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! Registration will open to the public next week!
2. State Office Webinar series
3. VMGA Scholarships for International Master Gardener Conference: Interested in IMGC 2021 but need help with the registration fee? VMGA is offering Diane Relf scholarships, deadline to apply is June 5. https://vmga.net/wordpress/vmga-diane-relf-scholarship-guidelines/
4. Webinar with Author Douglas Tallamy on “The Nature of Oaks” June 3, 2021
a. The Piedmont Master Gardeners and Virginia Cooperative Extension will host an online presentation by author Douglas Tallamy on “The Nature of Oaks” at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 3. Admission is $15. Register by June 1 at https://piedmontmastergardeners.org/events/ to reserve a spot in the program. A longtime professor at the University of Delaware and author of widely acclaimed books such as Bringing Nature Home and Nature’s Best Hope, Tallamy has shown how we can help save nature’s ecological riches in our own backyards. In his latest book, The Nature of Oaks, he
5. Cape Charles Garden Tour, June 6, 2021, Cape Charles, VA
a. Join us for a tour of several home gardens by members of the Eastern Shore Master Gardeners. The tour begins at the New Roots Youth Garden, on the corner of Randolph Ave. and Fig. St. where children, families and the community experience a connection with food from seed to table. Master Gardeners will be available to answer your questions. https://visitesva.com/events/listings/cape-charles-garden-tour-2021/
6. Community Forestry Webinars: Urban Tree Pest Update – Insects that Harm Trees, June 15, 2021
a. The trees that line our streets and roads, shade our yards, beautify our parks and playgrounds, and protect our streams are all part of the community forest that provides a wealth of benefits to each of us. Over the years, the number of trees (or tree cover) in our communities have been declining for various reasons including attack from invasive pests, injury from construction activities or deicing salts, improper tree care practices, unwarranted removals by some and lack of funding for replacement of declining trees. Each month the Community Forestry Webinars will explore topics related to the planting, care, and management of our community trees. From Penn State Extension. Registration required by June 15: https://web.cvent.com/event/77597569-e355-4956-8892-47d0fcba1a8e/summary
7. Insect Pests in the Vegetable Garden – Grow Your Own Food Series, June 29, 2021
a. Jon Traunfeld from the University of Maryland, will discuss the organic control of the most common pests. He has more than 30 years of horticultural experience and frequently featured as an expert on home gardening, growing fruits and vegetables. His articles have appeared in area newspapers, Associated Press, The New York Times and he made an appearance on the Martha Stewart Show. Free Zoom program – Register at: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAkf-GtrzwvEtHRlaUr8uu86tYslQC9jIqd
8. The New River Valley Garden Tour – July 10, 9-5 NRV Garden Tour showcases beautiful private gardens in the New River Valley each July. The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library with the cooperation of the New River Valley Master Gardeners. Tour date is Saturday July 10, 9 am until 5 pm., rain or shine. All gardens are in the Blacksburg Virginia town limits.
a. Tickets $15 available June 1 and include a program and map.Purchase tickets at public libraries in Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Floyd, Radford, Salem, and Shawsville, and online here: http://www.mfrlfriends.org/wp/garden-tour/
Old Announcements
1. 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!
2. 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/
3. 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.
4. 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
5. 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/
6. 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 September Announcements:
7. 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