From the National Gardening Association’s e-newsletter

In addition to this piece about tomatoes there is one about Two Tough Greens, Not So Hot Pepper and Two New Cabbages. And be sure your vegetable growing audiences old and new check out Cornell’s Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners site with a library of more than 6,000 varieties and reviews from nearly 1,000 New York State Gardeners!

Something Old and Something New in Tomatoes

It’s the New Year. With the staggering economy, many people are looking to grow more of their own vegetables this year. With that in mind, I thought to highlight some of the best new varieties of vegetables I’ve found in catalogs this winter. Order early because some of these new varieties are available only in limited quantities.

Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable so I’m starting with these. Here is one new and one rediscovered old variety.

‘Sweet Seedless’ is the world’s first hybrid, seedless tomato. We’ve seen seedless watermelons and cucumbers in stores for years. Now comes a seedless tomato with a great combination of sweet flavor, juiciness, firmness, and high production. It’s claimed the lack of seeds makes this a sweeter variety. The indeterminate, red, 8- to 10-ounce fruits mature 68 days after transplanting.

‘Orange Fleshed Purple Smudge’ is an indeterminate heirloom producing 4- to 10-ounce sized fruits, 80 to 90 days after transplanting. This variety is unique for its color. The flattened shape and ribbing are highlighted by the tangerine–orange fruits with splashes of purple. The purple gets more pronounced as the fruits mature.

From the Health and Science section of Time Magazine Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009:

First Rule of the Ant Colony: No Hanky-Panky

To the long list of reasons you should be glad you’re not an ant, add this: You’d have to forget about having sex. You’d also have to forget about even trying. Sneak off for a little insectile assignation and the other members of the colony would know immediately — and attack you for it. Entomologists have long known this was the practice in the ant world, but what they didn’t know is the forensic science that allows the community to uncover the crime. Now, thanks to a study in the current issue of Cell Biology, they do.

full article here

And in other ANT NEWS…

Strange ‘ant from Mars’ discovered: Blind, subterranean predator likely a descendant of Earth’s first ants

A newly discovered species of a blind, subterranean predator — dubbed the “Ant from Mars” — is likely a descendant of one of the very first ants to evolve on Earth, a new study finds.

Christian Rabeling, an evolutionary biology graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, found the only known specimen of the new ant species in dead plant material on the ground in the Amazon rainforest at the Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria in Manaus, Brazil, in 2003.

full article here

Our latest suggestions for vegetable varieties that perform well in most of New York.

directly at this link here

or from the link on these pages:

http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu/gardenInfo.php

http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/

Orange County CCE educator Debbie Lester shares that they responded to the request I forwarded about Horticulture Magazine wanting Master Gardeners to submit articles and the magazine featured them in their Feb/March issue.

Have other counties submitted to Horticulture or other magazines?  Do share.

Here’s a link to a pdf copy of the Orange county feature.

This conference will help you understand how to advance the use of native plants in sustainable landscapes.

Friday, February 20th at the Lab of Ornithology Ithaca NY

This daylong conference is modeled on a few other like-minded meetings that have taken place in other parts of the country for many years, with great success.  Native Landscaping meetings such as those in Millersville PA, Cullowhee NC, and Villanova PA, have earned very loyal attendance from homeowners, gardeners, professional landscapers, agency staffers, designers and more.  NY’s local variation on this theme will offer region-specific knowledge to attendees, will reflect the unique character of The Finger Lakes, and will secure a valuable place in our local calendar of high-quality events that make Ithaca so special.  This is a not-for-profit conference with all proceeds going to the Cayuga Waterfront Trail Initiative.

See the link below for more info and to register.
http://www.tompkinschamber.org/events/show/53

A great day of practical and inspiring speakers–Steve Kress from the Audubon Society and Lab of Ornithology; Dr. Donald Leopold from SUNY ESF and author of the best native plant book for the Northeast; Larry Weaner, a nationally recognized designer and educator from PA who has been working to balance aesthetics and ecological goals in landscapes for many years.

If you have any questions about this new conference please feel free to email info@plantsmen.com.

When: February 3, 2009, 8:30 – 3:00 PM ­

Where: Best Western/University Inn, Ithaca, NY (Directions: http://www.bestwesternnewyork.com/hotels/best-western-university-inn-ithaca/)

Organizers: Karl Pillemer (Human Development) and Linda P. Wagenet (Development Sociology)

The Cornell Program on Aging and the Environment is hosting a symposium that will explore the relationship between America’s growing older population and environmental sustainability.  Featured speakers for the event are Kathy Sykes, Director of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Aging Initiative, and Dr. Lenard Kaye, Director of the University of Maine Center on Aging and the creator of a model program to encourage safe drug disposal by older persons (and therby reducing pharmaceuticals in the water supply).  Additional presentations will examine issues of smart growth and liveable communites, and methods of promoting environmental civic engagement and volunteerism among older people.  Findings will be presented from the Retiree Environmental Stewards Program, which was successfully piloted in Tompkins County in 2008. We encourage Cornell Cooperative Extension educators to invite a representative from your county Office for Aging and/or Retired Senior Volunteer Program to attend.

There is no charge to attend the symposium; however, since space is limited, a reservation is required on a first-come, first-served basis. To register, please contact Jennifer T. Parise (jtp75@cornell.edu) by Tuesday, January 27, 2009. For more information about the symposium, contact Linda P. Wagenet (email: lpw2@cornell.edu; phone: 607-254-7460). A continental breakfast (at 8:30 a.m.) and lunch will be provided.

New NRAES publication coming this Spring. Details below.

You can get a FREE copy for your Cornell Cooperative Extension office …

If by June 5th there are at least 5 people from your county registered for our  2009 Master Gardener Volunteer Conference I’ll send your county a FREE copy of this new resource.

So tell your volunteers now to SAVE THE DATES July 22 to 24th for our State Master Gardener Volunteer Conference. More details on the line up and how to register on line will be coming in February at www.gardening.cornell.edu/mgconf

Broadleaved Shrubs and Shade Trees: Problems, Picture Clues, and Management Options

After observing the problem in a shrub and shade tree, the reader will then follow the guide’s easy-to-use, photo-based problem key to zero in on the cause. Management strategies are suggested for most problems. The guide will be an invaluable resource for home and master gardeners, students, educators, and horticultural consultants. It will also be a useful addition to garden-center bookshelves and landscape-oriented mail-order catalogs.

Features of the guide include:
•    Pictures and descriptions of over 125 abiotic problems, diseases, insects, and more.
•    430+ color photos
•    200+ pages
•    Introductory chapter on diagnostics and nonchemical management strategies
•    Photo-based key to symptoms and possible causes
•    Compact, spiral-bound design with laminated cover
•    Glossary

Chapter List

Chapter 1:     IPM, Diagnostic Skills, and Problem Management
Chapter 2:     Symptoms and Possible Causes: Broadleaved Woody Ornamentals Problem Key
Chapter 3:    Abiotic Problems
Chapter 4:    Diseases
Chapter 5:    Insects
Chapter 6:    Wildlife
Chapter 7:    Miscellaneous Organisms

FLIER on pre-ordering discounts

Note from Lori:

I will order 50 copies in bulk and resell individual copies to counties for about $25 each. I assume most counties would just want 1 copy so if you think you might like multiple copies tell me as then I might order more to start.

You can download this publication for free here

There some information you might find particularly useful when taking with gardeners and property owners. For example, on page 14 there is a nice table of the susceptibility of different type of tree to damage. Here’s a bit more about this resource:

“Planting a diverse urban forest that includes trees resistant to ice storms and performing regular tree maintenance to avoid or remove structural weaknesses will reduce damage caused by severe ice storms.   Management plans for urban trees should incorporate information on the ice storm susceptibility of trees in order to: limit potential ice damage; to reduce hazards resulting from ice damage; and to restore urban tree populations following ice storms.  Susceptibility ratings of species commonly planted in urban areas are presented in this publication for use in developing and maintaining healthy urban tree populations.” [from Introduction] 2006 Second Edition Joint Publication of College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences and the Office of Continuing Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Authors
R.J. Hauer, J.O. Dawson, L.P. Werner
Date Published
November 2006
Publisher
College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin
Stevens Point, WI

The Project Orange Thumb grant provides school and community gardening groups with tools and materials to help them achieve their goals for neighborhood beautification and horticultural education. Projects geared towards community involvement, neighborhood beautification, sustainable agriculture, and horticultural education are encouraged to apply. 20 grants are available providing up to  $1,500 in Fiskars garden tools and $800 in gardening-related materials. Visit www.projectorangethumb.com for application details.

Create a short video that completes the phrase “Real Food is…” and you can win $1,000 for your school food project. Sponsored by the Community Food Security Coalition and Action for Healthy Kids. Deadline: February 8.
http://farmtocafeteriaconference.com/real-food-is-video-contest/