New Announcements:

1.    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.

d.   If you haven’t yet received your temporary username or password for Better Impact, first check the spam folder of your email. If it is not there, please contact Kathleen at reedka@vt.edu.

2.    State Office Webinar series

a.    March 18, 10:00 am |Vegetable Grafting for Home Gardens: Why & How to Graft Your Own Transplants with Josh Kardos Register in advance for this meeting: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtduigqzgsG9Al5hgp3lrvI_iunj6KjO4w

3.    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.

a.    More info and register: http://tinyurl.com/VCE-HomeFoodPreservation

4.    Home Gardening Series March 15, 4-6 pm

b.    Hanover Master Gardeners are offering weekly presentations of our Home Gardening Series by ZOOM that are free and open to the public. They are on Saturday morning starting at 10:30 am. Topics for March include: “Introducing Native Shrubs and Groundcovers to the Home Landscape”, “Monarchs”, and “Water Quality in Your Backyard”. You must pre-register before 4:30 pm on Friday to receive a link to the next session. Recordings from sessions will be posted as soon as available. To pre-register, see dates for March, and links to previous sessions go to: https://hanovermastergardeners.org/schedules-for-public-events/  ‎

c.     Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwscO-urTgoHNfFEq_zzwbNPiBrBb2RXkZm  After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

5.    NEW publication: The Right Answer: How to Find Unbiased, Research-Based Answers to Horticultural Questions https://resources.ext.vt.edu/contentdetail?contentid=2580

6.    Urban Vegetable Gardening, March 22,2021 7PM- 8PM

d.    The Virginia Beach Master Gardeners are hosting a one-hour presentation on Urban Vegetable Gardening. The days may be cold and dreary, those seed catalogs are piling up and you long to have really fresh vegetables, but you think that you can’t grow fresh vegetables because you don’t have enough garden space. Urban Vegetable Gardening is the answer for you. John Wilson, owner of John Capstone Creations in Virginia Beach, will discuss the importance of urban agriculture, how to stretch the period of time you can harvest vegetables and ways to improve your garden fertility. This informative presentation is available at the Virginia Beach Master Gardeners website VBMG.org This one-hour presentation is free and open to the public so invite all of your friends and family.

e.    More info https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lHCJLieTueVwj8Wzwh0mD6l8Xcw9dy56/view?usp=sharing

7.     Garden Expo http://www.vafgs.org/

f.      Each year the Virginia Flower and Garden Expo (VB Master Gardener and Steering Committee member of the Expo) is usually held at the Virginia Beach Convention Center toward the end of January.  Due to the current pandemic, the Expo could not be held in-person but will be held throughout 2021 in a virtual format.  Using their website (www.vafgs.org), the Steering Committee for the Expo has planned a year-long educational event with the theme, “Celebrating Gardens Across Virginia.”  The content of the website will change at the beginning of each new month and will include a broad range of topics. 

8.     5th Annual Seed Swap Rescheduled! March 20, 2021

g.     The Central Rappahannock Area Master Gardeners will hold their annual seed swap on March 20, 2021, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM (weather permitting), outside of the King George Citizens Center. Bring your seeds if you got ‘em, come anyway if you don’t! The event is FREE and open to all. (Link to flyer). Please check the MGACRA Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MGACRA/  if weather looks questionable.

h.     More info: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SSbRIsIZg6NZKI-Oivt3UoB1R2Nt7Pqd/view?usp=sharing

Old Announcements

9.    Hours requirements have been updated for 2021, view here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DuoxFD9cUooLYrizDsGtI79nxhTy0PGK/view?usp=sharing

10. IMGC Search For Excellence – Deadline May 1. The David Gibby Search for Excellence (SFE) Awards recognize the outstanding volunteer work of Extension Master Gardeners (EMG) & Volunteer Coordinators. Please submit your projects! It would be great to see lots of VA entries/awards! Apply here: https://www.imgcsfe.com/

11. Call for recipes for a Virginia IMGC Cookbook (email recipes to Wanda Gerard Wanda vagardengurl@aol.com). Recipes should feature Virginia agricultural products or have some historical/cultural significance to the commonwealth.

12. 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/

13. IMGC: Virtual Tours

b.    With the switch to a virtual platform for IMGC 2021, we have had to reimagine how we will offer tours to participants. We are asking EMGs from across Virginia to submit links to virtual tours that have taken part in, seen, or created. From these submissions, our IMGC Tours Team will put together a Virginia Tours page for conference goers.

c.     Additional details and virtual tours submission can be found here: https://forms.gle/NnSjPskPhGuXXhL49

14. Tree Classes and Walks– Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards is a series of 6 free classes and walks in the first half of 2021 either on weekday evenings or weekends so that all can enjoy them. Please follow the link below for more details and registration information.
https://www.charlottesvilleareatreestewards.org/learn-about-trees/take-a-tree-steward-class/

15. 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 March Announcements:

16. Plant Virginia Natives 2021 Spring and Fall Landscaping with Natives Webinar Series

a.    The Plant Hampton Roads Natives campaign is pleased to be collaborating with other campaigns across the state to offer a series of 12 webinars – 6 this spring and 6 this fall. The webinars will guide you through the why and how to turn your home garden into a beautiful retreat for your family and a native habitat for birds and other wildlife. The series kick-off is on Friday, March 5 at 6:30 pm with an engaging presentation by Dr. Douglas Tallamy, renowned author of Bringing Nature Home and of Nature’s Best Hope.Sign-up for all 12 webinars for just $10! More details on the series and registration is available at www.PlantVirginiaNatives.org  

17. Gardening in the Valley Symposium, March 6: Northern Shenandoah Valey EMGs present a VIRTUAL Gardening in the Valley Symposium, featuring “Urban Bee Keeping,” “Herbs for Health and Healing,” “Raised Beds vs Traditional Beds” and more. More info: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L2cEsUAZA4rdESKvKgyh97ER_EMY4cSb/view?usp=sharing

18. Piedmont Master Gardeners Schedule Spring Lecture Series, Thursdays in March: The Piedmont Master Gardeners have lined up an outstanding slate of speakers for their 2021 Spring Lecture Series and will present them online from 7 to 8:15 p.m. over four Thursday evenings in March.

b.    Online registration starts February 1 on PMG’s Events webpage (piedmontmastergardeners.org/events/) and is required to receive an invitation to the Zoom sessions. Schedule here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sD-RAwdSTiGEw7koZyrgzYjhgMgxoEdZ/view?usp=sharing

19. Plant, Nurture, Grow: Gardening In Rhythm with Nature March 20, 2021: The Loudoun County Extension Master Gardeners are proud to present our 11th Annual Garden Symposium, Plant, Grow, Nurture: Gardening in Rhythm with Nature, on March 20, 2021. This year we are virtual, so attendees can enjoy the speakers from the comfort of their own home. Registrants not available on the 20th can watch a recording of the speakers at any time until the end of March. Event information can also be found at https://loudouncountymastergardeners.org/events/annual-symposium/  Registration is limited and opens on February 1, 2021. We hope to see you at the Symposium!

Old April Announcements:

20. Invitation to the Central Rappahannock Virtual Garden, April l 10 via Zoom:

a.    CALLING ALL GARDENERS…Please join us in our Virtual Garden for the 8th Annual Garden Symposium, presented by the Master Gardeners of the Central Rappahannock Area. Our lively cast of 4 professional gardeners will provide 5 exciting hours of perspectives on “Gardening for Your Lifestyle”, and be available for discussion with symposium participants. Registration is now open for the symposium on April 10, 2021. Please visit our website, https://www.mgacra.org/2021-symposium.html to register for this event.

Old September Announcements:

21.  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

New Announcements:

1.    We are getting ready to switch over to our new volunteer management system, Better Impact. Here's some important information for you to know as we launch this new system: 

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.

1.    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. 

a.    More info and register: http://tinyurl.com/VCE-HomeFoodPreservation

2.    Home Gardening Series March 15, 4-6 pm

a.    Hanover Master Gardeners are offering weekly presentations of our Home Gardening Series by ZOOM that are free and open to the public. They are on Saturday morning starting at 10:30 am. Topics for March include: “Introducing Native Shrubs and Groundcovers to the Home Landscape”, “Monarchs”, and “Water Quality in Your Backyard”. You must pre-register before 4:30 pm on Friday to receive a link to the next session. Recordings from sessions will be posted as soon as available. To pre-register, see dates for March, and links to previous sessions go to: https://hanovermastergardeners.org/schedules-for-public-events/  ‎

b.     Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwscO-urTgoHNfFEq_zzwbNPiBrBb2RXkZm  After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

3.    NEW publication: The Right Answer: How to Find Unbiased, Research-Based Answers to Horticultural Questions https://resources.ext.vt.edu/contentdetail?contentid=2580

4.    Urban Vegetable Gardening, March 22,2021 7PM- 8PM

a.    The Virginia Beach Master Gardeners are hosting a one-hour presentation on Urban Vegetable Gardening. The days may be cold and dreary, those seed catalogs are piling up and you long to have really fresh vegetables, but you think that you can’t grow fresh vegetables because you don’t have enough garden space. Urban Vegetable Gardening is the answer for you. John Wilson, owner of John Capstone Creations in Virginia Beach, will discuss the importance of urban agriculture, how to stretch the period of time you can harvest vegetables and ways to improve your garden fertility. This informative presentation is available at the Virginia Beach Master Gardeners website VBMG.org This one-hour presentation is free and open to the public so invite all of your friends and family.

b.    More info https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lHCJLieTueVwj8Wzwh0mD6l8Xcw9dy56/view?usp=sharing

5.     Garden Expo http://www.vafgs.org/

a.    Each year the Virginia Flower and Garden Expo (VB Master Gardener and Steering Committee member of the Expo) is usually held at the Virginia Beach Convention Center toward the end of January.  Due to the current pandemic, the Expo could not be held in-person but will be held throughout 2021 in a virtual format.  Using their website (www.vafgs.org), the Steering Committee for the Expo has planned a year-long educational event with the theme, “Celebrating Gardens Across Virginia.”  The content of the website will change at the beginning of each new month and will include a broad range of topics. 

6.     5th Annual Seed Swap Rescheduled! March 20, 2021

a.     The Central Rappahannock Area Master Gardeners will hold their annual seed swap on March 20, 2021, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM (weather permitting), outside of the King George Citizens Center. Bring your seeds if you got ‘em, come anyway if you don’t! The event is FREE and open to all. (Link to flyer). Please check the MGACRA Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MGACRA/  if weather looks questionable.

b.     More info: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SSbRIsIZg6NZKI-Oivt3UoB1R2Nt7Pqd/view?usp=sharing

Old Announcements

7.    Hours requirements have been updated for 2021, view here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DuoxFD9cUooLYrizDsGtI79nxhTy0PGK/view?usp=sharing

8.    IMGC Search For Excellence – Deadline May 1. The David Gibby Search for Excellence (SFE) Awards recognize the outstanding volunteer work of Extension Master Gardeners (EMG) & Volunteer Coordinators. Please submit your projects! It would be great to see lots of VA entries/awards! Apply here: https://www.imgcsfe.com/

9.    Call for recipes for a Virginia IMGC Cookbook (email recipes to Wanda Gerard Wanda vagardengurl@aol.com). Recipes should feature Virginia agricultural products or have some historical/cultural significance to the commonwealth.

10. 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/

11. IMGC: Virtual Tours

b.    With the switch to a virtual platform for IMGC 2021, we have had to reimagine how we will offer tours to participants. We are asking EMGs from across Virginia to submit links to virtual tours that have taken part in, seen, or created. From these submissions, our IMGC Tours Team will put together a Virginia Tours page for conference goers.

c.     Additional details and virtual tours submission can be found here: https://forms.gle/NnSjPskPhGuXXhL49

12. Tree Classes and Walks– Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards is a series of 6 free classes and walks in the first half of 2021 either on weekday evenings or weekends so that all can enjoy them. Please follow the link below for more details and registration information.
https://www.charlottesvilleareatreestewards.org/learn-about-trees/take-a-tree-steward-class/

13. 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 March Announcements:

14. Plant Virginia Natives 2021 Spring and Fall Landscaping with Natives Webinar Series

a.    The Plant Hampton Roads Natives campaign is pleased to be collaborating with other campaigns across the state to offer a series of 12 webinars – 6 this spring and 6 this fall. The webinars will guide you through the why and how to turn your home garden into a beautiful retreat for your family and a native habitat for birds and other wildlife. The series kick-off is on Friday, March 5 at 6:30 pm with an engaging presentation by Dr. Douglas Tallamy, renowned author of Bringing Nature Home and of Nature's Best Hope.Sign-up for all 12 webinars for just $10! More details on the series and registration is available at www.PlantVirginiaNatives.org  

15. Gardening in the Valley Symposium, March 6: Northern Shenandoah Valey EMGs present a VIRTUAL Gardening in the Valley Symposium, featuring “Urban Bee Keeping,” “Herbs for Health and Healing,” “Raised Beds vs Traditional Beds” and more. More info: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L2cEsUAZA4rdESKvKgyh97ER_EMY4cSb/view?usp=sharing

16. Piedmont Master Gardeners Schedule Spring Lecture Series, Thursdays in March: The Piedmont Master Gardeners have lined up an outstanding slate of speakers for their 2021 Spring Lecture Series and will present them online from 7 to 8:15 p.m. over four Thursday evenings in March.

b.    Online registration starts February 1 on PMG’s Events webpage (piedmontmastergardeners.org/events/) and is required to receive an invitation to the Zoom sessions. Schedule here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sD-RAwdSTiGEw7koZyrgzYjhgMgxoEdZ/view?usp=sharing

17. Plant, Nurture, Grow: Gardening In Rhythm with Nature March 20, 2021: The Loudoun County Extension Master Gardeners are proud to present our 11th Annual Garden Symposium, Plant, Grow, Nurture: Gardening in Rhythm with Nature, on March 20, 2021. This year we are virtual, so attendees can enjoy the speakers from the comfort of their own home. Registrants not available on the 20th can watch a recording of the speakers at any time until the end of March. Event information can also be found at https://loudouncountymastergardeners.org/events/annual-symposium/  Registration is limited and opens on February 1, 2021. We hope to see you at the Symposium!

Old April Announcements:

18. Invitation to the Central Rappahannock Virtual Garden, April l 10 via Zoom:

a.    CALLING ALL GARDENERS…Please join us in our Virtual Garden for the 8th Annual Garden Symposium, presented by the Master Gardeners of the Central Rappahannock Area. Our lively cast of 4 professional gardeners will provide 5 exciting hours of perspectives on “Gardening for Your Lifestyle”, and be available for discussion with symposium participants. Registration is now open for the symposium on April 10, 2021. Please visit our website, https://www.mgacra.org/2021-symposium.html to register for this event.

Old September Announcements:

19.  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

New Announcements:

1.    Virginia Tech Giving Day – February 24-25 2021: Virginia Tech is hosting its annual “Giving Day” from February 24 at noon to February 25 at noon. We have a matching challenge: if we can get 25 donations, we’ll unlock a $2,000 gift

a.    FOR LOCAL SOCIAL MEDIA/NEWSLETTER MANAGERS: If you manage your unit’s social/newsletter, resources for creating giving day posts are here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QRc6QfuU1c4kuJrtWKCD9wNdViCqNf0h?usp=sharing

2.    Hours requirements have been updated for 2021, view here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DuoxFD9cUooLYrizDsGtI79nxhTy0PGK/view?usp=sharing

3.    State Office Webinar Series:

a.    March 18 | Vegetable Grafting for Home Gardens: Why & How to Graft Your Own Transplants with Josh Kardos 

b.    Register in advance for this meeting: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtduigqzgsG9Al5hgp3lrvI_iunj6KjO4w

4.    Invitation to the Central Rappahannock Virtual Garden, April l 10 via Zoom:

a.    CALLING ALL GARDENERS…Please join us in our Virtual Garden for the 8th Annual Garden Symposium, presented by the Master Gardeners of the Central Rappahannock Area. Our lively cast of 4 professional gardeners will provide 5 exciting hours of perspectives on “Gardening for Your Lifestyle”, and be available for discussion with symposium participants. Registration is now open for the symposium on April 10, 2021. Please visit our website, https://www.mgacra.org/2021-symposium.html to register for this event.

5.    Garden Basics Workshop: Starting Plants from Seeds, February 20, 2021:

a.    The Piedmont Master Gardeners will offer “Starting Plants from Seeds,” a free online Garden Basics workshop, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, February 20. Learn seed-starting techniques for vegetables and flowers and how to care for seedlings once seeds have germinated. To reserve a spot in the workshop, register by February 15 at https://piedmontmastergardeners.org/events/  An invitation to the Zoom session will be sent the morning of the class.

6.    Piedmont Master Gardeners Schedule Spring Lecture Series, Thursdays in March: The Piedmont Master Gardeners have lined up an outstanding slate of speakers for their 2021 Spring Lecture Series and will present them online from 7 to 8:15 p.m. over four Thursday evenings in March.

a.    Online registration starts February 1 on PMG’s Events webpage (piedmontmastergardeners.org/events/) and is required to receive an invitation to the Zoom sessions. Schedule here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sD-RAwdSTiGEw7koZyrgzYjhgMgxoEdZ/view?usp=sharing

7.    Plant Virginia Natives 2021 Spring and Fall Landscaping with Natives Webinar Series

a.    The Plant Hampton Roads Natives campaign is pleased to be collaborating with other campaigns across the state to offer a series of 12 webinars – 6 this spring and 6 this fall. The webinars will guide you through the why and how to turn your home garden into a beautiful retreat for your family and a native habitat for birds and other wildlife. The series kick-off is on Friday, March 5 at 6:30 pm with an engaging presentation by Dr. Douglas Tallamy, renowned author of Bringing Nature Home and of Nature's Best Hope.Sign-up for all 12 webinars for just $10! More details on the series and registration is available at www.PlantVirginiaNatives.org  

8.     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.

9.    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 Announcements

10. IMGC Search For Excellence – Deadline May 1. The David Gibby Search for Excellence (SFE) Awards recognize the outstanding volunteer work of Extension Master Gardeners (EMG) & Volunteer Coordinators. Please submit your projects! It would be great to see lots of VA entries/awards! Apply here: https://www.imgcsfe.com/

11. Call for recipes for a Virginia IMGC Cookbook (email recipes to Wanda Gerard Wanda vagardengurl@aol.com). Recipes should feature Virginia agricultural products or have some historical/cultural significance to the commonwealth.

12. 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/

13. IMGC: Virtual Tours

b.    With the switch to a virtual platform for IMGC 2021, we have had to reimagine how we will offer tours to participants. We are asking EMGs from across Virginia to submit links to virtual tours that have taken part in, seen, or created. From these submissions, our IMGC Tours Team will put together a Virginia Tours page for conference goers.

c.     Additional details and virtual tours submission can be found here: https://forms.gle/NnSjPskPhGuXXhL49

14. Tree Classes and Walks– Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards is a series of 6 free classes and walks in the first half of 2021 either on weekday evenings or weekends so that all can enjoy them. Please follow the link below for more details and registration information.
https://www.charlottesvilleareatreestewards.org/learn-about-trees/take-a-tree-steward-class/

Old February announcements:

15. Grow The Good Life, February 20 and 27: Bedford Area Master Gardeners Association is sponsoring a two-weekend education event, called Grow The Good Life, to give gardeners a head start on their 2021 garden plans. The program will be conducted by Zoom on February 20th and 27th and will cost $15 per day.  Presentations will include introduction to trending garden crops, composting advice and recommendations for beginners to “seasoned” gardeners, advice on how to control critters in the garden and gardening ideas for small areas.   More info on the flyer, here. Sign up for both weekend sessions is available on the association’s web site, www.BedfordMasterGardeners.org

16. Communications workshop with Inga Haugen, February 24^: Inga Haugen, Life Science, Agriculture, and Scholarly Communication Librarian at Virginia Tech, has created training materials on image attribution, creating presentations, and other technology content. You can be among the first to see the new materials, and you will have a chance to give feedback on how you prefer to view online training materials.

a.    Register (must be current VA EMG): https://www.cognitoforms.com/GPMGA1/CEOMG Registrations deadline is 12:00 noon on Tuesday, February 23, 2021. Please only register only once.

17. How to have the best lawn in the neighborhood – February 22nd (7pm-8pm EST),

a.    Spring is the perfect season to begin thinking about your lawn. Lawns and their problems is one of the topics that master gardeners get a lot of questions about, and now is the time to “bone up” on your turf grass knowledge. Adam Nichols, Research Manager for Turfgrass and Weed Science at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research Station, will focus on how to establish and maintain your lawn. The presentation will be on Zoom and is free and open to the public. Zoom Link: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/89365867543

Old March Announcements:

18. Gardening in the Valley Symposium, March 6: Northern Shenandoah Valey EMGs present a VIRTUAL Gardening in the Valley Symposium, featuring “Urban Bee Keeping,” “Herbs for Health and Healing,” “Raised Beds vs Traditional Beds” and more. More info: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L2cEsUAZA4rdESKvKgyh97ER_EMY4cSb/view?usp=sharing

19. Plant, Nurture, Grow: Gardening In Rhythm with Nature March 20, 2021: The Loudoun County Extension Master Gardeners are proud to present our 11th Annual Garden Symposium, Plant, Grow, Nurture: Gardening in Rhythm with Nature, on March 20, 2021. This year we are virtual, so attendees can enjoy the speakers from the comfort of their own home. Registrants not available on the 20th can watch a recording of the speakers at any time until the end of March. Event information can also be found at https://loudouncountymastergardeners.org/events/annual-symposium/  Registration is limited and opens on February 1, 2021. We hope to see you at the Symposium!

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

New Announcements:

1.    Hours requirements have been updated for 2021, view here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DuoxFD9cUooLYrizDsGtI79nxhTy0PGK/view?usp=sharing

2.    IMGC Search For Excellence – Deadline May 1. The David Gibby Search for Excellence (SFE) Awards recognize the outstanding volunteer work of Extension Master Gardeners (EMG) & Volunteer Coordinators. Please submit your projects! It would be great to see lots of VA entries/awards! Apply here: https://www.imgcsfe.com/

3.    New “IDs and Diagnoses” webinar series features representatives from VCE labs who will provide information on their work, highlight top issues they see in Virginia, and go through how local EMG help desks can be most effective when submitting samples. This series is open to all EMGs and will be appropriate for anyone who takes part in public programming, not just help desk or plant clinic volunteers! All webinars will be recorded and posted to our website.

a.    Dates and topics:
Tuesday, February 9, 1pm: Weeds
Tuesday, February 16, 1pm: Plant Disease

b.    View recorded sessions: https://mastergardener.ext.vt.edu/webinar-archive/

Register in advance: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUodu6qqzguHt3jJ7D6UtyYZvho8T-3hl81   After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

4.    State Office Webinar Series:

a.    February 18 10:00 am | Building strong EMG Mentoring Programs – This webinar will focus on the importance of mentoring programs and how you can build one for your unit.

Register in advance: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvd-Crrz8vGtEC4niKhUUQay0zCLbU1hG6   After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting

5.    Garden Basics Workshop: Starting Plants from Seeds, February 20, 2021:

a.    The Piedmont Master Gardeners will offer “Starting Plants from Seeds,” a free online Garden Basics workshop, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, February 20. Learn seed-starting techniques for vegetables and flowers and how to care for seedlings once seeds have germinated. To reserve a spot in the workshop, register by February 15 at https://piedmontmastergardeners.org/events/  An invitation to the Zoom session will be sent the morning of the class.

6.    Grow The Good Life, February 20 and 27: Bedford Area Master Gardeners Association is sponsoring a two-weekend education event, called Grow The Good Life, to give gardeners a head start on their 2021 garden plans. The program will be conducted by Zoom on February 20th and 27th and will cost $15 per day.  Presentations will include introduction to trending garden crops, composting advice and recommendations for beginners to “seasoned” gardeners, advice on how to control critters in the garden and gardening ideas for small areas.   More info on the flyer, here. Sign up for both weekend sessions is available on the association’s web site, www.BedfordMasterGardeners.org

7.    Communications workshop with Inga Haugen, February 24^: Inga Haugen, Life Science, Agriculture, and Scholarly Communication Librarian at Virginia Tech, has created training materials on image attribution, creating presentations, and other technology content. You can be among the first to see the new materials, and you will have a chance to give feedback on how you prefer to view online training materials.

a.    Register (must be current VA EMG): https://www.cognitoforms.com/GPMGA1/CEOMG Registrations deadline is 12:00 noon on Tuesday, February 23, 2021. Please only register only once.

8.    Piedmont Master Gardeners Schedule Spring Lecture Series, Thursdays in March: The Piedmont Master Gardeners have lined up an outstanding slate of speakers for their 2021 Spring Lecture Series and will present them online from 7 to 8:15 p.m. over four Thursday evenings in March. Online registration starts February 1 on PMG’s Events webpage (piedmontmastergardeners.org/events/) and is required to receive an invitation to the Zoom sessions. Schedule here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sD-RAwdSTiGEw7koZyrgzYjhgMgxoEdZ/view?usp=sharing 

9.    Gardening in the Valley Symposium, March 6: Northern Shenandoah Valey EMGs present a VIRTUAL Gardening in the Valley Symposium, featuring “Urban Bee Keeping,” “Herbs for Health and Healing,” “Raised Beds vs Traditional Beds” and more. More info: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L2cEsUAZA4rdESKvKgyh97ER_EMY4cSb/view?usp=sharing

10. Plant, Nurture, Grow: Gardening In Rhythm with Nature March 20, 2021: The Loudoun County Extension Master Gardeners are proud to present our 11th Annual Garden Symposium, Plant, Grow, Nurture: Gardening in Rhythm with Nature, on March 20, 2021. This year we are virtual, so attendees can enjoy the speakers from the comfort of their own home. Registrants not available on the 20th can watch a recording of the speakers at any time until the end of March. Event information can also be found at https://loudouncountymastergardeners.org/events/annual-symposium/  Registration is limited and opens on February 1, 2021. We hope to see you at the Symposium!

Old Announcements

11. Call for recipes for a Virginia IMGC Cookbook (email recipes to Wanda Gerard Wanda vagardengurl@aol.com). Recipes should feature Virginia agricultural products or have some historical/cultural significance to the commonwealth.

12. 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/

13. New guidance for digital contacts reporting: If you are responsible for reporting contacts, there is new guidance available for reporting webinar contacts. The social media guidance remains the same as previous years. Complete guidance available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Zls5VzitALqr7p97UAEu-xOJnXg-wdNX/view?usp=sharing

14. Virginia Tech Giving Day – February 24-25 2021: Virginia Tech is hosting its annual “Giving Day” from February 24 at noon to February 25 at noon. If you manage social media pages for your unit, stay tuned for pre-written posts with instructions on giving to the EMG program for Giving Day

15. IMGC: Virtual Tours

b.    With the switch to a virtual platform for IMGC 2021, we have had to reimagine how we will offer tours to participants. We are asking EMGs from across Virginia to submit links to virtual tours that have taken part in, seen, or created. From these submissions, our IMGC Tours Team will put together a Virginia Tours page for conference goers.

c.     Additional details and virtual tours submission can be found here: https://forms.gle/NnSjPskPhGuXXhL49

16. Tree Classes and Walks– Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards is a series of 6 free classes and walks in the first half of 2021 either on weekday evenings or weekends so that all can enjoy them. Please follow the link below for more details and registration information.
https://www.charlottesvilleareatreestewards.org/learn-about-trees/take-a-tree-steward-class/

Old February announcements:

17. How to have the best lawn in the neighborhood – February 22nd (7pm-8pm EST),

a.    Spring is the perfect season to begin thinking about your lawn. Lawns and their problems is one of the topics that master gardeners get a lot of questions about, and now is the time to “bone up” on your turf grass knowledge. Adam Nichols, Research Manager for Turfgrass and Weed Science at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research Station, will focus on how to establish and maintain your lawn. The presentation will be on Zoom and is free and open to the public. Zoom Link: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/89365867543

18. GreenScapes Symposium – (Early Bird ends Jan. 8) – February 19, 2021

b.    Join the Greenscapes Symposium for a fascinating day of live virtual presentations on designing and gardening with native plants to sustain wildlife and natural ecosystems.

Don’t miss out on the Early Bird registration fee that ends on Friday, January 8. For more information and to register online, visit www.brooksidegreen.org

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

New Announcements:

1.    View a special end-of-year message from the State Coordinator’s Office: https://youtu.be/HOICz-1UvOk

2.    IMGC Search For Excellence – Deadline May 1. The David Gibby Search for Excellence (SFE) Awards recognize the outstanding volunteer work of Extension Master Gardeners (EMG) & Volunteer Coordinators. Please submit your projects! It would be great to see lots of VA entries/awards! Apply here: https://www.imgcsfe.com/

3.    Call for recipes for a Virginia IMGC Cookbook (email recipes to Wanda Gerard Wanda vagardengurl@aol.com). Recipes should feature Virginia agricultural products or have some historical/cultural significance to the commonwealth.

4.    New “IDs and Diagnoses” webinar series features representatives from VCE labs who will provide information on their work, highlight top issues they see in Virginia, and go through how local EMG help desks can be most effective when submitting samples. This series is open to all EMGs and will be appropriate for anyone who takes part in public programming, not just help desk or plant clinic volunteers! All webinars will be recorded and posted to our website.

a.    Dates and topics:

Tuesday, January 26, 1pm: Soil
Tuesday, February 2, 1pm: Insects
Tuesday, February 9, 1pm: Weeds
Tuesday, February 16, 1pm: Plant Disease

Register in advance: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUodu6qqzguHt3jJ7D6UtyYZvho8T-3hl81   After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

5.    State Office Webinar Series:

a.    February 18 10:00 am | Building strong EMG Mentoring Programs – This webinar will focus on the importance of mentoring programs and how you can build one for your unit.

Register in advance: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvd-Crrz8vGtEC4niKhUUQay0zCLbU1hG6   After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting

6.    How to have the best lawn in the neighborhood – February 22nd (7pm-8pm EST),

a.    Spring is the perfect season to begin thinking about your lawn. Lawns and their problems is one of the topics that master gardeners get a lot of questions about, and now is the time to “bone up” on your turf grass knowledge. Adam Nichols, Research Manager for Turfgrass and Weed Science at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research Station, will focus on how to establish and maintain your lawn. The presentation will be on Zoom and is free and open to the public. Zoom Link: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/89365867543

7.    GreenScapes Symposium – (Early Bird ends Jan. 8) – February 19, 2021

a.    Join the Greenscapes Symposium for a fascinating day of live virtual presentations on designing and gardening with native plants to sustain wildlife and natural ecosystems.

Don’t miss out on the Early Bird registration fee that ends on Friday, January 8. For more information and to register online, visit www.brooksidegreen.org  

8.    The 5th Annual Seed Swap postponed: Based on the Governor's current guidance, the Central Rappahannock Area Master Gardeners have postponed the 5th Annual Seed Swap originally scheduled for January 23, 2021. We hope to reschedule the event in March, at an outside location, and will let everyone know once a new plan has been approved.

9.    Tree Classes and Walks– Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards is a series of 6 free classes and walks in the first half of 2021 either on weekday evenings or weekends so that all can enjoy them. Please follow the link below for more details and registration information.
https://www.charlottesvilleareatreestewards.org/learn-about-trees/take-a-tree-steward-class/

10. Canva is now approved for use by VT – Some of you may be aware that Canva was not approved for official use and VT employees were discouraged from using it. It has recently been approved! Canva is a great free graphic design tool you can use to make social media posts, flyers, handouts, and more.

Old Announcements

1.    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/

2.    New guidance for digital contacts reporting: If you are responsible for reporting contacts, there is new guidance available for reporting webinar contacts. The social media guidance remains the same as previous years. Complete guidance available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Zls5VzitALqr7p97UAEu-xOJnXg-wdNX/view?usp=sharing

3.    Virginia Tech Giving Day – February 24-25 2021: Virginia Tech is hosting its annual “Giving Day” from February 24 at noon to February 25 at noon. If you manage social media pages for your unit, stay tuned for pre-written posts with instructions on giving to the EMG program for Giving Day

4.    IMGC: Virtual Tours

a.    With the switch to a virtual platform for IMGC 2021, we have had to reimagine how we will offer tours to participants. We are asking EMGs from across Virginia to submit links to virtual tours that have taken part in, seen, or created. From these submissions, our IMGC Tours Team will put together a Virginia Tours page for conference goers.

b.    Additional details and virtual tours submission can be found here: https://forms.gle/NnSjPskPhGuXXhL49

Old January Announcements:   

5.    POSTPONED 5th Annual Seed Swap, Central Rappahannock, January 23, 2021

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

New Announcements:

1.    New “IDs and Diagnoses” webinar series features representatives from VCE labs who will provide information on their work, highlight top issues they see in Virginia, and go through how local EMG help desks can be most effective when submitting samples. This series is open to all EMGs and will be appropriate for anyone who takes part in public programming, not just help desk or plant clinic volunteers! All webinars will be recorded and posted to our website.

a.    Dates and topics:

Tuesday, January 26, 1pm: Soil
Tuesday, February 2, 1pm: Insects
Tuesday, February 9, 1pm: Weeds
Tuesday, February 16, 1pm: Plant Disease

Register in advance: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUodu6qqzguHt3jJ7D6UtyYZvho8T-3hl81   After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

2.    State Office Webinar Series:

a.    February 18 10:00 am | Building strong EMG Mentoring Programs – This webinar will focus on the importance of mentoring programs and how you can build one for your unit.

Register in advance: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvd-Crrz8vGtEC4niKhUUQay0zCLbU1hG6   After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

3.    Webinar: The Emerging Invasive Fire Ant – Solenopsis invicta – January 19, 2021 10:00 AM -12 noon

a.    Hosted by Halifax EMGS: As most of you know by now, we have fire ants in the southeastern part of Halifax County with our neighboring counties of Mecklenburg and Charlotte as well as our bordering NC counties also having areas of infestation. We hope to share with you enough information so that when asked about these ‘critters’ you will be an informed EMG. I am also opening this virtual training up to other Master Gardener groups in Virginia and North Carolina, but we will be concentrating on the mitigation processes available to us in Virginia. Bill McCaleb will be presenting as well as Rebekah Slabach, ANR agent, who has been quite active as well checking out possible infestations along with staff from VDACS. We have asked a specialist with VDACS to join us as well.

b.    Pre-registration is required for this training at this link: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcucuCvqTsiGtApRtXxwJ-REqSEB-hVK2sh   

4.    Request for resource suggestions: A Northern Virginia EMG is compiling information on gardening with children and needs your help! “Many parents and childcare providers are looking for books, projects like 4-H's Nature in a Box sponsored by VCE/4-H, and other resources that can help adults work with children on gardening projects.”  

a.    Please help us identify resources and projects for gardening with children! Send your ideas to emgoffice@vt.edu

5.    Virginia Horticultural Foundation Home Gardener Day – Jan 11, 2021

a.    Join us January 11, 2021, for Growing Wild as we explore native plants, the important role they play in ecosystems, and how we can incorporate more of them into our home landscapes. Our four speakers – Doug Tallamy, Ryan McEnaney, Brie Arthur, and Ian Caton – will talk about why we should all plant native, the breeding of cultivars, using natives in food gardens, and how to propagate these plants.

b.    More information and registration: http://homegardenerday.org/index.html

6.    Virginia Tech Giving Day – February 24-25 2021: Virginia Tech is hosting its annual “Giving Day” from February 24 at noon to February 25 at noon. If you manage social media pages for your unit, stay tuned for pre-written posts with instructions on giving to the EMG program for Giving Day

Old Announcements

1.    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/

2.    New guidance for digital contacts reporting: If you are responsible for reporting contacts, there is new guidance available for reporting webinar contacts. The social media guidance remains the same as previous years. Complete guidance available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Zls5VzitALqr7p97UAEu-xOJnXg-wdNX/view?usp=sharing

3.    Creating a Facebook event for an EMG program? Please add the state office as a cohost!

4.    IMGC: Virtual Tours

a.    With the switch to a virtual platform for IMGC 2021, we have had to reimagine how we will offer tours to participants. We are asking EMGs from across Virginia to submit links to virtual tours that have taken part in, seen, or created. From these submissions, our IMGC Tours Team will put together a Virginia Tours page for conference goers.

b.    Additional details and virtual tours submission can be found here: https://forms.gle/NnSjPskPhGuXXhL49

5.    VMGA Speakers bureau list: View VMGA’s current list of topics which speakers in the state are willing to give. The site sends an email to the VMGA 'owner' of the list with contact information for the person who delivers that topic. https://vmga.net/wordpress/speakers/

6.    Send us your COVID photos! If you have photos of EMG volunteer projects during COVID, such as masked volunteers working in a garden, please send them to us! Email them to Devon, dvj@vt.edu

7.    Call for presentations: Have you created a presentation you're proud of & would like to share with us? We are creating a presentation repository and need your presentations!

·      Repository will be available for EMGs and Agents/Coordinators to draw from for speaking requests, training, etc. Master gardeners and agents may submit. Presentations will undergo editing and formatting before being posted. Email presentations to Devon dvj@vt.edu

8.    Plant sale guidance available – Extension Leadership has released guidelines for Extension Master Gardener Plant Sales in light of the current steps toward reopening. You can find that information on the VCE COVID-19 page (https://ext.vt.edu/covid-19updates.html) under “Administrative Documents and Updates.” It’s at the bottom of that list under “EMG Plant Sale Guidance.

Old January Announcements:

9.    5th Annual Seed Swap, Central Rappahannock, January 23, 2021 – Save the Date and your Seeds for the Central Rappahannock Area Master Gardeners 5th Annual Seed Swap on January 23, 2021 from 10AM to 1PM in King George. The event is FREE and open to all. 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

New Announcements:

1.    New “IDs and Diagnoses” webinar series features representatives from VCE labs who will provide information on their work, highlight top issues they see in Virginia, and go through how local EMG help desks can be most effective when submitting samples. This series is open to all EMGs and will be appropriate for anyone who takes part in public programming, not just help desk or plant clinic volunteers! All webinars will be recorded and posted to our website.

a.    Dates and topics:

Tuesday, January 26, 1pm: Soil
Tuesday, February 2, 1pm: Insects
Tuesday, February 9, 1pm: Weeds
Tuesday, February 16, 1pm: Plant Disease

Register in advance: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUodu6qqzguHt3jJ7D6UtyYZvho8T-3hl81   After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

2.    State Office Webinar Series:

a.    February 18 10:00 am | Building strong EMG Mentoring Programs – This webinar will focus on the importance of mentoring programs and how you can build one for your unit.

Register in advance: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvd-Crrz8vGtEC4niKhUUQay0zCLbU1hG6   After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

3.    IMGC: Virtual Tours

a.    With the switch to a virtual platform for IMGC 2021, we have had to reimagine how we will offer “tours” to participants. We are asking EMGs from across Virginia to submit links to virtual tours that you have taken part in, seen, or created. From these submissions, our IMGC Tours Team will put together a Virginia Tours page for conference goers.

b.    Additional details and virtual tours submission can be found here: https://forms.gle/NnSjPskPhGuXXhL49

4.    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/

5.    New guidance for digital contacts reporting: If you are responsible for reporting contacts, there is new guidance available for reporting webinar contacts. The social media guidance remains the same as previous years. Complete guidance available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Zls5VzitALqr7p97UAEu-xOJnXg-wdNX/view?usp=sharing

6.    Creating a Facebook event for an EMG program? Please add the state office as a cohost!

7.    VMGA Speakers bureau list: View VMGA’s current list of topics which speakers in the state are willing to give. The site sends an email to the VMGA ‘owner’ of the list with contact information for the person who delivers that topic. https://vmga.net/wordpress/speakers/

Old Announcements

8.    After much deliberation over the past few months, we have made the difficult decision that the 2021 International Master Gardener Conference will be a virtual event. To learn more about our decision, read Kathleen’s letter here.

a.    To learn more about virtual IMGC 20210: https://www.internationalmastergardener.com/about/

b.    Registration will open April 5, 2021

c.     To sign up for the IMGC email list: https://t.send.vt.edu/lp/EXT-International-Master-Gardener-College

9.    Send us your COVID photos! If you have photos of EMG volunteer projects during COVID, such as masked volunteers working in a garden, please send them to us! Email them to Devon, dvj@vt.edu

10. Call for presentations: Have you created a presentation you’re proud of & would like to share with us? We are creating a presentation repository and need your presentations!

·      Repository will be available for EMGs and Agents/Coordinators to draw from for speaking requests, training, etc. Master gardeners and agents may submit. Presentations will undergo editing and formatting before being posted. Email presentations to Devon dvj@vt.edu

11. “My Trees Count” app launched by VDOF – In order to keep track of trees planted in communities across the state, the Department of Forestry has launched a tree planting tracking application called “My Trees Count”. This will provide VDOF with valuable data about water quality in the state, as well as help track tree plantings as communities work towards their WIP Goals. Finally, it will allow us to recognize tree planting efforts. When submitted through the Trees Count Survey, we may share planting stories on the Community Tree Map or social media with #MyTreeCounts. The application can be found here: https://arcg.is/WryDG

12. Plant sale guidance available – Extension Leadership has released guidelines for Extension Master Gardener Plant Sales in light of the current steps toward reopening. You can find that information on the VCE COVID-19 page (https://ext.vt.edu/covid-19updates.html) under “Administrative Documents and Updates.” It’s at the bottom of that list under “EMG Plant Sale Guidance.

13. We’re working on a comprehensive webinar page – The State Office is working on compiling local unit YouTube videos and webinars on our YouTube page. If you have YouTube videos, please email Devon dvj@vt.edu. If you have videos somewhere other than YouTube but would like to get them on YouTube, please also email Devon! Videos will be organized into playlists here: https://www.youtube.com/c/VirginiaCooperativeExtensionMasterGardener/playlists  (Check the “Hanover Home Gardening” playlist as an example)

Old January Announcements:

14. 5th Annual Seed Swap, Central Rappahannock, January 23, 2021 – Save the Date and your Seeds for the Central Rappahannock Area Master Gardeners 5th Annual Seed Swap on January 23, 2021 from 10AM to 1PM in King George. The event is FREE and open to all. 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

New Announcements:

1.    After much deliberation over the past few months, we have made the difficult decision that the 2021 International Master Gardener Conference will be a virtual event. To learn more about our decision, read Kathleen’s letter here.

a.    To learn more about virtual IMGC 20210: https://www.internationalmastergardener.com/about/

b.    Registration will open April 5, 2021

c.     To sign up for the IMGC email list: https://t.send.vt.edu/lp/EXT-International-Master-Gardener-College

2.    November State Office webinar

a.    November 19 | State Office updates Q&A 10:00 am

                                              i.     Join us to hear State Office updates from Dave Close (Program Director) and Kathleen Reed (State Master Gardener Coordinator), There will also be time for Dave and Kathleen to answer any questions you might have about the program. Send us your questions in advance (reedka@vt.edu) or type them into the chat box during the webinar!

  ii.     Register: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIqcu2sqzstH9ASNx8CUN62VrgXFUCT5IiN

3.    Send us your COVID photos! If you have photos of EMG volunteer projects during COVID, such as masked volunteers working in a garden, please send them to us! Email them to Devon, dvj@vt.edu

4.    Call for presentations: Have you created a presentation you’re proud of & would like to share with us? We are creating a presentation repository and need your presentations!

·      Repository will be available for EMGs and Agents/Coordinators to draw from for speaking requests, training, etc. Master gardeners and agents may submit. Presentations will undergo editing and formatting before being posted. Email presentations to Devon dvj@vt.edu

Old Announcements

5.    We’re working on a comprehensive webinar page – The State Office is working on compiling local unit YouTube videos and webinars on our YouTube page. If you have YouTube videos, please email Devon dvj@vt.edu. If you have videos somewhere other than YouTube but would like to get them on YouTube, please also email Devon! Videos will be organized into playlists here: https://www.youtube.com/c/VirginiaCooperativeExtensionMasterGardener/playlists  (Check the “Hanover Home Gardening” playlist as an example)

6.    “My Trees Count” app launched by VDOF – In order to keep track of trees planted in communities across the state, the Department of Forestry has launched a tree planting tracking application called “My Trees Count”. This will provide VDOF with valuable data about water quality in the state, as well as help track tree plantings as communities work towards their WIP Goals. Finally, it will allow us to recognize tree planting efforts. When submitted through the Trees Count Survey, we may share planting stories on the Community Tree Map or social media with #MyTreeCounts. The application can be found here: https://arcg.is/WryDG

7.    IMGC 2021 Tee Shirt Design Contest Results! Our winners are:

·      Linda Williams – Carroll/Grayson – “Dogwood”

·      Pat Machowsky – Greenspring – “Buttonbush”

·      Ruby Gardner – Gloucester – “Cardinal and Bee Balm”

8.    Virginia Tech Plant Clinic’s Plant Problem Image Gallery has been resurrected! This useful image gallery contains images of common Virginia plant diseases, provided by the VT Plant Disease clinic. Available at: https://apps.cals.vt.edu/ppig/

9.    Plant sale guidance available – Extension Leadership has released guidelines for Extension Master Gardener Plant Sales in light of the current steps toward reopening. You can find that information on the VCE COVID-19 page (https://ext.vt.edu/covid-19updates.html) under “Administrative Documents and Updates.” It’s at the bottom of that list under “EMG Plant Sale Guidance.

10. EMG Coordinator webinar: CE opportunity! Food Safety and Master Gardener Volunteer Programs, before and after COVID-19 webinar recording: https://youtu.be/aK6g8NvpAok

11. VMGA speaker’s bureau list now available, contact Erica Jones 540 544 7359

·      More info: https://vmga.net/wordpress/vmga-speakers-bureau/

Old November Announcements:

12. Garden Basics Workshop: “Water-Wise Gardening” – The Piedmont Master Gardeners will offer “Water-Wise Gardening,” a free Garden Basics workshop, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, November 21, via Zoom. Participants will learn how to manage water in the landscape efficiently; how to control erosion and runoff; and how to help plants survive in wet, dry and hot conditions. To receive an invitation to the virtual session, register by November 16 at https://piedmontmastergardeners.org/events/   |   More info here

13. Soil management and soil health webinar series – Soil Management and Soil Health webinar series from VSU The Zoom webinar series will take place on November 2, 5, 9, 16 and 23, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. More info here.

Old January Announcements:

14. 5th Annual Seed Swap, Central Rappahannock, January 23, 2021 – Save the Date and your Seeds for the Central Rappahannock Area Master Gardeners 5th Annual Seed Swap on January 23, 2021 from 10AM to 1PM in King George. The event is FREE and open to all. 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
7. Every Kid in a Park Program
8. Basil Downy Mildew: Occurrence Monitoring and Info Website for Gardeners
   1. A new website, created by Margaret McGrath and the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University, on monitoring occurrence of downy mildew on basil in the US and Canada:

                                               i.     It maps occurrences and replaces them into a GoogleDocs spreadsheet since 2009. There is information about BDM at the website that is geared for gardeners. Gardeners have been the primary and most important reporters in helping with monitoring this disease.

1. 1. A handout for gardeners about reporting occurrences of BDM and 2 other important diseases: late blight and cucurbit downy mildew.