Did you know that pruning a pepper plant can maximize your yield by up to 50% per plant! Whether you’re growing bell peppers, hot chili varieties, or sweet banana peppers, pruning can improve airflow, reduce disease, and encourage stronger, more productive plants. Learn more about the dos and don'ts right here to help you ensure that you get as many peppers as you can from your plants.

If your soil is too acidic, applying lime will tend to neutralize soil acidity, but how do you ensure that you’re not applying too much or too little? read this article to learn all about lime application.

The Colonial SWCD is excited to announce that landowners within the City of Newport News are now eligible to participate in the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP).

Virginia is home to an incredible variety of native plants. If you're considering a shade bed, we have some suggested options to plant in place of some of the nonnative / invasive species that are used frequently in home gardens.

CSWCD Summer 2025 Newsletter published

Riparian buffers are vegetated areas intentionally planted or preserved along the shorelines of water bodies or wetlands. They play a crucial role in protecting water quality and the surrounding environment as they serve as the transition between the upland land use and the waterbody or wetland. Science has confirmed that it is much easier (less costly) to control and manage pollutants in the upland setting than to physically remove pollutants from the water. Learn more about

Permeable pavement is one of the most popular best management practices in the Colonial SWCD service area with landowners who are considering applying for the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program. Learn more about this popular option from CSWCD staff member, Robyn Woolsey.

Virginia is home to an incredible variety of native plants. Maybe it’s time to try adding some edible native species to your garden and enjoy the fruits (and leaves) of your labor for many years to come!

Several ladybug species are useful as biological control agents and you can benefit from their voracious appetites for the pests in your gar

CSWCD Spring 2025 Newsletter published

Read about a unique VCAP project that allowed us to cover the entire conservation landscaping costs for a church's parking lot.

A "rain garden in a box” is a rain garden that is installed in an above-ground container, eliminating the need for any excavation.

CSWCD Winter 2024 Newsletter published

CSWCD Strategic Plan for the 2025-2028 period is now available on our website.

The Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2024 is now available for download on our website.

We invite members of the community, to review the draft of our strategic plan for 2025-2028 and provide input by November 1, 2024.

CSWCD has been educating the public on conservation and land protection efforts for years.

People worry native habitats will look too wild for their yard, so it is easier with local native habitats we can use as an a demonstration.

A summary about currently offered grants from the VA Department of Forestry from local Community Forestry Specialist, Daniel Ronald Brooks.

Hoverflies are amazing little insects and they do so much good, which is why they are the beneficial insect I will be talking about today.