds garden vegetable talks at the Waldorf West Public Library. Participants learned how to grow vegetables, troubleshoot plant pests and fungal diseases, and strategies. The uploaded presentation contains a few extra slides (starts on page 38) covering vegetable pests and diseases not covered at the event due to time constraints.  After the presentation, participants were invited to the Southern Maryland Food Bank Learning Garden to look for the problems discussed in the workshop. Check Out the presentation!

On Saturday, February 21, 2026, at the Charles County Extension Office, the Master Gardeners of Charles County Grow It Eat It Education project presented a workshop on "Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors." Participants learned about reading seed packets, growing medium, microgreens, seed starting light requirements, seed starting care, how to build a DIY light stand, and winter sowing. 

This year, the Master Gardeners Grow It Eat It Program is celebrating container gardening. There was a highlight on a dwarf tomato project, and the tomatoes in the project would be suitable for container growing. 

For more information on vegetable planting, check out the UME Vegetable Planting Calendar for Central Maryland. Watch the slide presentation below.

Don't just walk away from your garden in winter — take steps now to make next year's gardening easier and more productive. The University of Maryland Extension Master Gardeners of Charles County will show you how to finish up the summer garden and how to winterize your vegetable garden and small fruit plants. This presentation  includes information on making and using compost and drying herbs easily at home. Watch the presentation here.

The Master Gardeners of Charles County Grow It Eat It Education project presented a workshop on Fall Vegetable Gardening on Saturday, August 23, at the Charles County Extension Office. Participants learned about finishing summer gardening, preparing the garden area for spring, planting cool weather crops, and extending the season through plant protection techniques. As it is the  "Year of the Herb," we also touched on cold hardy herbs. Check out the Presentation!

There’s nothing better than a homegrown vegetable or fistful of herbs fresh from your own garden—whether it’s a big backyard patch or an apartment window box.

The Master Gardeners Grow It Eat It program promotes backyard and community food production. We teach Marylanders and others how to grow their own affordable and healthy food using sustainable gardening practices in their home, community and school gardens.

You can start small or go big. We offer plenty of resources here to get you digging. Learn what to grow and when to grow it. Learn why beneficial bugs are better than pesticides, how to plant to reduce disease and how to save your back and your soil with best no-till gardening practices.