New Announcements:
1. Registration for IMGC 2021 is now closed – Thank you to everyone who registered! If you didn’t register for IMGC 2021, you can plan to join us for regular Master Gardener College 2022, June 22-26 in Blacksburg. Registration will open in the Spring.
2. CE opportunity for Tree Stewards: Community Forestry Webinars: The Role of Climate Change on Forest Trees, Including Fall Coloration, in the Eastern U.S. – Wed., Sep. 15, 2021, 12:00 PM: Join Marc Abrams, Ph.D. Steimer Professor, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at Penn State University! The eastern US is unique in that climate change (warming) has been mainly limited to the northern tier. This has been coupled with an increase in precipitation, which has mitigated most of the negative impacts seen in the western US and many other locations worldwide. Learn more
3. Rapidan River Master Gardeners Yard & Garden Sale – September 18 & 19 10a-4p each day: Lots of plants, seeds and garden accessories from our personal gardens will be sold. Our Carver Demonstration Garden will be open and host Master Gardeners will interpret and answer questions. Held in conjunction with Culpeper Harvest Days http://culpeperfarmtour.com/ with open houses at 15 county farms, plantations, wineries, bison farms (!) and more.
4. A Gardener's & Farmer's Best Friend – September 28, 1 pm, Washington VA Vol. Fire Dept. Meeting Hall, 10 Firehouse Ln.: Join the EMGs of Fauquier and Rappahannock Counties, and the public, for this enlightening program by Master Naturalist Bonnie Miles. Bonnie was a licensed bat rehabilitator, and is a life-long advocate of bats. So, if you are not fond of cucumber beetles, June beetles, grasshoppers, green stink bugs, corn earworms, grey or brown moth larvae that ruin your broccoli, or would like to eliminate 1,000 mosquitoes in an hour, we look forward to seeing you on Sep. 28. More info
5. UPDATED COVID GUIDANCE – Effective August 10, 2021, all individuals at all Virginia Tech and VCE associated facilities located in areas of substantial or high transmission are required to wear a mask in indoor public spaces. These areas include lobbies, foyers, atriums, hallways, and elevators accessible to the general public. This mask requirement does not apply to private work spaces, such as an office, work area, or employment meeting space that is not open to the public in the normal course of business. Please review the new COVID-19 Guidance and 4-H In-person Guidance.
Old September Announcements
1. Native Plant Program and Sale – September 4, 2021 – Farmstead Pavilion, Northern Fauquier Community Park, 4155 Monroe Parkway, Marshall, VA: Join the Master Gardener Association of Fauquier and Rappahannock Counties for our Fall 2021 Native Plant Program and Sale. This sale will focus primarily on woody plants, but also include some perennials. More info here.
a. September 4 10-12noon Email your RSVP to: helpdesk@fc-mg.org.
b. 10:00 am Speaker: Dr. Iara Lacher holds degrees in Botany, Environmental Science and Management, and Ecology. Advocating for native plants for nearly twenty years, she is also established in conservation and planning circles. 11:00 am Plant Sale – Browse plants provided by Piedmont Nursery and Seven Bends Nursery. Delivery of pre-orders.
2. Preserving Your Bounty – Growing Your Own Food Series – Zoom, September 21, 6 pm: Becky Gartner, B.S. Home Economics Education, Virginia Tech; M.S. Human Nutrition and Foods, Virginia Tech. Register: at: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsc-ugpzIiHtHbfV7KmORE0xCrMuaCpLAb The final session, in the series, will cover the preservation of the bounty from your garden. An overview of food preservation methods, from drying to pressure cooking, including the plusses and minuses of each. Becky will also cover the different equipment used for each method, and the trusted sources for the equipment. Food safety protocols and standards are emphasized to assure the enjoyment of the food. More info.
Old October Announcements
3. Registration open for the Mid-Atlantic Urban Agriculture Summit – October 12-14, 2021
a. On behalf of the planning committee for the Mid-Atlantic Urban Agriculture Summit (formerly known as the Virginia Ag Summit), I’d like to invite you to attend the summit that will be held virtually on October 12-14, 2021. Registration is now open. Please see the link: https://www.ext.vsu.edu/midatlantic-uas We’re currently accepting abstracts for poster, oral and panel presentations, as well, so if you you’d like to participate, you can submit the abstract here: https://www.ext.vsu.edu/mauas-abstracts. Finally, we’d appreciate helping to spread the word about this opportunity.
Old Announcements
4. Recording Available of Douglas Tallamy Presentation – https://piedmontmastergardeners.org If you missed the Piedmont Master Gardeners' June 3 presentation by Professor Douglas Tallamy on the subject of his latest book, The Nature of Oaks, a recording is now available on PMG’s website, https://piedmontmastergardeners.org. For the ticket price of $15, purchasers will receive an email message with a link to the recording and the password for viewing it. With his previous books, Bringing Nature Home and Nature’s Best Hope, Prof. Tallamy has made home gardeners aware of the importance of native plants in sustaining wildlife and healthy ecosystems. In his latest work, and in this presentation, Tallamy explains that oak trees stand out among native flora as keystone plants and support more forms of life than any other tree genus in North America.
5. Have you ever found a typo in the training handbook? – We are embarking on a handbook update process and need help identifying existing errors in the handbook! If you've ever noticed a typo, error, or other mistake in the training handbook, please let us know! Submit your typos, errors, or other corrections here: https://forms.gle/JN5QAe3dwA8SmX8p7
6. 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/
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.
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
i. View a recording of our most recent state office webinar: 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