Gardening information – Page 8 – Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Durham County

Learn with Us

Lots of gardening topics are discussed when you Ask a Master Gardener! (Image credit: Allie Mullin)

The Ask a Master Gardener Program is an opportunity for members of the community to ask questions about gardening and learn more about the NC State Extension Master Gardener^SMprogram. Durham County Master Gardener volunteers are available to provide answers using research-based information about plants and plant problems. They come prepared with a variety of gardening handouts, seeds for planting, and even some games for children!

You’ll find Master Gardener volunteers at the following community events during October, 2024:

October 5: North Regional Durham County Library Fall Ball for All, 221 Milton Road. 10 am-noon.

October 19: Durham Farmer’s Market at Central Park, 8 am-noon.

October 19: North Durham Farmer’s Market, 1016 Oxford Road, noon-4pm.

Learn with our Community Friends

Sarah P. Duke Gardens

The programs listed below are free but registration is required. For more information on registration for programs at Duke Gardens go to: https://rsvp.duke.edu/event/0051b368-b17e-45bd-90e1-e323448c350e/summary

October 1: . Native Plant Solutions: Perennials for Shade (virtual). 12-1 pm.

October 5: Just Us Birding with Naturally Wild, 9-11 am.

October 10 and 24: Meet the Keepers, 1-2 pm, in the Discovery Center.

October 12: Birding on International Migratory Bird Day, 8-9 am.

October 19: A Conversation with Sue Stuart-Smith, author of the Well-Gardened Mind, 2-3:30 pm.

October 20: Harvest Festival, 1-4 pm.

October 25: Beginning Birding for Adults, 8-9 am

Durham Garden Forum

October 15: Easiest Houseplants Ever with Style featuring Rovah Martin, Horticulturist and Author, 7-8:30 pm on Zoom. For more information on becoming a member or attending a session of the Durham Garden Forum go to: https://durhammastergardeners.com/durham-garden-forum/

North Carolina Botanical Gardens

October 2: In collaboration with with New Hope Bird Alliance and the UNC Avian Society meet at the historic Davie Poplar on UNC’s Campus to view Chimney Swifts in the only known tree roost in North Carolina. 7-8 pm. Pre-registration is not required. https://reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0005-0014-7afa8185c1cf49739730755fbbe8bb01

October 10: Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: An Oasis of Health and Healing ,with Delphine Sellars, Co-founder and Executive Director of Urban Community AgriNomics, 12-1 pm. Free but pre-registration required.

https://reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0005-0014-0036db46f8f1477db45838413247da81

October 19: NatureFest – free family-friendly celebration of our native plants and animals!, 1-4 pm.

October 24: Lunchbox Talk: Planting for Pollinators and Hummingbirds, 12-1pm, virtual and in person. https://reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0005-0014-280c378710244d438ad1bc2a0cfe8b0c

JC Raulston Arboretum

The Arboretum offers several walks, story-telling and focused lectures during the month of October for Friends of the Arboretum as well as the general public. You can check out their calendar at: https://jcra.ncsu.edu/events/calendar/index.php?year=2024&month=10

Article Shortlink: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-50r

By Bev Tisci and Melinda Heigel , NC State Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteers of Durham County

The actual scorecards the Seed Starter team members used for their blind taste testing to determine the best tomatoes they grew over the summer of 2024. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)

Do you remember a previous post that described how members of the Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer team known as the Seed Starters conducted scientific and delicious taste tests to determine the most flavorful, disease-resistant tomatoes? Click here to revisit that July 31 blog post.¹

Well the results are in! Extension Master Gardener volunteer and Seed Starter team leader Bev Tisci studied the comments and compiled the data from their July blind taste test. What were the best tomatoes?

Scenes from the “laboratory,” featuring one clear standout: (left) Chef’s Choice Orange. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)

Best Slicer Tomato

In the slicers category the top choice was Chef’s Choice Orange. Tasters praised its mild and good flavor, appearance, nice acidity and called it a “Big winner.” Following close behind were Big Rainbow and Marmalade Sky.

Best Paste Tomato

In the paste category the winner was Italian Roma. Keep in mind this was the only entry in the category. Could future testing reveal a tastier contender? The judges noted that Italian Roma was meaty and firm, and Tisci commented that this variety makes great oven-roasted tomatoes.

Best Small Tomato

Taking honors in the small category was Mountain Magic followed closely by Ella Bella. Seed Starters noted the winner’s balanced acidity, sweet taste, firm consistency, and manageable small size.

Best Cherry Tomato

Finally, in the cherry category, Sungold was the winner as the team noted great flavor. Sunrise Bumblebee were also high in the ranking.

Be sure to follow announcements for the 2025 Durham Master Gardener volunteer Backyard Treasures Plant Sale² where it is likely that you can purchase and grow some of these winners in your own backyard!

Notes

1–https://durhammastergardeners.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=18574&action=edit.

2–To see some pictures and additional information on what tomato varieties the Seed Starters grew for the 2024 Backyard Treasures Plant Sale, check out the list of offerings. Unfortunately, many of the tomatoes that were grown for the 2024 sale did not make it to the taste testing, so no comparison could be made with all of the new tomatoes.

https://www.backyardtreasuresplantsale.org/veggies

Resources and Additional Information

Follow along with another ongoing Master Gardener Program volunteer tomato trial in collaboration with NC State University.

Tomatoes on Trial: The 2024 Tomato Project

Article Short Link https://wp.me/p2nIr1-53H

Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Durham County

Category: Gardening information

Upcoming Garden Events October, 2024