Biweekly Update – Jan 31

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New Announcements  

  

1.    2025 Extension Master Gardener College Save the Date: June 10-15 in Blacksburg! 

·         Brag boards: We plan to display paper poster brag boards (rather than the digital versions). Our current plan is that we will have poster easels to display flat posters (not tri-folds or other accessories) 

2.    Allium leafminer – Participate in a citizen science project to monitor the spread of this new pest of alliums! 

3.    Webinar Series 

·         Feb 18, 2025 – Turfgrass Management and Disease Prevention with Elisabeth Kitchin This session will cover essential practices for maintaining turfgrass lawns, including proper mowing, irrigation, and fertilization. It will also explore strategies for preventing, identifying, and managing common turfgrass diseases, with practical advice for achieving healthy, resilient lawns 

·         Register for the Feb 18 webinar here 

·         All webinars are recorded and posted in the webinar archive 

4.    New Volunteer Handbook available in Better Impact – A new version of the EMG Volunteer Handbook (previously chapter 1 of the training handbook) is available on the “files” section of Better Impact. This document is available only to current EMGs and will not be linked here. 

Old February Announcements 

5.    Upcoming Northern Shenandoah Valley Events: 

·         Indoor Plant Clinic: Late winter is the perfect time to give your indoor plants a little love. Learn how to take care of the plants you already have. Plus, participants go home with FREE easy-to-grow houseplants that they re-pot from a division or rooting. Please consider joining the fun on February 1, 2025, from 10am to 2pm at Bowman Library in Stephens City, Virginia. NSV EMGs will be on hand to provide plant care basics, along with presenting informative sessions on topics such as Eastern Prickly Pear, Growing Orchids and House Plant Tips and Propagation, etc. Kids are invited, too, and can join in an educational activity. For more details, please access the link: https://nsvmga.org/events/indoor-plant-clinic/ 

 

Hanover Master Gardeners Gleaning Project

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Gleaning is the practice of harvesting excess produce and distributing it to those in need. In short, gleaning directs valuable nutrition to citizens and diverts it from loss in the field. This practice connects food to people through local food pantries.

2021 Hanover Extension summer intern, Sara Hallam, planned and launched the Hanover Extension Master Gardener Gleaners as her project. Her interests in food insecurity and local gardening were drivers for her initiative. Thirty Extension Master Gardeners took food safety training to qualify as gleaners.

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Greer School Garden Project

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By Christine Atkins, Piedmont Master Gardener

PMG volunteer Christine Putnam, a retired science teacher, talks to 3rd graders about the importance of oak trees while PMG volunteer Fern Campbell gathers acorns for the children.

In 2021, the Piedmont Master Gardeners (PMG) began a partnership with Albemarle County Public Schools to provide gardening instruction and support at three elementary schools, beginning with Mary Carr Greer Elementary School. Greer serves the most diverse student population of any Albemarle County school, and some 75 percent of its students live in households below the poverty line.

Since last September, PMG volunteers have collaborated with Greer teachers to provide lessons to all first- and third-grade classes once per month to enhance their love and understanding of gardening and the environment. The lessons are structured to meet approved Virginia Standards of Learning for science, social studies and mathematics and were developed by Piedmont Master Gardeners who are retired teachers. Some examples include:

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Turf to Trees

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By Barbara Bailey, Community Engagement Coordinator Master Gardener Coordinator Virginia Cooperative Extension, Loudoun County

Turf to Trees project info box

Last September, Loudoun Extension Master Gardener Cynthia Falconer spearheaded a cost share grant project, Virginia Trees for Clean Water, awarded by the VA Dept. of Forestry, for her Potomac Green HOA common area.

The objective was to convert sections of turf to mulched beds with native trees and ground cover, thereby reducing runoff and nutrients flowing into Russell Branch Creek, which runs through the property, and reducing in-stream sediment. The trees will also shade a 600-foot section of the community trail system and provide an object lesson in the benefits of trees to community members.

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Biweekly Update – July 11 2022

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New Announcements:

  1. Congratulations to 2021 Milestone awardees. Thank you for your time and dedication to making your community stronger! Please view a list of our award recipients here. Milestone pins and certificates have been mailed to unit offices.
  2. Spotted lanternfly quarantine area expanded – VDACS has expanded the SLF quarantine area. It now includes the following cities and counties: Buena Vista, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Lynchburg, Manassas, Staunton, Waynesboro, Albemarle, Augusta, Carroll, Page, Prince William, Rockingham, Rockbridge, Shenandoah, and Wythe. This is in addition to the quarantine already in place for Frederick, Warren, and Clarke Counties and the City of Winchester.
    1. Read the pub “What Virginians Need to Know about the 2022 SLF Quarantine Expansion”
  3. Common Pest and Diseases of the Vegetable Garden – August 1, 2022 VIRGINIA BEACH MASTER GARDENERS PRESENT GARDENING TALKS: Join us on Monday, August 1, 2022, at 7 pm via ZOOM for a Gardening Talks presentation on: Common Pest and Diseases of the Vegetable Garden – The Presenter is Chri Epes, Norfolk Cooperative Extension Agent. This presentation will provide a run-down of common pests and diseases that home vegetable gardeners face in the Hampton Roads area. Basic control measures that can be utilized to control these problems using an Integrated Pest Management approach will be discussed. 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 2022 as you explore our website!

Old Announcements

  1. If you would like an infographic showing your local unit’s 2021 statistics, please email Devon dvj@vt.edu Infographic template available here. Note: We have not pre-made infographics for each unit this year and will instead be working with you to develop them on request.
  2. Updated indicia statement:

Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments. Its programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, military status, or any other basis protected by law.

 

As always, remember to use the indicia statement on all material you distribute to the public. For promotional material for events, you also need the ADA statement, available 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.

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Master gardeners stand around cart and clap

Virginia Beach seed library cart enters fourth season

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By Debi Edwards, Virginia Beach Master Gardener

The Virginia Beach Seed Library was created as a joint project of the Meyera E Obendorf (MEO) Central  Library and Virginia Beach Master Gardeners (VBMG) to entice the general public to start planting home gardens.  Since the grand opening in 2018, we have distributed 23,287 seed packets (over 232,000 seeds!) to 719 participants.

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house in colonial williamsburg with trees

Colonial Williamsburg Arboretum Educational Tree Project

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Colonial Williamsburg (CW) has within its boundaries a unique collection of trees and woody plants.  The majority of them are native to the Mid-Atlantic region, and those that are not, were introduced into the Virginia Colony prior to 1800.  Although these plants were familiar to Virginia colonists, many of today’s visitors do not recognize them because they are not readily available in commercial nurseries. 

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boxes of produce sit on a stone path with yellow flowers in a garden behind them

Fred Heutte Demonstration Garden COVID Response

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By: Paul Ziegler, Norfolk Extension Master Gardener

For over 10 years, Norfolk Master Gardeners have operated a Demonstration Garden at the Fred Heutte Center in Norfolk’s Ghent neighborhood. The garden, consisting of 40 4ft X 4ft raised beds, utilizes Square Foot Gardening techniques to demonstrate how to maximize food growing potential in an urban environment.  The entire garden is maintained by a cadre of extremely dedicated Norfolk Master Gardeners and a few neighborhood volunteers. All produce is donated to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia.  It has served as a hands-on educational opportunity for not only our Interns, but for our “seasoned perennials” as well.  It has been a central focal point to helpgroups and individuals interested in growing their own produce.

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close up branches affected by boxwood blight show leaf yellowing

In Chesterfield, plant disease diagnosis goes virtual amid coronavirus

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By: John McBride

In Chesterfield, plant disease diagnosis goes virtual amid coronavirus

Last summer, a local first-time vegetable gardener called the Chesterfield County Master Gardener Help Desk with a big problem: all his tomato plants seemed to be dying. Peg Tipple, Chesterfield County Master Gardener volunteer, jumped into action. After dissecting plant samples brought to the lab, she identified the problem. The gardener had planted his tomatoes in containers that were too small.

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