Monthly Archives: July 2023

Biweekly Update – July 17

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New Announcements

1.     Staffing change at the EMG State Office: Friday, July 14 was Kathleen’s last day as State Coordinator. Until the State Coordinator position is refilled, please contact Devon at dvj@vt.edu for assistance.

2.     We want your feedback on Master Gardener College! Are you unable to attend? Let us know why! Have you attended for years and have suggestions for improvements? Let us know! Help us make our College event more accessible to everyone. Take the survey here. https://vce.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8kNBuPMEaQIwd5s

a.     The brag board slideshow from EMGC 2023 is available here: https://youtu.be/S3se5DBwcAE

3.     EMG Webinar Series 2023: The EMG monthly webinar series has returned! We look forward to bringing you a wide range of new and interesting topics. All webinars will be recorded and posted to our website (https://mastergardener.ext.vt.edu/webinar-archive/). Please plan to register for each webinar:

a.     July 20 at 10:30 am – Hydroponics: Industry to Home Use, Dr. Josh Kardos, VT SPES. This talk will introduce hydroponics, discuss the pros and cons, describe various systems used and crops grown, highlight the industry, and describe how you can grow hydroponically at home. Register for the July webinar here

b.     August 18th at 10am – Forest Health Update, Lori Chamberlin VDOF. Learn about the most common pests and diseases in Virginia’s forests. This presentation will teach participants how to identify forest health disturbance agents, and how to prevent damage. Our speaker, Lori Chamberlin, is the Forest Health Manager for the Virginia Department of Forestry. Register for August webinar here

4.     Lunch & Learn series – Prince Edward County – Prince Edward Extension Office, 100 Dominion Dr., Farmville, VA – Bring your questions and lunch! Questions – email: erins96@vt.edu.

a.     Honeybees 8/3/2023 – The topic is All About Honeybees. Greg Sullivan will share his vast knowledge with us.

b.     All about perennials! 9/7/23 – The topic for September is All About Perennials. Pat Lust, HOVMG, will share her vast knowledge with us.

c.     All About Gardening and Tool Care 10/5/2023 – Prince Edward Extension Office, 100 Dominion Dr., Farmville, VA – The topic is Gardening and Tool Care. Jackie Fairbarns, an HOVMG, will share her vast knowledge with us.

5.     Native Trees and Shrubs July 31, 2023 – VIRGINIA BEACH MASTER GARDENERS PRESENT GARDENING TALKS: Join us on Monday, July 31, 2023, at 7 pm via ZOOM for a Gardening Talks presentation on: Native Trees & Shrubs: Presented by Laurie Fox, Virginia Tech, Hampton Roads AREC.

a.     Native trees like oaks, maples and cherries support hundreds of species of insects, but large tree aren’t right for every garden. This talk focuses on smaller native tree and shrub species appropriate for planting in smaller urban and suburban gardens and the benefits they provide. Gardening Talks is presented via Zoom and is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. No registration is required. Gardening Talks are one hour. Go to VBMG.org and click on the Zoom link! Check out upcoming Gardening Talks for 2023 as you explore our website!

Old Announcements

6.     “BMPs in Turfgrass” Trainings: Dr. Mike Goatley, Extension Turfgrass Specialist, has recorded and posted best management practices in turfgrass training material divided into two sections (Part 1 and Part 2) on the Virginia Tech Turfgrass web site: https://turf.spes.vt.edu/.  To access these trainings, go to the Turf webpage (turf.spes.vt.edu/). Click on the Menu drop down and then expand the Extension Tab. Select the “VCE Master Gardener Volunteer Training” tab to access the recordings and accompanying handouts. You can also go to the MG page directly: https://turf.spes.vt.edu/Extension/VCE-MGVolTraining.html 

a.     Many more updates etc. are planned in the coming weeks and months. You can bookmark the VT Turf website and check back periodically for these improvements!

7.     Extension Master Gardener handbook (2023 edition) now available!

b.     Revisions and updates to the EMG Training Handbook have been completed. The 2023 edition of the handbook can be downloaded by visiting: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/112743. The digital textbook version has been published and can be found here: https://pressbooks.lib.vt.edu/emgtraining/. The print version will follow shortly, more details will be provided in April.

c.     Many thanks to all who assisted in this undertaking. We appreciate all our editors, authors, and contributors!