Master Gardeners Wayne County NY

09/06/2026

You call it a brush pile. We call it the only available housing left.
Before you haul those trimmed branches to the curb, hear us out—all of us: the rabbit who needs a bolt-hole from the hawk, the wren who’ll sleep here every winter night, the toad, the garter snake, the chipmunk, the box turtle, and the 10,000 insects that feed everyone in spring.

STACK IT IN A CORNER
Big logs down. Twigs up. Leave a few openings for shelter.
In 5 minutes, you’ve built the busiest structure on the street

09/04/2026

09/02/2026

With Cornell Integrated Pest Management – I just made it onto their weekly engagement list by being one of their top engagers 🎉

08/31/2026

Meet the Hover Fly

Hoverflies are exceptionally good and beneficial insects to have in your garden and ecosystem. They rank among the world's top pollinators, second only to native bees.

The larvae of most hoverfly species eat hundreds of soft-bodied pests like aphids, thrips, and mites

Hoverflies do not bite, sting, or carry diseases. They reduce your need to use chemical bug sprays in the garden

08/30/2026

When to dig up dahlia tubers?

Dig tubers soon after a hard freeze has killed the tops of the plants. Carefully lift the tubers out of the ground. Wash them with water to remove soil, and air dry.

Each cut tuber must have a growing point or "eye." The stem must be cut behind that growing point bump to ensure that the tuber has a growing point for next year.

The key to successfully storing dahlia tubers for the winter is making sure they stay dry, have good air circulation and are in a cool, dark spot that won’t freeze.

You can store the tubers in a variety of containers – milk crates, plastic bins, paper bags, and cardboard boxes all do the trick. You may choose to pack them in peat moss. The important piece is to make sure there is space left between each tuber and enough room for some air circulation.

Write the variety name directly on the individual tubers with permanent market before storing.

Throughout the winter, check the tubers and promptly remove rotting ones.

08/29/2026

September is the perfect time to sow fall cover crops. Cover crops protect the top layer of soil from erosion, suppress weeds, restore nitrogen, improve tilth, and even feed pollinators. For more information read our September Tips from the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Wayne County.

If you don't receive our monthly tips- please go to [email protected] and provide your contact information.

08/26/2026

Do you grow tomatoes, potatoes? Be on the lookout for Late Blight (LB)

LB is a fungus-like pathogen that infects tomato and potato plants that can cause total crop loss in a very short period if left unmanaged. The pathogen begins with an infected host (tomato/potato) and quickly spreads into new areas on air currents or on diseased plants and the threat of infection increases in during cool, wet weather.

It is important to monitor your tomato and potato plants for signs of late blight. Look for dark-green or brown irregular water-soaked spots on leaves and brown or black lesions on stems. According to the Cornell Vegetable Program, there are multiple genotypes of late blight that appear year to year, some of which show resistance to some fungicides.

For home gardeners, preventative fungicide sprays(applied prior to infection) are still an important strategy to combat the spread of late blight provided the late blight strain present is not resistant.

If you suspect you may have late blight in your tomatoes or potatoes, it is important to contact us so we can take the next steps to report findings to the Cornell Commercial Vegetable Team. Early detection can help decrease loss in local commercial tomato and potato crops.

08/26/2026

Fall is right around the corner. So, this is a great time of year to extend your gardening joy by bringing the fresh taste of herbs into your home to sustain you through the winter. Have questions - call the Master Gardeners at 315-331-8415.

You can also leave your question on our voicemail (315) 331-8415 ext. 107 or email us at [email protected].

08/24/2026

Don't toss those geraniums!

When temperatures get to 50 degrees it is time to bring in the geraniums. If placing in storage- cut your plants back by about two thirds. Only do this cutting when the roots are dry otherwise the remaining stems will die back.

Remove any dead, damaged, and unhealthy areas and make sure they are free from pests.

They can be stored in a protected area like a garage or basement (above 40°F) or grown as houseplants or in a greenhouse.