Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Great Tool Cleaning Tip!

With most of us looking forward to getting out there and digging, this is a great time to give some thought to getting our spades and cultivators in top shape for the beginning of the season. This can be done periodically to maintain them throughout the season, as well.

Just add a little used motor oil to a bucket of sand. When finished using any garden tool; plunge the tool into the sand several times. The oily/abrasive sand will scour and oil your tool’s working edges. An oiled surface will prevent normal oxidation (rusting) of your garden tools.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners

Many of us have wondered, "Which vegetable varieties should I plant in my garden?"

At Cornell Cooperative Extension's web site, you can read what other gardeners have to say!

http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu/

Started in January 2005, this site now has about 1300 registered users who provide valuable ratings of different vegetable varieties. Varieties are rated with stars (1 – 5) according to taste, yield, and ease of growing. In addition, a brief review is usually added often with very helpful information like “not a high yield but the flavor is so good that it’s worth it” or “needs a lot of staking”.

Although this website was originally planned to be exclusive to New York State, it has proved so popular that there are now registered users from all 50 states and 6 Canadian provinces.

Registered reviewers give their growing season days and soil type so that others can decide if the variety would be suitable for their gardening conditions.

So far, about 2300 reviews of the 4500 vegetable varieties on the site have been posted.

Cornell is encouraging everyone to add to the reviews and share their expertise and experiences.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Woodlot Owners: Upcoming Workshop

Protecting and Enhancing Your Woodlot:

Advice for Landowners

Saturday, May 15, 2010, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon

Wayne County Cooperative Extension

1581 State Route 88 Newark NY


Registration fee of $10 includes the workshop and printed copy of reference material.


This workshop will describe the main threats, both human and natural, that your woodlot faces; what you can do to combat them; and how you can maintain a healthy and productive woodlot. Topics will include how to protect your woodlot from timber theft and poor logging practices, how to recognize various invasive species and the effects they can have on a woodlot, how to develop a management plan, and what resources are available to help landowners practice good silviculture on their woodlots.

Speakers will include Mark Gooding, DEC service forester for Wayne County, and Mike Seager, president of the New York Forest Owners Association.

Registration deadline is May 7th 2010. To register, send your $10.00 payment along with your name, address and phone number to: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Wayne County 1581 Rte 88 N. Newark, NY 14513

For additional information, contact Laurie VanNostrand at (315) 331 8415 Ext 107.

Sponsored by:

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Wayne County Master Gardener Program

New York Forest Owners Association

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Accommodations for persons with disabilities may be requested by calling Cornell Cooperative Extension of Wayne County at (315)331-8415 by May 7th to ensure sufficient time to make arrangements. Requests received after this date will be met when possible. Cornell University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action educator and employer.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

COMING SOON!


Welcome to the new blog for the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension, Wayne County, New York.

Bookmark this site, because very soon you'll be able to keep up-to-date on all things Master Gardener. This will include upcoming events, news bulletins, articles of interest, seasonal gardening tips, and information on how to get all your gardening questions answered by our highly trained and experienced Master Gardeners.

We thank you for your interest, and hope you'll look forward with us to this new way of communicating with our fellow Wayne County gardeners!