Burlington--Both experienced and novice gardeners can grow their knowledge about food resiliency, heirloom varieties and other gardening topics at the University of Vermont (UVM) Extension Community Horticulture Annual Conference, Nov. 5-6.
The conference, which will be held via Zoom from 12-3:30 p.m. both days, is open to anyone with an interest in gardening, regardless of experience. This year's theme is the Garden as a Place of Collaboration, Stewardship and Connection.
Registration is $40 through Sept. 30, $45 after that date. To register, go to http://go.uvm.edu/comhortconference. To request a disability-related accommodation, contact UVM Event Services at eventregistration@uvm.edu or (802) 656-5665, ext. 3, by Oct. 15.
The conference opens with an acknowledgment of the first people who lived here for thousands of years before Europeans arrived. It is followed by a talk on historic indigenous agricultural practices and their application for today's gardens and landscapes. Presenters are Chief Don Stevens, chief of the Nulhegan Abenaki, and Dr. Fred Wiseman, a Missisquoi Abenaki, ethnobotanist and retired Johnson State College professor.
Orchardist and author Michael Phillips will discuss how mycorrhizal fungi enhance plant health. Phillips and his wife, Nancy, own Heartsong Farm Healing Herbs and Lost Nation Orchard in Northumberland, New Hampshire.
The agenda also includes a presentation by Dr. Travis Reynolds, a UVM agricultural and applied economist. He will speak about food resiliency and how Vermont's agricultural response to Hurricane Irene and the COVID-19 pandemic will help the state cope with similar challenges in the future.
On the second day of the conference, participants will hear from members of the Barton Community Garden with stories about the challenges and successes of their "giving garden," an effort to fight hunger locally. Ari Rockland-Miller, co-founder of The Mushroom Forager in Richmond, will offer advice on growing and harvesting mushrooms.
Rounding out the agenda is Ellen Ecker Ogden who will share her expertise on heirloom vegetable and flower gardens and how gardeners can design their own kitchen garden using heirloom varieties. Ogden, who lives in Manchester Village, is the author of five gardening books.
All presentations will be recorded and include a Q&A session. UVM Extension Master Gardener and Master Composter volunteers also are invited to participate in a post-conference session from 3:45-4:45 p.m. on both days.
The conference is sponsored by the UVM Extension Community Horticulture Program with funding from the Gardener's Supply Company in Burlington and Lamb Lumber Company, Lake Placid, New York.
Media Contact:
Cindy Heath, (603) 543-1307, cindy.heath@uvm.edu