John Howell, former horticulturist at UMass Extension, will speak to the North Quabbin Garden Club on Thursday, November 19 at the Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street in Athol, on the basics of growing strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Free, and the public is invited to attend.
Correct weed identification is an important first step in the development of an effective weed management program. Using a classroom presentation, potted weed herbarium and weed walk, UMass Extension Specialist Randy Prostak will help participants enhance their grassy weed identification skills on Thursday, August 20, from 9 – 3 at French Hall at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Feel free to bring a weed or two to identify. Workshop held rain or shine (lunch not provided). Broadleaf Weed Identificaton will be offered next in 2016. Registration Cost $95/person (pre-registration required, space is limited). Online registrations include a nominal processing fee – See more at: http://ag.umass.edu/events/grassy-weed-identification-workshop-0#sthash.9wMOxuCk.dpuf
Gardening is enjoyed by so many people – it can ease stress, keep you limber, and even improve your mood! To help keep your plants healthy, productive, and beautiful, the 2015 UMass Garden Calendar offers guidelines and tips on how and when to fertilize flowering plants, calculating the area of your garden, how to get a soil test, the types of fertilizers for flowers, and using organic matter.
Properly fertilized plants are healthier, more productive and more beautiful. Plants that are stressed are often more susceptible to disease and insect problems. Even if you start with great garden soil, as your plants grow, they use some of the nutrients that are present and leave the soil less fertile. Rainfall washes out some nutrients and those tasty vegetables and beautiful flowers you grew last year took nutrients from the soil to build those plant tissues. By testing your soil and providing the right amount of fertilizer to your garden, you ensure that this year’s plants have the nutrients they need to flourish.
Each year, the Garden Calendar presents a selection of plants chosen by the UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery & Urban Forestry staff for pest resistance, adaptability to specific growing environments, and seasonal effectiveness. A brief description accompanies each photo to help understand these plant choices. Furthermore, daily gardening tips provide information on garden pests and management strategies to help gardeners reduce pesticide usage. Also included are “how-to and when†tips such as dates to plant peas, renovate lawns, prune and fertilize roses, conserve water in the landscape, and many more.
Our perennial wish is that you enjoy this calendar as much as we enjoy producing it, and that it is helpful in all your gardening endeavors.
Single copies of the 2015 calendar are $12 each. Visit https://ecommerce.umass.edu/extsales to order online with a credit card.
The University of Massachusetts Extension wraps up its spring fruit courses with a session on Native Pollinator Conservation, led by Sonia Schloemann (pictured below) on Saturday, May 17 from 10 – 1 at Powisset Farm, 37 Powisset Street in Dover. Pollination is an important step in growing all fruits and many vegetables. While most people know about honey bees, native bees are also important pollinators. Encouraging native bees and other beneficials by providing nesting and forage habitat is easy and fun for the home gardener. Learn about how to build bee blocks and which flowering plants make good forage habitat. Participants will build nest boxes to bring home to their gardens. $50. Register on line at https://classic.regonline.com/builder/site/?eventid=1460640.
The University of Massachusetts Extension has a fabulous class and hands on seminar scheduled for Saturday, April 26, from 10 – 2, with Jon Clements at Wards Berry Farm, 614 South Main Street in Sharon. Your fruiting wall will produce two bushels each of five apple varieties in just 3 years from planting using just over 100 square feet of backyard! We will spend some time indoors talking about site, variety, rootstock selection, planting, and annual care (including pest management) of your fruiting apple wall. Then, we will go outdoors and actually plant the orchard from start to finish including site preparation, fertilization, pruning, and tree support. Voila! Instant orchard. There will be a break for participants to enjoy a BYO lunch. $85 fee. Register at https://classic.regonline.com/builder/site/?eventid=1460640.
On Tuesday, April 9, the University of Massachusetts Extension’s Landscape, Nursery & Urban Forestry Program will sponsor The Invasive Plant Issue and Invasive Plant Identification, from 9 – 2 at the DoubleTree Hotel, 11 Beaver Street in Milford, Massachusetts. This course is an overview of the topic of invasive plants, focusing on why we should be concerned about them and enhancing your ability to readily identify invasive plants as well as their look-alikes. The work of the Massachusetts Invasive Plant Advisory Group, including its strategies, recommendations, and the recently released Early Detection/Rapid Response Priority List document, will be discussed. $75. To register, visit https://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1362488 or call 413-545-0895.
The University of Massachusetts Extension will sponsor a class on Growing & Pruning Grapes on Saturday, April 5, from 10 – 1, led by Sonia Schloemann at Wards Berry Farm, 614 S. Main Street in Sharon. Grapes are one of the most universally enjoyed fruits available. Many of the new varieties have excellent taste, are winter hardy, and can make excellent wine. Grapes are fun to grow but present some challenges. Sonia Schloemann will help participants through the basics and give them the tools to overcome some of the challenges. Specific topics will include selecting varieties, planting, fertilizing, controlling pests, pruning, and vine training. Participants will have the opportunity to conduct actual pruning and gain both experience and confidence in pruning and training grapes in order to produce a bountiful crop. $50 fee. To register, visit https://classic.regonline.com/builder/site/?eventid=1460640.
Every new year comes with its own challenges for successful maintenance of healthy and attractive landscapes. These challenges include variable and unpredictable weather, insect pests, weeds and changing regulations. Join UMass Extension Educators at the UMass Cranberry Research Station, 1 State Bog Road in East Wareham on Thursday, April 3 from 10 – 3:30 for a day of learning about the latest research-based information to help you kick off a successful landscape management season. Topics include new nutrient regulations and BMPs for nutrient management, timely info on insect pests of landscape and urban trees, developing a landscape weed management program, principles of ecological landscaping, and finding the right plant for the right place. $75. Register online at https://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1362516, or phone 508-295-2212, x 47. Photo below from the Massachusetts Nursery & Landscaping Association.
University of Massachusetts Extension will hold a hands-on workshop, Grafting Apple Trees, on Saturday, March 29, from 9 – 2:30 at The Farm School. 488 Moore Hill Road in Athol. Many people do not realize that all apple varieties are reproduced by grafting – they are not grown from seed. For horticultural enthusiasts, one of the most satisfying techniques to master is grafting. Wes Autio will present a hands-on workshop on “bench grafting†and “cleft grafting†of apple trees. Other grafting techniques will be discussed. Proper tools and sharpening will be included. All participants in the workshop will graft several of their own apple trees to take home. There will be a break for participants to enjoy a BYO lunch. You may register and pay at https://classic.regonline.com/builder/site/?eventid=1460640.
