Anneke Larrance – Fruition

January 15, 2026Anneke Larrance

Kick-off event for NoCo Seed library in Canton

I find joy in growing two or three new-to-me plants each season. Not only do I learn about varieties this way, but I’m excited to see whether or not a plant I try out will thrive and produce fruit, flowers or spectacular foliage here. For example, I couldn’t get jicama vines to produce a tuber worth cleaning and eating, but I had fun trying! I also like to grow my favorite, dependable varieties of veggies and herbs and relish the fresh, bright taste of garden-to-table food. That’s why I’ve spearheaded a new Master Gardener Volunteer project: a free seed library for our county’s growers.

Together with the Canton Free Library, our volunteers are planning a free event called “Swap it – Seed it,” a seed exchange and seed starting demonstration. This event will draw attention to, and expand the offerings of, the new NoCo Seed Library which will be located within the Canton Free Library. Available year round, the NoCo Seed Library will house free seeds and information for gardeners. We hope to also bring it to some local farmers markets in the spring.

Whether you are excited to join me in growing some new varieties, like Siamese Bitter Melon or Bloody Butcher Corn, or you’re simply looking for some reliable green beans and cucumbers for this summer, come join us for the “Swap it – Seed it” Seed Exchange on Saturday, February 21 from 10:30-11:30 at the Canton Free Library. A diversity of seeds – whether heirloom, organic, commercial, or locally saved – will be available at the event and beyond. All seeds are free and donations of saved seeds are welcome!

Sunflower seeds in a mature sunflower flower — A local grower collected these Giant Onondaga sunflower seeds to plant in spring.

Whether your goal is a beautiful landscape, a new learning opportunity, increased food security, or an activity to do with youth, growing your own plants has many benefits. And CCE Master Gardener Volunteers are ready to support you along the way by answering any questions that come up.

Special thanks to local growers for the seed donations as well as Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Cornell Garden-Based Learning, High Mowing Seeds, and Johnny’s Selected Seeds.

Check out CCE’s extensive gardening resources at our Gardens and Grounds page.

A Master Gardener since 2013, Anneke Larrance loves to grow perennials, annuals, vegetables, fruit, water lilies, and houseplants. She experiments each summer, cultivating at least one plant she’s never grown before. She led the CCE creation of a living barn quilt, enjoys judging 4-H horticulture exhibits at the county fair, and writes and presents about gardening.

April 3, 2025Anneke Larrance

The Truth About No Mow May

As spring arrives, there are again conversations about the meme No Mow May. This is a movement to restrict lawn mowing in May to encourage flowering plants that provide nectar for pollinators. In this post I’ll share the history of the movement with suggestions for pollinator support that is more applicable to northern New York.

The original concept of leaving grass long in the spring came in 2019 from Plantlife, a British organization. Their climate, however, is very different from that in the North Country so their results have limited applicability here. In 2020 a team in Appleton Wisconsin liked the No Mow May idea so much that researchers there tried it and published a paper which showed benefits to using this concept. It turned out the data was flawed, however, and the paper was soon retracted. In 2024 Appleton removed No Mow May from the city’s municipal code and reinstated an eight inch restriction on grass and weeds.

The Cornell Turf Team from CCE of Westchester wondered about this meme too, and did research in 2024 to test the concept. What the Turf Team and others (such as CCE Eric County , Lakeland Today, Cornell Turf Grass, and CCE Putnam County) observed indicates that No Mow May did not significantly increase the nectar sugar available to pollinators by June nor was it helpful in the long run. It did not increase the pollinator populations. Read more The Truth About No Mow May

August 24, 2023Anneke Larrance

Meet Anneke Larrance, Master Gardener Volunteer

With a new cohort of Master Gardener Volunteers beginning to serve their community, we’d like to introduce them (AND YOU!) to the group of MGVs who have sustained this program for the last several years. Meet Anneke Larrance!

Can you remember the moment you decided to become a gardener, or when you realized you had become one?

I was raised on a farm and we grew much of what we ate, so I learned early the miraculous transformation of seed into good things to eat. My mother traded pieces of iris, leaves of African violets, and “starts” of many houseplants, and I learned from those processes too. Weeds and fertilizer were topics of conversation. I didn’t decide to become a gardener, I naturally grew into one.

Anneke's geraniums — I take cuttings from my own geraniums to start new plants every year.

What benefits do you gain from gardening?

Gardening clears my mind and soothes my soul. It’s also great exercise. I sometimes commune with my free-ranging chickens while I garden and I do my best writing there.

Why did you want to become a Master Gardener Volunteer?

There were so many things that I wanted to learn!

In what ways do you serve as a MGV?

I’ve made presentations, written articles, judged 4H horticulture at the St. Lawrence County fair, weeded at CCE, answered lots of gardening questions, tabled at different events, and led holiday wreath-making.

My two biggest projects were helping to design, prepare, and then plant the original perennial landscape at CCE. During the pandemic I spearheaded the design, construction, planting, and care of a living quilt on the slope at Cornell Cooperative Extension (see picture above).