Gardening tips shared.
PROGRAMS
Theme: “Caring for Our World One Garden at a Time"
If meeting at the Nimmonsburg United Methodist Church, 918 Upper Front St., Binghamton NY, please park in the parking lot behind the church and use the parking lot entrance to the church. All Board Meetings will be held at the church, except when tied to a luncheon or otherwise noted.
Join us to kick off our year “Caring for Our World One Garden at a Time”
May 1 Thursday - Time: 10:30 a.m. Board Meeting 1:00 p.m. Program Location: Church Topic: “A Year in the Garden” Speaker: Rick Marsi Our presenter is Rick Marsi, an avid gardener. This program takes viewers through the gardening year at his 30-acre property in Vestal, NY. All the prep, all the WORK and all the rewards. Rick is an ornithologist, naturalist, photographer, and all-around outdoor enthusiast and has been writing, speaking, and photographing about nature for decades.
May 15 Thursday - Time: 10:30 a.m. Meet at the church parking lot to carpool Location: Gourdlandia - We are going to a workshop at Gourdlandia in Ithaca and create a nightlight out of a gourd. Class size is limited, and sign-ups will be in early spring. $40.00 fee. Pack a lunch & folding chair to picnic at Buttermilk Falls State Park. Workshop is at 1p.m.
June 5 Thursday - Time: 10:30 a.m. Board Meeting 1:00 p.m. Program Location: Church Topic: A Drupa Scholarship Winner’s Meet and Greet. Our annual meeting with the accomplished young men and women we have encouraged through our Drupa Scholarship program provided by the estate of Laimons and Silvia Drupa. The students will share their accomplishments over the past year. We are delighted to partake in their educational experiences.
June 19 Thursday - Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: Church Topic: Linen production “From Flax to Slacks”. Amy Cook is a member of the Lamb to Loom Fiber Guild and owns her own flock of Finn sheep. She is skilled in all stages of wool production from shearing, dyeing, spinning, knitting, and weaving. She will take us through the entire process of producing linen from the flax plant.
July 10 Thursday - Time: Noon Topic: Picnic. Location: Otsiningo Park North Pavillion. Relax and enjoy the company of your fellow Garden Club members in the great outdoors! Bring your own lunch or take advantage of a take-out lunch from a local restaurant. Games, garage sale, and give-a-ways!
July 24 Thursday - Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: Meet at church to carpool to Talkrot LLC Mushroom Farm in Tully, NY (www.letstalkrot.com ) Topic: Build a mushroom bucket. Talkrot is a gourmet mushroom farm in Tully, NY that brings together mushrooms and the arts via creativity and cultivation. Check out the mushrooms that are being grown or take some home. We will have the opportunity to build our own bucket of mushrooms!
Aug 21 Thursday - Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: Meet in the church parking lot to carpool. Topic: Twining Seasons Flower Farm U-Pick Flower Farm. We will visit a u-pick flower farm in Friendsville, PA. Jessica Twining will explain her family’s farming journey, Korean Natural Farming techniques, and chemical-free pest management. She will tell us how to incorporate flowers for cutting into our own gardens. We will be able to pick and purchase flowers from her beautiful beds! On the way home we will stop at California Grill for lunch.
Sept 4 Thursday - Time: 10:30 a.m. Board Meeting 1:00 p.m. Program Location: Church Topic: Weed Identification and Management. Are invasive weeds overtaking your garden? Are you tired of spending your time weeding? Learn identification strategies and management tactics to help control weeds in your landscapes. Presented by Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Program educator, Linda Svoboda
Sept. 18 Thursday - Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: Meet at the church parking lot to carpool to in Oxford, NY Topic: Kutik’s Everything Bees. We will have a guided tour of Kutik’s Everything Bees. Family owned and operated since 1978. We will learn about all phases of honey production. We will have an opportunity to tour their pollinator friendly gardens and shop for honey to take home from the gift shop. Program starts at 10:30 a.m. if you wish to meet there.
Oct. 2 Thursday - Time: 10:30 am Board Meeting 1:00 p, m. Program Location: Church Topic: Mycellia Herbs Join Leah Ainsley, as we prepare a fall herbal tonic to boost our immune system in time for cold and flu season. Leah is the founder of Mycelia Herbals in Binghamton and is an herbalist, holistic health consultant and mushroom ID expert.
Oct. 16 Thursday - Time: 11:30 a.m. Location: New Leaf Cider Co. (www.newleafcider.com ) Join us at a most beautiful time of the year to tour Broome County’s only hard cidery. Meet at 11:30 a.m. to lunch at McGirk’s Restaurant or 12:45 p.m. in their parking lot for the 1:00 p.m. tour of the cidery.
Nov. 6 Thursday - Time: 10:30 a.m. Board Meeting 1:00 p.m. Program Location: Church Topic: Starting a Perennial Garden. Do you have a space that you want to beautify or just a single spot you want to add a bit of color to? Learn from our very own Master Gardener, Tony Antes on how to convert some of that green turf into a beautiful garden that will bloom year after year.
Nov. 13 Thursday - Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: VINES Urban Farm Topic: Planting Garlic. Learn how (and when) to plant garlic for an abundant crop the following summer. VINES Community and Volunteer Coordinator Jamie Kirby will lead a hands-on planting workshop at the Binghamton Urban Farm. There will be extra garlic available for you to take home and plant in your own garden.
Dec. 3 Wednesday - Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: Church Topic: Holiday Decorating. Help us decorate the church hall for the holiday party on December 4th.
Dec. 4 Thursday - Time: 10:30 a.m. Board Meeting 12 Noon. Holiday Party and Luncheon. Location: Church. Topic: Holiday Party. Join us for a catered lunch at the church with holiday entertainment by the Ukeladies – an all-woman ukulele group. Fun and surprises!
2026
Jan. 15 Thursday - Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: Church Topic: Seed Starting. Learn all you need to know to start your own garden vegetable or flower plants from seed indoors. Seed starting mixes, lighting needs and after-care of seedlings will be explained. Master Gardener Jim Dunn will be the presenter.
Feb. 19 Thursday - Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: Church Topic: Composting made easy. If you have ever considered composting at home but were not sure how to get started, this program will explain what to compost and demonstrate how to mix materials and manage the compost, so you get Cooperative Extension (CCE) Recycling and Composting Educator.
Mar. 19 Thursday - Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: Church Topic: Getting your Body Ready for the Gardening Season. A licensed Physical Therapist will show us how to limber up our muscles before we hit the garden and exercises to prevent back strain as we work throughout the season. Bring a yoga mat and learn how to stretch out and ergonomically keep your body strong as you enjoy working in your garden!