New Announcements:
1. International Master Gardener Conference, 2021: REGISTRATION OPEN IMGC 2021 is now open for registration! Since we are hosting IMGC, there will be no state Master Gardener College for 2021—register for IMGC instead! We are excited to bring you more than 40 different VIRTUAL sessions, expert panels, and fun conference bonuses (like Virginia themed recipes and virtual tours). To learn more and register: https://www.internationalmastergardener.com/register
a. View the full program here: https://www.internationalmastergardener.com/schedule/
b. If you plan to attend IMGC, please register as early as possible! Workshops are filling fast!
2. Support IMGC 2021: There are many ways you can show support for Virginia’s International Master Gardener Conference and help it be successful:
a. Registering for the conference! Come join us in September, we look forward to seeing many familiar faces, even in this virtual setting
b. Sharing the IMGC Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/IMGC2021) with your network
c. Telling other interested gardeners about the event! Our conference is open to members of the public as well as Extension Master Gardeners. IMGC is great way to expose gardeners to the Master Gardener Program!
3. State Office Webinar series
a. May 20, 10:00 am | 4TheSoil: The Virginia Soil Health Coalition envisions a thriving and diverse agricultural landscape in Virginia that is profitable, sustainable and resilient now and for future generations. The Coalition facilitates communication and collaboration among a network of partners across the Commonwealth to support farmers, leverage resources, and advance strategies that improve soil health and understanding of the many benefits of healthy soils and landscapes. We are excited to discuss the Coalition and the 4TheSoil awareness campaign with Virginia Master Gardeners and explore opportunities for engagement and collaboration.
Register in advance for this meeting: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIpd-igqj4pGNeSKq43cu1eog5PMuzicGQs?_x_zm_rtaid=PINWIh2mR0einC52W10fqw.1618422491560.252b6e548f4b6e97456e8bb15ac39b06&_x_zm_rhtaid=658
4. Tech-Savvy Gardening, May 17: On May 17, 2021 (7pm – 8pm) learn about Tech-savvy gardening. Gardeners use all kinds of tools and our digital world regularly offers new tools to acquire gardening information. There are many apps and online resources, but which ones are best? Learn more about reliable online gardening resources from Andrea Davis, VB VCE Extension Agent. This presentation is being provided by the Virginia Beach Master Gardeners and is free and open to the public. Ask all your gardening friends and family to join us on Zoom on May 17th. https://www.vbmg.org/detail-description-of-gardening-talks.html
5. Help scientists! Monitor for disease in your vegetable garden: Do you have a vegetable garden?! Scientists NEED your help to accurately predict the spread of downy mildew. By contributing to this project, you can help Extension researchers advise farmers so that they do not experience crop losses, and so they know when fungicide applications are warranted. Monitoring the spread of plant disease takes all of us working together!!
a. Downy mildew of cucumber and other cucurbits (cucumber is the most important crop to monitor!) https://cdm.ipmpipe.org/gardens-and-cdm/
b. Downy mildew of basil https://basil.agpestmonitor.org/
Old Announcements
6. Trees Make a Better World Webinar Series: A free five-part webinar series with James Downer, Ph.D. of University of California: https://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=33331
7. Better Impact: Important information for you to know as we launch BI:
a. We’ve created a helpful video to walk you through the basic use of the system. It’s only 30 minutes long, so please watch it before you use the new system: https://video.vt.edu/media/Better+Impact+Volunteer+Management+System+training+video+for+Virginia+Cooperative+Extension+Master+Volunteers/1_nv1o3maq
b. Between the training document here and the video linked above, you should have the information you need to get started in Better Impact! Your unit may have additional instructions and training for you, so please watch for communications from your program leads. They have been hard at work behind the scenes getting things ready to go!
c. If you have questions as you navigate this new system, please contact your local volunteer coordinator or Extension Agent.
8. VCE’s popular Home Food Preservation Virtual Program is back! Learn how to preserve your own fresh foods at home safely using several different techniques including dehydration, canning and fermentation. You'll also learn about the science behind each of these methods. This course is online and self-paced, so once you sign up, you'll have until December 31 to complete it in your own time.
d. More info and register: http://tinyurl.com/VCE-HomeFoodPreservation
9. Continuing education reading list: Reading a book from this list counts for up to 3 CE hours: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11GcvQr_wm_oH2BaNCLZuXzY6POD2f0FXD0TgY5DlBs8/edit?usp=sharing
a. More CE opportunities here: https://mastergardener.ext.vt.edu/ce/
10. AmpleHarvest 2021 Survey: AmpleHarvest surveys America’s gardeners to learn how much more they grow than they can use (i.e. what was being lost to waste) and the desire of gardeners to donate that if they had the opportunity. Please visit www.AmpleHarvest.org/survey to participate
Old May Announcements:
11. Diseases in the Vegetable Garden, May 11, 6pm More info click here.
a. Grow Your Own Food Series, produced by VMGA Ed. Comm.: Common diseases and their biological and sustainable management. Dr. Timothy Durham Associate Professor at Ferrum College VA. Doctorate in Plant Medicine from University of Florida Registration at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrcOuprj0sGNGo0p2XUlNyiiSnxHnGtoxd
Old September Announcements:
12. American Community Garden Association conference, Hampton September 23-26, 2021. Virtual and in person.
a. If you’re interested in volunteering: “Volunteer opportunities include conducting tours, facilitating workshops and/or demonstrations, hospitality, registration, directing attendees and vendors, conference set up, sponsorship opportunities, silent auction and many other options. If you are interested, please email wendy.iles@hampton.gov” style=”color:blue”>wendy.iles@hampton.gov with your specific area of interest.” More info here.
Other Announcements:
1. Send us your announcements! Have you converted educational programs to an online format? You can still submit those announcements for the biweekly email! Submit an item for the biweekly update here.
2. Follow the State Office on social media: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
3. Subscribe to In Season, our quarterly newsletter
4. View our most recent webinar
a. View a recording of our most recent state office webinar – Jamie King on urban forestry
i. https://mastergardener.ext.vt.edu/webinar-archive/
5. Resources for fertilization of lawns and for those involved with Healthy Virginia Lawns programming
6. Do you have questions coming in to your Extension Master Gardener program and need to find some answers? Extension Search Resources for EMG Questions