MAHONING COUNTY
Garden partners. Ohio State University Extension will offer the Good Natured Garden Partners program this summer, in Mahoning County, to teach children about gardening and how food is produced.
Participation in the program is based off of a team structure. A “Growing Team” may be formed by any group of children, and must be led by an adult volunteer. The adult volunteer will fill out a volunteer form in order to receive free seeds and plants for their group, which will then plant a garden and compete for prizes and recognition at the end of summer.
Teams are responsible for finding their own garden plot or container garden. Throughout the summer, teams will attend the gardening kick-off event May 24 and are required to attend at least two other gardening events. A garden party Aug. 16 will wrap up the summer.
The registration deadline is May 17.
To learn more or to register, call the Mahoning County Extension Office at 330-533-5538 or visit go.osu.edu/gngp.
LAWRENCE COUNTY (PA.)
Garden hotline. The Penn State Extension office in Lawrence County is taking phone calls and emails for the Garden Hotline, which is staffed by master gardeners. If you have a plant question or concern, call 724-654-8370 (leave a message and your call will be returned) or send a detailed description via email to lawrencemg@psu.edu.
You may attach two or three high quality photos to help the master gardeners identify the plant or issue.
Ordinarily, soil test kits and water test kits can be purchased at most Penn State Extension county offices. With offices closed, kits can be ordered online directly from the lab. While the lab remains open, it is operating under an emergency contingency plan with limited capacity.
Turn-around time for test results may be longer than usual. The lab asks that only high priority samples be submitted at this time. These include drinking water and agricultural samples associated with food or crop production.
If the Garden Hotline is unable to diagnose your plant disease, the Penn State Plant Disease Clinic remains open and is still accepting samples. However, they will be operating on limited lab hours and are prioritizing samples of life-sustaining crops and plants.
The clinic is accepting digital sample submission and encourages submission of photos before mailing samples. Digital samples can be sent to their new email address, plantclinic@psu.edu. If necessary, physical samples can be mailed to the clinic. See the clinic website for more specific information on submitting digital and physical samples, at plantpath.psu.edu/facilities/plant disease-clinic.
SUMMIT COUNTY
Pollinator festival. Hale Farm & Village’s Sow & Grow Pollinator Festival & Plant Sale is June 12 and 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The festival weekend will include demonstrations, workshops and vendors that can offer advice on beekeeping, uses for beeswax and honey, gardening and more. The gardens on property maintained by the Citizens of Hale and the Bath Gamma Garden Club will be open to explore.
The festival also highlights natural dyeing, mead production, historic and modern uses for herbs and honey and hands-on projects for children. The weekend includes the fifth annual Citizens of Hale Plant Sale. Many heirloom plants, pollinators and herbs with significance to Northeast Ohio will be offered along with unique perennials all grown at Hale Farm & Village.
The plant sale will run during the festival hours and on two early bird presale days, May 20, 4-7 p.m., and May 21, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The group is also offering an Italian Cooking Container Garden Workshop on May 20 at 6 p.m. (reservations required). Proceeds from the plant sale support on-site garden and preservation projects. During the festival the 19th century village is open to explore local history and experience a working farm complete with sheep, oxen and chickens. Regional historic crafts and trades are demonstrated throughout the day including blacksmithing, pottery, spinning and weaving.
Hale Farm & Village is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission for all activities is $12 for adults, $6 for children 3-12 and free for members, youth under 3 and active military. Tickets are available by visiting halefarm.org.
Visit halefarm.org or call 330-666-3711 for seasonal hours, program listings, rental information or to become a member.
STARK COUNTY
Pollinator event. The McKinley Presidential Library & Museum will present Science Saturday: Pollinators May 22, from 10 a.m. to noon, or 1-3 p.m., to welcome the return of honey bees to the observation hive in Discover World. There will be crafts, activities and info booths on nature’s pollinators: bees, bats, butterflies, dragonflies and more.
The activities will be held in the auditorium. Social distancing will be enforced. Face masks must be worn properly over the mouth and nose for the entire length of your visit. Science Saturday workshops are included with paid admission to the museum, at 800 McKinley Monument Drive, in Canton, Ohio.
(To add a nonprofit event to our gardening listing, send details at least three weeks in advance to: Gardening News, Farm and Dairy, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460; or email: editorial@farmanddairy.com.)
