CGBLLEd2020: Introduction

Welcome and Introductory Discussion Forum

Introduction

Hi! I'm Holly Wise from CCE Oneida County. We have 41 (semi-active to active) volunteers in the program. CCE Oneida County has a demonstration garden name after a nurseryman and County Legislator Parker F. Scripture Botanical Garden in which the gardeners design, maintain and provide educational learning whether through signage, plant labels, to various groups (in normal times), and pop up class sessions.

The gardeners have been learning how to connect using ZOOM monthly for our business meetings since March. At the virtual meetings we include an educational piece. A couple of the gardeners this spring provided webinar ZOOM classes 6 in total that reach many folks in the community. We also have gardeners who write weekly gardening tips for one local newspaper and radio station; another newspaper publishes our weekly in depth gardening articles. This July we are getting back into our Extension Gardens for those who feel comfortable with social distancing. The weather has not been in favor of our schedule garden work session, hoping August will be better!

The Extension gardens feature All- America Selections annuals and vegetables. We participate in the Landscape Design Challenge and Cornell Vegetable Varieties. Our vegetable garden had a deer go through and munched several plants down. So we are working keeping the deer out. We have worked with local school greenhouses to start our plants. This year only 1 was able to follow through due to the health crisis. The school's FFA teacher was able to keep the started plants going until time for planting. Also a few of the gardeners started some of our seeds. We had to cancel our 24th Annual Herb & Flower Festival that was slated this past June. Most of our vendors had sold out of plants by then. The Festival is our annual fund raiser for the gardens, plus our speaker bureau donation helps also bringing income to the gardens.

We also have been busy with Horticulture calls, from gardening, trees to wildlife. Calls have increased this season with folks new to gardening or spending time at home in their yards.

Hi Holly,

Thank you for the beautiful pictures of the gardens! I looked into what the theme for the Landscape Design Challenge today - it sounds like it is "Make an Entrance" - how are you all meeting the challenge?

It sounds like you have really utilized these gardeners well through this challenging time. I'm glad to hear they have provided some Zoom webinars. To help make up for the shortfall from the cancelled events, have you all charged at all for your classes? Another idea is to do a "front yard" garden tour, perhaps have people pay to walk by some of your MGV gardens in a socially distanced way, and earn a little money from this effort.

I know Monroe county has done some virtual garden consultations for a small fee, that might be an idea as well, since there are so many new gardeners in need of your expert help!

Best,

Ashley

Show parent

Hi Holly,

Welcome! It sounds like you haven't missed a beat, and despite all the challenges lately your volunteers are keeping busy. I like the idea that you have local school greenhouses starting plants for your gardens. Before they closed, did you go in and teach the students about horticulture, and were they the ones who cared for the plants?

When I was in Rockland and Suffolk so many schools reached out to me, wanting to build a greenhouse or revitalize one that was neglected over the years. Did you help them with education on how to use the greenhouse in a school setting? There was not a lot of information available at the time.

Show parent