Garden & Yard
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County is your resource for information on soils, site improvement, plant selection, proper plant care, eco-friendly practices, integrated pest management, and when the growing season is over, we’ll help you compost. Services we offer for a fee include: 1) soil testing for nutrients and pH, or if you have reason to be concerned about contaminants, we can also test heavy metals; 2) plant and pest identification and management recommendations; 3) residential site visits.
In addition we offer gardening classes and tours all year long. For more in-depth experiences and to share your love of gardening, you can join any one of our volunteer programs including: Master Gardeners, Master Composters, Citizen Pruners and the Beautification Brigade – all offer FUN ways to deepen your gardening knowledge and skills. Whether you are into food gardening, flower gardens, creating pleasing landscapes or the perfect lawn, we hope to make your efforts more successful by consulting the content on this website, or by contacting our Horticulture Program staff or volunteers via the Growline@cornell.edu.
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garden chefs

South Asian cooking will be featured on 9/5 at this Ithaca Children's Garden program! $4/child or $3/child if from the same family. No need to register!
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Fall Gardens

Learn what to plant for fall color in blooms and leaves, and tips for fall planting of ornamentals and edibles, at this workshop on 9/21.
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composting

Learn all you need to know about composting at this FREE "Compost with Confidence" class on Saturday 9/25 at 10 a.m. at Ithaca Community Gardens.
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tree walks

Join Akiva Silver for this series of FREE guided tree walks on Saturdays. 9/25, 10/23, 11/29 and 12/11 in Ithaca's Stewart Park. Learn the edible, medicinal and utilitarian uses of trees!
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Get Ready!

Learn what can still be planted, when and what to cut back, and other seasonal tasks to prepare your landscape plants for winter's challenges at this workshop on 10/14.
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No more Ticks!

Up to 30% of deer ticks in our area carry Lyme Disease. Learn how to prevent tick bites, remove ticks correctly, and reduce ticks in your yard and on your animals.


