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["Sandra J. Repp" <sjr37 AT cornell.edu>]

SPRING INTO GARDENING! A Day of Workshops!

Saturday, April 6, 9:00 am-5:00pm
at Dewitt Middle School, 560 Warren Road, Ithaca
This one-day event will feature a range of talks and hands-on workshops on organic vegetable gardening, growing herbs, seed saving, beneficial insects and pests, home fruit growing, deer-proofing your garden, native plants, pruning, school gardening and more! The Master Gardener volunteers will be on hand for soil and pH testing, and the Ithaca Children's Garden staff will provide a space for children's gardening activities. Registration: $60.00, includes your choice of five workshops, a box lunch, soil testing and children's activities. For more information, call Chrys Gardener at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County (607) 272-2292.   Download a brochure and registration form here:  http://ccetompkins.org/calendar/13/01/30/spring-gardening

 

 

SCHEDULE & CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

 

10:00 – 11:00am

-Getting Started with Vegetable Gardening. Learn where to site your garden, how to prepare the soil, how to start seeds, how to plant, when to mulch, and which easy veggies to try first. Patricia Curran, CCE Horticulture Educator, will also discuss favorite varieties, container gardening, and harvesting tips.

-Growing Small Fruits. Learn the basics of growing strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries under our local conditions, including site preparation, variety selection, fertilization, pruning, and winter protection. Learn where to find information on managing common pests and extending the harvest season.  Taught by Marvin Pritts,  Cornell Horticulture Department.

-Right Plant, Right Place. Most gardeners are familiar with the right plant, right place concept, but how does that play out in the garden?  What do you need to know about a garden’s soil and environment to be able to choose the right plants for it?  Learn  ways to evaluate your garden: from soil testing, sun/shade analysis, moisture levels, and more.  Taught by Barb Neil, Green Legacy Trees.

-Ecological Lawn Care. Grass is the most commonly grown ornamental plant in the American landscape.  Yet lawns remain a bit of a mystery to many.  Understand the basics about mowing, fertilizing and watering.  Learn some simple tips that can help you have a nice lawn that is also friendly to the environment. Taught by Mary Thurn, Cornell Horticulture Department

 

11:10am – 12:10pm
-Beneficial Insects in Your Garden. Most insects we encounter on a daily basis are harmless or beneficial. Learn how to identify and attract beneficial insects to your garden by creating healthy, diverse habitats. Taught by Tompkins County Master Gardeners

-Edible Landscaping. There are so many beautiful trees, shrubs and perennial plants that can provide food as well. Learn about ornamental and unusual fruits that you can grow here, such as paw-paw, hardy kiwi, persimmon and quince, and attractive perennial vegetables like cardoon, rhubarb and artichoke. Taught by Josh Dolan, CCE Gardens 4 Humanity program.

-Native Plants: Beauty in Context.  More and more gardeners are hearing about native plants, and trying to use them in home landscapes--but reliable and inspired information is lacking.  The easiest and best way to gain confidence about native plants is to first learn where they live, and why.  With a basic understanding of habitat and plant community dynamics, you can use native plants in your landscape with much more success!  Taught by Dan Segal, owner of The Plantsmen Nursery

-Starting a School Garden - The Dewitt Middle School has a school garden project that is integrated into the curriculum and also provides fresh vegetables for the school lunch program. Find out about the successes and pitfalls of starting a school garden.  The presentation will include preparations for building the garden, logistics of raising vegetable crops with 7th graders, funding the garden, incorporation of science concepts and integration of other school subjects.  Taught by Wayne Gottlieb, Dewitt Middle School science teacher.

 

12:10pm – 1:00pm   LUNCH BREAK 

 

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

-Tour of Dewitt Middle School Garden. Stretch your legs after lunch with a tour of the school garden and greenhouse to see first hand how to set up a successful school garden. Tour led by Wayne Gottleib, Dewitt Middle School science teacher.

-Pests and Diseases of Tree Fruits. Find out how to identify and manage the main pest and disease problems of home grown apples and other local tree fruits.  The emphasis will be on orchard design, understanding pest ecology, and integrated management strategies that minimize the need for chemical pesticides. Taught by Ian Merwin, Cornell Horticulture Department and co-owner of One of A Kind Orchard.

-Taking Roses to Greater Heights, Cold Hardy Climbers and Ramblers for Your Garden. Do you think roses are difficult to grow? It’s easier than you think to grow roses without the use of any chemical pesticides or fertilizers. You will learn how to select, plant, care for and train climbing and rambling roses in your garden for maximum bloom and impact. Taught by Lee Ginenthal, owner of Der Rosenmeister Nursery.

-Ergonomic Tips for Life-Long Gardening – Are you tired and aching after a day in the garden? Gardening shouldn’t hurt if you use your body correctly. Learn how to stretch your muscles before gardening and techniques and tools that get the best results with the least amount of physical effort. Taught by Carol John, Master Gardener and occupational therapist.

 

2:10 pm – 3:10 pm

-Growing and Propagating Culinary Herbs. Participants will learn to divide a variety of perennial herbs and will get to take home divisions of herb plants. You will also learn about growing annual herbs, such as basil and cilantro, from seed. Taught by Suzanne Hoback, Master Gardener.

-Pruning and Training Fruit Trees. Learn the basic concepts and practices for successful pruning of fruit trees and vines. We will consider tree growth and development,  different types of pruning cuts, balance between flowering and vegetative growth in trees and vines, and relationships between pruning, tree health and fruit production. Taught by Ian Merwin, Cornell Horticulture Department and co-owner of Black Diamond Orchard.

-Ornamental Garden Design. Strong design can make or break a garden. Learn how to develop an overall plan for your landscape and establish the ‘bones’ of your garden with paths, walls, trellises, trees and shrubs. Then the flowering plants can be added to complete the picture. With Mary Zebell, Landscape Architect.

-Supercharged Compost: Tumblers, Accelerants, & More. We’ve all read the ads that promise finished compost in mere weeks.  Were you tempted to buy a tumbler or some magic powder and are wondering how you can make what comes out of your bin look like the slick advertisements?  Join Master Composters in this class that explains tumblers, accelerants, and the “tricks” to get good compost fast.  We’ll tease out the truth and send you home ready to compost.

 

3:20 pm – 4:20 pm

-Extending the Season. Find out how easily constructed cold-frames can extend your vegetable growing season by a month at either end, and how you can use your greenhouse to produce food even in the winter. Taught by Josh Dolan, CCE Garden 4 Humanity.

-Graft Your Own Fruit Tree. Fruit trees are grafted rather than grown from seed. Learn about different types of rootstocks and how they determine the mature size and disease resistance of fruit trees, and get a chance to graft apple scion wood to a rootstock. Participants will take home a tree they have grafted themselves. Taught by Steve Cummins, owner of Cummins Nursery and Indian Creek Farm.

-Deer-Resistant Gardens. Deer can be a big problem in our area but with careful selection you can have a deer-resistant garden. Find out which ornamental trees, shrubs, perennials and annual plants the deer don’t eat, and learn about deer repellents and fencing. Taught by Pat Curran, CCE Horticulture Educator.

-Introduction to Permaculture Design. Permaculture is a design discipline for productive systems such as gardens, farms, homesteads, and urban sites utilizing ecological principles found in natural systems. Permaculture principles include soil regeneration, water conservation, building ponds and swales, managing woodlots, and of course, gardens. Taught by FingerLakes Permaculture Institute staff.

 

Download a brochure and registration form here:  http://ccetompkins.org/calendar/13/01/30/spring-gardening. For more information, call Chrys Gardener at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County (607) 272-2292.