Tag Archives: Master Gardener Volunteers

The Children’s Garden Summer Program

2017 is the 25th consecutive year Master Gardener Volunteers have offered a summer gardening program for children through Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County. Growing interest in this program has led to a renovation of the garden, including a new pergola and paved walkway, hoop houses for growing early and late season vegetables, as well as identification and special care of many pollinator-friendly plants in the garden.

Popular projects for the 2017 Children’s Garden program include:

  • Making newspaper pots, and then potting up seeds and transplants to bring home to grow
  • Identifying weeds by making weed ID books to bring home for future use
  • Learning about the various garden areas and the variety of butterflies, birds, and insects attracted to them
  • Adding food scraps to our 3-bin compost system and learning why “Rot Rules” in the soil kingdom
  • Planting square-foot gardens to grow food in raised beds
  • Harvesting vegetables and fruit from the hoop house, raised beds, and teepee
  • Playing in the bean teepee, sunflower house, and gazebo

Favorite activities from previous years include a visit from the Worm Lady, a tour of the Butterfly House at the Farm, a wagon ride tour of the Farm, and much more. On the last day of the program, we’ll enjoy a celebratory feast, prepared from bounty we harvest from the garden.

The 2017 program provides a hands-on gardening experience for children. Children ages 5 and up are best suited for the program, which is not parent participatory. They will be divided into two groups – ages 5 to 8 years and 9 to 12 years – with age appropriate activities for each group. All children will keep nature journals to record their time/experiences in the summer program at the Children’s Garden.

The eight-week gardening session will meet on Wednesday mornings July 5 through August 23 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. The Children’s Garden is located at the Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank.

Interested? Click here for a registration form.

Want more information? Call Donna Alese Cooke at 631-727-7850 x225

Register for Spring Gardening School

Join us for Suffolk County’s annual Spring Gardening School on Saturday, April 22, 2017, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Organized by Master Gardener Volunteers for the last 35 years, this beloved event kicks off the growing season for hundreds of gardeners who gather together for a day of learning and fun.

Spring Gardening School 2017 will be held at Longwood Senior High School in Middle Island, NY. All classes are taught by Master Gardener Volunteers and Cornell Cooperative Extension Educators. The day consists of workshops held during three sessions and offers classes for beginners to advanced gardeners. This year a keynote address on “Long Island Native Plants and Pollinators” will be presented by Polly Weigand, Executive Director of the Long Island Native Plant Initiative. You can sign up for such classes as Gardening with Chickens, Design & Install Drip Irrigation, How to Attract and Enjoy the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, Low-Water Gardening, Seed Starting Demystified, and many, many more.

The fee to attend is $65 per person ($60 early bird, before March 1st), which includes free soil pH testing, a Long Island Gardening Calendar, a plant diagnostic clinic, gardening exhibits, and an early plant sale from some of the finest nurseries on Long Island; continental breakfast, delicious boxed lunch, raffles, and door prizes. Preregistration is mandatory; first come is first served. Here is a registration form with a full schedule of classes and their descriptions for you to download and send to us. We look forward to seeing you there!

Apply Now for 2017 Master Gardener Volunteer Training

CCE Suffolk trains Master Gardener Volunteers to provide the public with gardening programs and activities that draw on the horticultural research and experience of Cornell University. MG Volunteers receive research-based instruction and are kept up-to-date through continual exposure to the latest developments in environmental horticulture. In return, they agree to share their knowledge with neighbors by volunteering to do community service. After completing the training course and volunteering for 125 hours, they become certified as CCE Suffolk MG Volunteers. Suffolk County’s MG Volunteer Program, along with similar programs in other counties in New York State, is directly linked to Cornell University as part of its National Land-Grant College charter. This tie to Cornell provides MG Volunteers with state-of-the-art gardening knowledge.

MG Volunteer trainees learned how to create healthy soil by sheet mulching into raised beds at the Children's Garden.

2016 MG Volunteer trainees learned how to create healthy soil by sheet mulching compost materials into raised beds. Photo © Robin Simmen.

Anyone who enjoys gardening and has a desire to share knowledge and skills in their community can apply by October 31, 2016 to become a MG Volunteer next year. Every year hundreds of these service-minded folks from Suffolk County do the following:

  • Organize a Spring Gardening School for the public, including workshops, exhibits, and a plant sale
  • Table with gardening information at community events
  • Cultivate the land and teach youth at the Children’s Garden at Suffolk County Farm
  • Design and help maintain community beautification projects, demonstration gardens, community gardens, and school gardens
  • Offer gardening talks and classes at public libraries, schools, and for interested groups
  • Create and participate in programs for senior citizens, youth, and the physically and mentally challenged
  • Teach the proper care of lawns, shrubs, trees, and flowers, and how to grow fruits and vegetables
  • Install exhibits and provide gardening information at flower shows and events such as the Suffolk County Farm PumpkinFest and the Bayard Cutting Arboretum Fall Harvest Festival

The next training course for new MG Volunteers is planned for 2017, beginning February 1 and ending June 28. We have revised the curriculum and weekly schedule to provide more hands-on training and make it accessible to people who work Monday through Friday. Starting February 1, weekly Wednesday evening lectures will be held 5:30-8:30 p.m. at CCE Suffolk, 423 Griffing Avenue in Riverhead. Starting April 1, Saturday morning classes will also be held 9:00 a.m.-noon in the field (weather permitting) every other week at various locations from Amityville to Riverhead until the course ends June 28.

The cost of this comprehensive gardening course for community volunteers remains $375 with an additional $125 deposit, refunded upon completion of 125 hours of volunteer service. Download the application here. For more information, please call or email me soon; the deadline to apply is October 31.

Robin Simmen is Community Horticulture Specialist for CCE Suffolk. She can be reached at rls63@cornell.edu or at 631-727-7850 x215.©

Register Now for Spring Gardening School

Join us for Suffolk County’s annual Spring Gardening School on Saturday, April 16, 2016, 8:30 a.m to 4:00 p.m. Organized by Master Gardener Volunteers for the last 34 years, this beloved event kicks off the growing season for hundreds of gardeners who gather together for a day of learning and fun.

2016 poster Spring Gardening School 2016 will be held at Patchogue-Medford High School in Medford, NY. All classes are taught by Master Gardener Volunteers and Cornell Cooperative Extension Educators. The day consists of workshops held during three sessions and offers classes for beginners to advanced gardeners. New this year is a keynote session with an address on Grow More with Less: Sustainable Gardening Methods by Vincent Simeone, Director of Planting Fields Arboretum. You can sign up for such classes as Choosing the Right Trees, Gardening with Chickens, Design & Install Drip Irrigation, Pruning Roses & Hydrangeas, Seed Starting Demystified, and many, many more.

The fee to attend is $65 per person, which includes free soil pH testing, a Long Island Gardening Calendar, a plant diagnostic clinic, gardening exhibits, and an early plant sale from some of the finest nurseries on Long Island; continental breakfast, delicious boxed lunch, raffles, and door prizes. Preregistration is mandatory; first come is first served. Here is a registration form with a full schedule of classes and their descriptions for you to download and send to us. We look forward to seeing you there!

Robin Simmen is Community Horticulture Specialist for CCE Suffolk. She can be reached at rls63@cornell.edu or at 631-727-7850 x215.

Apply Now for Master Gardener Volunteer Training

CCE Suffolk trains Master Gardener Volunteers to provide the public with gardening programs and activities that draw on the horticultural research and experience of Cornell University. MG Volunteers receive research-based instruction and are kept up-to-date through continual exposure to the latest developments in environmental horticulture. In return, they agree to share their knowledge with neighbors by volunteering to do community service. After completing the training course and volunteering for 125 hours, they become certified as CCE Suffolk MG Volunteers. Suffolk County’s MG Volunteer Program, along with similar programs in other counties in New York State, is directly linked to Cornell University as part of its National Land-Grant College charter. This tie to Cornell provides MG Volunteers with state-of-the-art gardening knowledge.

A happy tribe of MG Volunteers keeps the Children's Garden growing at Suffolk County Farm.

A happy tribe of Master Gardener Volunteers keeps the Children’s Garden growing at Suffolk County Farm.

Anyone who enjoys gardening and has a desire to share knowledge and skills in their community can apply by October 31, 2015 to become a MG Volunteer. Every year hundreds of these service-minded folks from Suffolk County do the following:

  • Organize a Spring Gardening School for the public, including workshops, exhibits, and a plant sale
  • Table with gardening information at community events
  • Cultivate the land and teach youth at the Children’s Garden at Suffolk County Farm
  • Design and help maintain community beautification projects, demonstration gardens, community gardens, and school gardens
  • Offer gardening talks and classes at public libraries, schools, and for interested groups
  • Create and participate in programs for senior citizens, youth, and the physically and mentally challenged
  • Teach the proper care of lawns, shrubs, trees, and flowers, and how to grow fruits and vegetables
  • Install exhibits and provide gardening information at flower shows and events such as the Suffolk County Farm PumpkinFest and the Bayard Cutting Arboretum Fall Harvest Festival

The next training course for new MG Volunteers will be held in 2016, beginning February 3 and ending June 29. We are revising the curriculum and weekly schedule to provide more hands-on training and make it accessible to people who work Monday through Friday. Starting February 3, weekly Wednesday evening lectures will be held 5:30-8:30 p.m. at CCE Suffolk, 423 Griffing Avenue in Riverhead. Starting April 2, Saturday morning classes will also be held 9:00 a.m.-noon in the field (weather permitting) every other week at various locations from Amityville to Riverhead until the course ends June 29.

The cost of this comprehensive gardening course remains $375 with an additional $125 deposit, refunded upon completion of 125 hours of volunteer service. Download an application here.  For more information, please call or email me soon; the deadline is October 31.

Robin Simmen is Community Horticulture Specialist for CCE Suffolk. She can be reached at rls63@cornell.edu or at 631-727-7850 x215.

Join the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge

The Million Pollinator Garden Challenge (MPGC) has been launched by the National Pollinator Garden Network, an unprecedented collaboration of national, regional, conservation and gardening groups to support the President’s Executive Strategy to “Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators.” MPGC is a nationwide call to action to preserve and create gardens and landscapes that help revive the health of bees, butterflies, birds, bats, and other pollinators across America. The goal is to move millions of individuals, kids, and families outdoors and help them make a connection between pollinators and the healthy food people eat.

MGPC logo 2MPGC wants people like you to register your gardens through their Pollinator Partnership and thus be added to the map they’ve created in support of this campaign. Along with a handful of other gardens on Long Island, the Children’s Garden, which is maintained by Master Gardener Volunteers at Suffolk County Farm, has been registered and is on the map, which appears in the link below.

To meet the criteria for registering, your pollinator garden should:

  • Use plants that provide nectar and pollen sources
  • Provide a water source
  • Be situated in a sunny area with wind breaks
  • Create large “pollinator targets” of native or non-native plants
  • Establish continuous bloom throughout the growing season
  • Eliminate or minimize the impact of pesticides

For more information and to join MPGC, visit http://millionpollinatorgardens.org

Robin Simmen is Community Horticulture Specialist for CCE Suffolk. She can be reached at rls63@cornell.edu or at 631-727-7850 x215.

Welcome to Long Island Gardening

CCE Suffolk Community Horticulture is happy to launch this blog dedicated to the delights and concerns of gardeners on Long Island, New York. Our long growing season, sunny skies, temperate climate, and generally well-drained soils make this a wonderful place to grow plants. No wonder Suffolk County is New York’s top producer in terms of agriculture and horticulture sales. Some of the country’s bestselling nurseries and vineyards are located here, too.

Long Island also abounds with gardens of every sort—public, backyard, community, school, edible, ornamental, and wildlife habitats in many shapes and sizes—and this blog is designed for the gardeners who care for these spaces. Our goal is to serve your needs and interests by bringing you research-based information to improve your gardening experience on Long Island. CCE Suffolk Long Island Gardening is a forum where CCE Extension Educators, Horticulture Consultants, and Master Gardener Volunteers share their recent field experiences with you to help make Long Island a greener, healthier place to live.

Master Gardener Volunteers use drought-tolerant plants to beautify Medford Train Station.

Master Gardener Volunteers use drought-tolerant plants to beautify the Medford Train Station.

Here you’ll rediscover some of the most beloved features of the old Long Island Gardening Quarterly (formerly published by CCE Suffolk), including the question and answer format of its “Horticulture Inquiries” column. So please keep your questions coming! Email them to Robin Simmen, Community Horticulture Specialist, at rls63@cornell.edu or to anyone who posts on this blog about horticultural subjects of interest to you.

To receive the latest information as posts are added, subscribe to the blog by adding your email address above on the right side. A link to the blog is also nestled on the CCE Suffolk Gardening webpage for easy connection: http://ccesuffolk.org/gardening.

Happy gardening!

Robin Simmen is Community Horticulture Specialist for CCE Suffolk. She can be reached at rls63@cornell.edu or at 631-727-7850 x215.