Katy Overby will present  “Vegetable and Herb Gardening in Containers” for the Thursday Lunch and Learn Series. The program will begin at noon at the conference room of the Prince Edward County Extension Office, Dominion Drive, Farmville.

Do you have a small garden or live in an apartment?  Does difficulty with standing, kneeling or bending make gardening a challenge?  Do you have limited areas of sunlight in which to grow food crops?  These are some of the many reasons to grow vegetables and herbs in containers! 

Cold winter days and early spring are the perfect time to plan your garden in a large urn, raised bed or other container.  There are many containers you can purchase or upcycle.   Due to the popularity of container gardening, there are also a variety of plants available for your project. Overby will explain the basic requirements to successfully garden large on a small scale.

Overby is originally from Lunenburg County and still resides there while working as the Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agent in Prince Edward County.  She graduated from Virginia Tech in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture with a Landscape Contracting option. Since then she has worked as a horticulturist assistant at Longwood University, as well as a landscape designer and horticulturist at multiple nurseries including Watkins Nurseries in Midlothian, Twigs and Berries in Kenbridge and Wayside Nursery in South Hill. She recently completed her Master’s in Plant Science and Pest Management from Virginia Tech.

The Prince Edward County Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Heart of Virginia Master Gardeners sponsor the Lunch and Learn series. Bring your lunch and learn how to grow edibles in a compact way.

A wide range topics are covered on the Heart of Virginia Master Gardener website, www.hovmg.org, including Spring Lunch and Learn topics and other upcoming events, seasonal information and a link to VA Tech Resources.  The Lunch and Learn program is free and lasts less than an hour.