This Wednesday May 4 at 5:30 pm I will be giving the first tour of the year of Chatham County Cooperative Extension’s Pollinator Paradise Demonstration Garden at Chatham Marketplace in Pittsboro. The garden was designed to provide forage habitat for pollinators such as honey bees, native bees, butterflies, flower flies, hummingbirds, beetles, and other beneficial insects.

No registration is required…just meet on the sidewalk in front of Chatham Marketplace at 5:30 pm, rain or shine! The garden is already looking great and has about 30 different plants in bloom this week.

You can view photos of all the plants in bloom – updated weekly! – on Extension’s Growing Small Farms website at http://bit.ly/95ZS1C

I also posted the garden tour schedule on the website in case you can’t make the May tour.

I hope to see you there!

Debbie

Debbie Roos
Agricultural Extension Agent
Chatham County Center
North Carolina Cooperative Extension
919.542.8202
debbie_roos@ncsu.edu
www.growingsmallfarms.org
www.facebook.com/debbie.roos.nc
www.twitter.com/GrowSmallFarms

“Bloom Where You Are Planted” was the theme for the North Central Extension and Community Association (NCECA) District Day held on Thursday, April 21st at the Trinity United Methodist Church, King, NC.  Six members of the Chatham County Extension and Community Association (ECA) attended this inspirational event.  In addition to the business meeting for the NCECA District Day, members of the organization were offered the opportunity to attend tremendously informative programming to bring back to the Chatham community. 

Programming entitled Leadership training, Children Know When Their Parents are Fighting, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Legislative Advocacy, the History of Family and Consumer Science and the Impact of Jane McKimmon, plus Presentation and Teaching Techniques.  As a goal of the NCECA organization is prevent the loss of culturally heritage handcrafted items through their Cultural Arts program which is held during the District Day.

Chatham County ECA members entered a variety of items with three of the entries receiving awards.  Helen Nunn received a first place ribbon for her, handcrafted Christmas ornament.   Second place ribbons were awarded to Maxine Nunn won for her handcrafted doll and Christine DeGraffenreidt won for her handwork.   Chatham County Extension and Community Association would like to extend their congratulations to these individuals, both those that received ribbons and all those throughout the district that entered for the joy of craft.

For over 26 years, the Chatham County ECA has strived to strengthen families and improve the quality of life in their community through projects and untold number of volunteer hours.  The Association’s goals of learning, leading, sharing, giving, and growing have given Chatham County a generation of responsible and informed leaders and a legacy of quality for the future. Chatham County ECA has clubs scattered around the county. 

The association offers all its programs to any member of the community regardless of race, creed, national origin, sex or handicap.  For additional information regarding becoming a member of this exciting organization, please call Chatham County Cooperative Extension, 919.542.8202

Phyllis Smith, RD, LDN
Extension Agent
Family Consumer Science
Chatham County Center
N.C. Cooperative Extension
PO Box 279
Pittsboro, NC  27312
Office – 919.542-8202
Direct – 919.542-8247
phyllis.smith@chathamnc.org
http://chatham.ces.ncsu.edu

Now is a great time to visit Chatham County’s Holly Hill Daylily Farm – they are open weekends throughout June and July so you have four more weekends to visit!

I just posted some photos from a recent trip on the Growing Small Farms website at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/hollyhilljune09.html

Chapel Hill Magazine recently did an article about Holly Hill which you can see on-line at http://www.chapelhillmagazine.com/blog/2009/6/24/discovering-chatham-holly-hill-daylily-farm.html

It is always fun to visit Jim and there is so much more to see than daylilies – he has folk art, lovely gardens, all kinds of chickens…

Support our local growers and beautify your garden!

Debbie

Debbie Roos
Agricultural Extension Agent
Chatham County Center
North Carolina Cooperative Extension
919.542.8202
http://www.growingsmallfarms.org/

Hi everyone,

I posted a few photos of the recent Farm-to-Fork picnic on Cooperative Extension’s Growing Small Farms website at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/farmtofork.html

You can also see photos from the 2007 picnic with Carlo Petrini.

Several Chatham farms are featured.

Debbie

Debbie Roos
Agricultural Extension Agent
Chatham County Center
North Carolina Cooperative Extension
919.542.8202
www.growingsmallfarms.org