Foodscaping With Natives

A presentation by Brie Arthur

Author of the bestseller The Foodscape Revolution

Saturday, October 5th, 1 pm at the Warren County Courthouse in Warrenton, NC

Thoughtful design and management of landscapes is more important than ever as concerns of climate, water quality and invasive plants increase. Brie will discuss how to create a foodscape using native plants mixed with favorite seasonal food crops. The best organic products are featured and easy, earth friendly maintenance strategies are highlighted. Learn about native edible plants and the pollinators they attract that aid in ecological restoration. Get inspired to see the potential every landscape offers by transforming them into purposeful spaces that embrace solutions to modern day landscape problems. 

FREE BONUS EVENT - WALKING TOUR OF WARRENTON Hosted by Preservation Warrenton. Enjoy a relaxed walking tour of this historic town, featuring many fascinating stories from the past. Departing from the lobby of the Warren County Courthouse at 9:45 am, concluding at 11 am.

By Paul McKenzie, Extension Agent

Join the Master Gardener℠ volunteers of Vance/Warren Counties on Saturday, October 5, 2019, for their Fall Gardening Symposium, which will be held in historic Warrenton, NC. This year the symposium will feature Brie Arthur, author of The Foodscape Revolution. Brie studied Landscape Design and Horticulture at Purdue University and since has worked as a grower, propagator, author, and correspondent on the Growing A Greener World show on PBS. She has a passion for sustainable, local food production and will share advice on how to practice this in your own backyard. The presentation by Brie Arthur will take place at 1 p.m. in the Warren County Courthouse, conveniently located in the heart of Warrenton. Registration is $20. Read more about this exciting event and find the link to register at http://go.ncsu.edu/foodscapewarren

PLEASE JOIN US AND BRING A FRIEND

GARDEN DEDICATION, VANCE COUNTY, NC

MEMORIAL GARDEN CELEBRATION

Wednesday, June 12, 2019   10:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Vance County Regional Farmers Market

210 Southpark Drive just off Beckford Dr. Henderson, NC 27536

Join the Extension Master Gardener volunteers for a drop-in celebration as we hold the official opening and dedication of the Memorial Garden at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market. We will have light refreshments and a short program, and we then invite you to stroll around the garden and visit with us. The garden is dedicated to the memory of members of our group who are no longer with us. It features drought tolerant plants that attract pollinators and other beneficial insects, and is also a Certified Wildlife Habitat.
http://go.ncsu.edu/vancegarden

Interested in becoming an Extension Master Gardener Volunteer?

Late July marks the start of a new class for Extension Master Gardener Volunteers.  Do you enjoy gardening and helping others learn more about gardening?  Would you like to learn more about gardening and help share the joys of getting your hands in the soil?  Please consider joining the team  of volunteers in Vance and Warren County.  There will be an informational open house at the Cooperative Extension Office in both Warren and Vance counties.  For more information see https://vance.ces.ncsu.edu/2019/04/get-trained-to-be-a-volunteer-in-the-master-gardener-program/

Fire Ants: A Good Question

Ask your Master Gardener:
The first question for the Question and Answer column comes from Linda Sigmon:
“Since Hurricane Florence, there seems to be a proliferation of fire ants. What is causing this?”

Yes, you are seeing more fire ant mounds since Hurricane Florence dumped so much water on our region. The short answer is that the ants have been there all along, living in an underground nest, even if there was no distinctive mound that showed their presence. With the abundant rainfall, the soil became looser and the ants were able to make their nests larger by mounding up the soil on top.

Many colonies with a small number of ants are started in the spring and fall. As the colony adds more ants through reproduction, the size of the mound on top gets larger. The Red Imported Fire Ant (the fire ant species that is common in our area) is happiest when temperatures are between 70F and 95F. Therefore, they are feeding, growing larger colonies and establishing new colonies much of the year in our area.
New colonies are started by winged males and females by leaving the nest and engaging in aerial mating. This allows the females to be widely dispersed from their parent colony. Each female is going to try to start a colony after her eggs are fertilized and, as described, the small colony is likely to go unnoticed for some time.

I know you are interested in control so here are a few things to consider.

GETTING READY FOR HUMMERS & OTHERS from the May 2015 Garden Path Newsletter

GARDENING FOR THE BIRDS & THE BEES PLUS BUTTERFLIES & ME

 By Edna Gaston, May 2105

It’s spring so now it’s time to plan for our summer feathered friends. One of my favorites is the hummingbird. In my yard they are especially fond of my hanging baskets and containers. Hanging baskets easily brighten any space and if they will attract birds then so much the better.
So here are a few suggestions.
1. FLOWERS – red is the color usually associated with hummers. This is a color that can be seen from a distance but mine also go to white, yellow and other pale colors. But select plants with tubular flowers. Also hummers seem to like floppy, open form plants that produce numerous flowers. I’ve

Spring 2019 Symposium coming soon.

Annual Gardening Symposium Scheduled for March 23

— Written By Paul McKenzie

The theme for the 2019 Vance County gardening symposium is “Gardening for a Sustainable Future.” This event, hosted by the Master Gardener℠ volunteers of Vance and Warren Counties, will take place at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market.

Our presenters this year include Dr. Ashley Troth, Extension Agent in Durham County, Mark Weathington, Director of NC State University’s JC Raulston Arboretum, and Kit Flynn, Master Gardener volunteer emeritus and garden writer. Register by February 28 to receive the early bird registration rate of $30. Lunch and snacks are included in the registration cost.

Visit http://go.ncsu.edu/vancegarden for complete details. Questions may be directed to 252-438-8188 or paul_mckenzie@ncsu.edu.

Late Winter In The Tyro's Corner

THE TYRO’S CORNER

By Eileen Novak

Previously published on Blogger.com.  Reprinted with permission of the author.

I enjoy the winter here in North Carolina.  Of course, much of that has to do with the fact that I grew up north of Buffalo, New York. I can remember when we would get Halloween costumes, and needing to be sure that it would fit over a snowsuit.

And the snow.  It is rumored that the Eskimos have many words for snow, referring to the texture, the weight, whether or not it’s good for igloos or just snowballs. In Buffalo, we have lots of words for it too, none of which are suitable to print in this publication.