Events - month view
February 2023
Conserving Friendly Insects on Urban Farms and Gardens
February 23, 2023
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

How are you welcoming friendly insects to your urban farm or garden? Do you know who you're looking for? Join us on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 12 PM on Zoom to talk about incorporating plants into your farm or garden that provide food and shelter for insect predators and pollinators.
March 2023
Seed Sowing Workshop
March 25, 2023
10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Brooklyn, NY

Brooklyn Queens Land Trust and Brooklyn Grange invite you to create customized flats for your garden in this not-your-typical seed sowing workshop with Kwesi Joseph, Urban Garden Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension's Harvest New York.
Learn to sow seeds in a commercial greenhouse setting and leave them to grow for eight weeks while the Brooklyn Grange Farmers lovingly tend to the seedlings. This workshop is aimed at gardeners of all experience levels. Please come if you want to grow plants that are not usually found at traditional plant giveaways, local hardware stores, or nurseries. Participants are encouraged to bring (and share!) seeds, especially ancestral seeds, culturally important seeds, or seeds with a story. Brooklyn Grange will also supply seeds the day of.
Learn to sow seeds in a commercial greenhouse setting and leave them to grow for eight weeks while the Brooklyn Grange Farmers lovingly tend to the seedlings. This workshop is aimed at gardeners of all experience levels. Please come if you want to grow plants that are not usually found at traditional plant giveaways, local hardware stores, or nurseries. Participants are encouraged to bring (and share!) seeds, especially ancestral seeds, culturally important seeds, or seeds with a story. Brooklyn Grange will also supply seeds the day of.
April 2023
Life Cycles of the Segmented and Infamous @ the GreenThumb GrowTogether Conference
April 1, 2023
10:30 am - 12 noon
New York, NY

Do you have strong opinions about which bugs you like and don't like in your garden? Join Sam Anderson, CCE Urban Ag Specialist, and Saara Naticic of Red Hook Farms who also have strong opinions for an educational and participatory rant about some of the most interesting, wonderful, and despicable arthropods we encountered last year. Participants will learn how to identify some of the most important and/ or most mysterious arthropods of NYC farms and gardens, where to find them, their life cycles, and their predators (or prey). For the pests, we'll touch on ways to manage their presence, but the emphasis here is more about getting to know these helpful/unhelpful/ otherwise-interesting arthropods and understanding how they operate.
2023 Hudson Valley Farming Series Field Day: Floodplain Benches on the Wallkill River in Orange Co.
April 7, 2023
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Westtown, NY
Restored floodplains limit the amount of flooding after extreme storms. Join Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District and CCE Orange County to see a restored floodplain along the Wallkill River.
2023 Hudson Valley Farming Series Field Day: Riparian Buffers in Action
April 14, 2023
9:30 am - 12:00 pm
Acra, NY
This workshop will combine an indoor classroom presentation along with a tour on a nearby farm to help participants understand the benefits of incorporating diversified agroforestry systems with an eye for resilience. During this offering, participants will learn how these types of buffers intentionally combine water quality protection with sustainable food and forest production. Presenters will touch on a variety of topics including basic stream function, buffer assessment and establishment, species selection, and marketing using our newly developed Multifunctional Riparian Buffer Guide. Join us to understand ways to incorporate native, perennial, and beneficial species into fruitful buffer systems that promote freshwater ecosystems.
Building Pollinator Habitats as Integrated Pest Management
April 25, 2023
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Staten Island, NY

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) uses a variety of ecologically-minded techniques and approaches for the long-term management of pests. In this workshop we'll explore building beneficial insect habitats as an IPM strategy. Participants will learn what to plant, how to design their pollinator habitats, and how to maintain and troubleshoot the pollinator habitat within an IPM framework.
Upcoming Events
Maximizing Your Garden Space
May 9, 2026
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Port Jefferson Station, NY
Celebrate spring and get your garden growing with this hands-on workshop on maximizing your garden space! Join Cornell Urban Garden Specialist Karen Guzman as she shares practical strategies to maximize limited space. Participants will learn about the current state-wide soil testing program and crop planning techniques designed to increase yields and extend the growing season.Webinar: Impact of Microclimates on NYC Urban Ag
May 13, 2026
12:00 noon - 1:00 PM
Hear from Dan Olmstead of Cornell IPM on how NYC's microclimates differ from Borough to Borough and their impact on resilience planning. We will also be discussing the data collected from weather stations across urban gardens in the city.Webinar: Biochar Applications on Urban Farms
June 10, 2026
12:00 noon - 1:00 PM
Hear from Deborah Aller, Cornell, about biochar applications on urban farms and its ability to act as a tool for soil health and climate mitigation. We will also be discussing the mission behind New York Center for Organics Recycling and Education (NYCORE).Announcements
Community Garden Leadership Program - Application Open Now!
The Cornell Community Garden Leadership Program is a year-long online program that prepares individuals to enhance their leadership skills to strengthen community gardens throughout New York State. The program equips community gardeners with management best practices and operational skills to improve garden sustainability. The program also connects gardeners to regional resources, professional development opportunities, and a statewide community garden leadership network.Register for a virtual information session to learn more about the program and discover if this program is the right fit for you. Each information session is typically 45min-1hr.
Session Dates:
- April 9 at 10am
- April 14 at 12pm
- April 22 at 5:30pm
- May 7 at 12pm
- May 11 at 5:30pm
Register for an Information Session HERE!
**Please note: the program application closes on June 15th and will be sent to all who register for an information session.
**Please note: the program application closes on June 15th and will be sent to all who register for an information session.
Community Gardens Soil Testing Program Accepting Applications
Soil testing supports the growth and expansion of community gardens by protecting the health and safety of the food produced in these gardens. CCE Harvest NY, in partnership with the NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets (AGM) and the Cornell Soil Health Lab, is offering eligible, food-producing gardens in New York State the opportunity to send soil samples for testing without charge.The soil test will analyze samples for heavy metals and nutrient levels. Test results help gardeners make appropriate plans to produce high quality fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Technical support and education for participating growers will be available from the CCE Harvest New York team. Learn more about the 2026 Community Gardens Soil Testing Program.
