Farm City Day - October 1, 10am-4pm

The Annual Farm City Day Festival is schedule for October 1st, 2011 in Jackson Park. This event boasts attendance each year of over 10,000 Henderson County residents eager to learn about farming, animals, and community. Bring your family to enjoy a large petting zoo, pony rides, children's games, crafters, live music and entertainment, and a tractor pull scheduled throughout the day. Contact Karen at 828-697-4900 or Diane at 828-697-4891 for more info. Click here for our website.

Residential Rain Garden Workshop Offered August 30th

As homeowners and property managers become more aware of the issues of stormwater management many of them are choosing to manage the runoff from their homes and businesses with rain gardens. Rain gardens are shallow depressions and serve as landscape features that can effectively collect and treat stormwater and reduce localized flooding. Rain gardens can be integrated into the existing landscape as a retrofit or be included in the initial landscaping plan. To effectively manage stormwater, rain gardens must be accurately sized and properly constructed.

This 1-day workshop will present a method for sizing and designing rain gardens and detail proper construction techniques. For pre-registration call 828-697-4891 and leave your name and number. If you need more information be sure to leave your contact information or e-mail Cliff Ruth at cdruth@ncsu.edu

Apple Recipe Contest - September 2, 2011

The annual Apple Recipe Contest is only weeks away and NC Cooperative Extension is looking for both amateurs and professionals to enter their original non-copyrighted recipes. Winners will receive great prizes, a ribbon, and I can't forget to mention the bragging rights that accompany winning the contest at the NC Apple Festival. Recipe entry forms and the written recipe must be mailed, faxed, or delivered by August 31, 2011 to NC Cooperative Extension. If you would like more information, contact Renay at 828-697-4891.

Garden Lectures for Home Gardeners

Henderson County Extension Master Gardener Volunteers are offering a series of lectures for a small fee of $5.00 per participant for each program. Money raised is used to support future educational efforts by the Volunteers. All lectures will be held on at 3:00pm in the classroom at the Bullington Center.

Fall 2011 Schedule
Sep 19 Prepare your Lawn for Spring – Now!
Sep 26 Beauty from Bulbs
Oct 3 Success with Houseplants
Oct 17 Add WOW to your Garden with Hydrangeas
Oct 24 Putting the Garden to Bed

To register for these or other upcoming Mastering Your Garden Lectures, call the Extension office at 697-4891. Keep checking our county website for more information on upcoming lectures.

Announcement: WNC Naturally Events

Do you wild-harvest or grow medicinal herbs? Are you looking for a buyer? Do you make products with medicinal herbs? Are you looking for local suppliers? Are you a forest landowner looking to make some extra income from your land but don't know which plants to harvest or how to do it sustainably? Do you want to start cultivating medicinal herbs?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, register to attend one of three "WNC Naturally Events" being held in three convenient locations in western North Carolina. These are inexpensive, participatory events with sessions led by people ho have been involved in the natural products (medicinal herb) industry for many years. They are all the same, so pick the one most convenient for you. The first event is coming up real soon, so sign up now!

Here are the details:
Events: Three WNC Naturally Events
Dates: August 6, 2011, The Almond Center, Bryson City, NC
August 27, 2011, AB Tech Enka Campus, Candler, NC
October 22, 2011, Mill Spring Agricultural Center, Mill Spring, NC

For more information, or if you would like to have a table to promote your business or organization at one or more of these or would like to sponsor these
events, contact Alison at alison_dressler@ncsu.edu or 828-684-3562. To register on-line, please visit our EventBrite site.

This notice was provided by Jeanine Davis, Dept. of Horticultural Science, NC State University. For more information on the projects and the NC Natural Products Association, please visit this site.

Bullington Center: Mid-Summer Plant Sale

ONE DAY ONLY! Saturday July 16th, 2011. 10:00am - 4:00pm

Come see the hand-selected inventory of plants for sale at this special summer event. Examples of plants now in bloom include coneflower, rudbeckia, daylilies, Rozanne geranium, hosta and many more.
For more information of to inquire about a specific plant, call (828)698-6104. See you there.

Non-native and Invasive Forest Plants Workshops for Landowners

The Non-native and Invasive Forest Plants Workshops for Landowners is a series of 6 one-day educational workshops featuring presentations by experts in non-native invasive plants that impact North Carolina’s forests. Each workshop will engage regionally based stakeholder groups in the planning and educational content.

What you will learn

• What are non-native and invasive species, and why should you care?
• Identification of specific problem species
• The impacts of these plants on forest communities (ecologic, economic and cultural)
• How non-native species are introduced
• What are the risks of the “do-nothing” style of management
• Gain exposure to organized NNI stakeholder groups and efforts currently taking shape, or ongoing, in your region
• Resources available to landowners and what steps you can take
• How your neighbors and local professionals are dealing with NNI challenges.

Workshop Regional Locations and Dates

• Sandhills, Lower Piedmont and Uwharries:
  August 19, 2011 - Moore County Extension Center
  707 Pinehurst Ave, Agricultural Center, Carthage, NC 28327
  
• Western North Carolina:
  September 13, 2011 - Crowne Plaza Tennis & Golf Resort
  One Resort Drive, Asheville, NC 28806
• Coastal Plain of North Carolina:
  October 18, 2011 - Duplin County Extension Ctr.
  165 Agriculture Drive, Kenansville, NC 28349
  
• Northeastern North Carolina:
  February 7, 2012 - Sen. Bob Martin Eastern Ag Center
  2900 NC Highway 125 South, Williamston, NC 27892
• Piedmont (includes urban forestry topics):
  May 1, 2012 - Bur-Mil Park,
  5834 Bur-Mil Club Rd., Greensboro, NC 27410
• Northern Blue Ridge:
  May 8, 2012 - Wilkes County Community College,
  1328 S. Collegiate Drive, Wilkesboro, NC 28697

Advanced registration for these workshops is required. Need more information? Online registration form CLICK HERE or Contact the NCSU Forestry and Environmental Outreach Program at 919-515-9563, or by email: forestry_outreach@ncsu.edu

Farm City Day 2011 - Demonstrators Needed

The Annual Farm City Day Festival is schedule for October 1st, 2011 in Jackson Park. This event boasts attendance each year of over 10,000 Henderson County residents eager to learn about farming, animals, and community. If you would like to participate, we are looking for non-profit organizations to showcase their cause and local agriculture supporters to demonstrate a trade. Contact Karen at 828-697-4900 or Diane at 828-697-4891 for more info. Click here for our website

Food Preservation Classes Offered

North Carolina Cooperative Extension - Henderson County Center is offering a series of Food Preservation classes to the community. Please call 828-697-4891 for more information or to pre-register for any of these learning opportunities.

Canning High and Low Acid Foods
May 31st, 2011 @ 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM, June 6th, 2011 @ 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM, or June 6th, 2011 @ 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Jackson Park, Hendersonville, NC

Learn the latest information on canning high and low acid foods! Cost of class is $10.00.

Soft Spreads, Pickling, Freezing and Drying
June 2nd, 2011 @ 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Jackson Park, Hendersonville, NC

Learn how to make jams, jellies, pickles and relishes and the process of freezing and drying foods. Cost of class is $10.00 or attend 2 classes for $15.00.

Food Preservation - General Information
June 11th, 2011 @5:00pm
Hendersonville, NC

Covering all areas of safe food preservation. Includes Canning high and low acid foods, Soft Spreads, Pickling, Freezing and Drying foods. Cost of class is $15.00.

Bullington Center - Spring Plant Sale 2011

April 29-30, the Bullington Center will have its annual spring plant sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. We will offer for sale many varieties of perennials, herbs, heirloom and other vegetables, hard-to-find annuals, trees and shrubs. Call 698-6104 or visit www.bullingtoncenter.org for more information. All proceeds from the sale will go to support educational programs for children and adults at the center.

Pesticide Collection Day - Haywood County

North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, in cooperation with the Haywood County Cooperative Extension, will be offering a Pesticide Collection Day for residents in Haywood and surrounding counties. The local site manager will be Tim Mathews, Agricultural Extension Agent for Haywood County. Collection will be Wednesday, May 18, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Extension Center at 589 Raccoon Road in Waynesville. Nearly all pesticide products will be accepted. For liquid pesticide containers larger than 5 gal or for unlabeled pesticides, please contact the Cooperative Extension Office for information before bringing to the collection event. No gas cylinders are accepted at the event; however, assistance information can be provided. Contact the Cooperative Extension Office for more information. Don't miss this opportunity in Haywood County. For more information contact Tim Mathews at the Haywood County Extension Center at (828) 456-3575.

Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Day

The Henderson County Division of Solid Waste will hold a household hazardous waste disposal Stoney Mountain Activity Center from 9 a.m. to noon April 21.

As Earth Day, April 22, falls on a holiday this year, the Solid Waste Division is celebrating on April 21 by providing for free and safe recycling and disposal of household chemicals and cleaners, pesticides, insecticides and thermostats. Liquid paint will also be disposed of for a fee of $5 per liquid gallon.

The event will be in the rear of the Stoney Mountain Activity Center. Follow the directional signs at the entrance and exit of the activity center. Traffic entering the site will use the exit side of the current driveway, while the entrance will be used for the exit in order to make room for more vehicles.

Operation Medicine Drop 2011

Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet! Henderson County Sheriffs Department will accept and safely dispose of your expired, unused, unwanted medications. Saturday March 26, 10am-2pm, four Ingles locations: Etowah, Fletcher, 64E & Howard Gap Rd and Hwy 176 & Highland Lake Road. Help us keep medication out of the hands of those who would be hurt by them!

Composting Bonanza - March 19th - 10:00am

Presentations on Backyard & Business Composting.
Plus, Vermicomposting Workshop - Take home your own worm bin!

Saturday, March 19th 10:00-3:00. NC Cooperative Extension, Jackson Park

Guest Speakers:
Brian Rosa, NCDENR Composting Specialist
Chandler Cummins, Advanced Composting Technologies
Janice Sitton, Good Green Graces
Katie Breckheimer, Blue Ridge BBQ Festival

Cost: $35 for entire Bonanza or $15 for presentations only
Compost Bins will be available for purchase through Henderson County

Pre-registration is required by calling ECO office at (828)692-0385. Space is limited!

Apple Recipe Contest - September 3, 2010

The annual Apple Recipe Contest is only weeks away and NC Cooperative Extension is looking for both amateurs and professionals to enter their original non-copyrighted recipes. Winners will receive great prizes, a ribbon, and I can't forget to mention the bragging rights that accompany winning the contest at the NC Apple Festival. Recipe entry forms and the written recipe must be mailed, faxed, or delivered by September 1, 2010 to NC Cooperative Extension. If you would like more information, contact Renay at 828-697-4891.

Fresh Market Tomato and Vegetable Field Day - August 19th Noon-4:30pm

Mark your calendars now and reserve the date for the annual tomato field day at the Mills River (formerly Fletcher) Research Station! This is your opportunity to see new up and coming varieties and learn the latest about disease, insect, and weed control for staked tomato production and vegetables in western North Carolina. As always, the afternoon field day will be followed by a pig pickin' at Lake Julian.

Tomato field day is sponsored by North Carolina State University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, NC Agricultural Research Service and NC Cooperative Extension Service, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the North Carolina Tomato Growers Association. For more information, contact Denny Thompson at 828.684.7197 or Jim Walgenbach at 828.684.3562.

Pesticide Collection Date Set

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, in cooperation with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Henderson County center will be offering a Pesticide Collection Day for residents in Henderson, Buncombe, Haywood, Polk, Transylvania and surrounding counties. The local site manager will be Mr. Marvin A. Owings, Jr. Agricultural Extension Agent for Henderson County. Collection will be Tuesday, July 20th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Jackson Park.

Nearly all pesticide products will be accepted. For liquid pesticide containers larger than 5 gal or for unlabeled pesticides, please contact the Cooperative Extension Office for information before bringing to the collection event. No gas cylinders are accepted at the event; however, assistance information can be provided. Contact the Cooperative Extension Office for more information. Don't miss this opportunity for residents in Henderson and surrounding counties. For more information contact the Henderson County Extension Center at (828) 697-4891.

NC Apple Festival - Recipe Contest

Do you have a secret apple recipe handed down through many generations. If so consider entering it in the 2009 Apple Recipe Contest on Friday, September 4th. See the entire registration brochure below. Registration deadline is September 1st.

Registration Form