gardening in Durham NC – Page 2 – Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Durham County

A close-up of a bee perched on a round flower head surrounded by green foliage.

A close-up of a bumblebee collecting nectar from bright pink flowers surrounded by green leaves.

Pollinators in action at the downtown Cocoa Cinnamon Container Garden in Durham, NC. (Image credit: Mary Knierim)

Interested in learning more about how you can have a positive impact on pollinators when gardening in your own landscape? Join the Durham Garden Forum (DGF) on Tuesday, September 16, 2025 from 7:00 – 8:30 pm for an in-person lecture at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, NC.

Event parking is free and accessed from the entrance on W. Club and Ninth Street.

This event is free to Durham Garden Forum members and $10 for non-members. Not a member? If you join now through the end of 2025, membership extends to the end of 2026.

2025 Keynote Presenter

Dr. Elizabeth D. Hilborn, writer, scientist, and veterinarian with expertise in honeybee medicine presents “Restoring Eden.“ Dr. Hilborn tells the true story of the sudden loss of insect life on her family farm in our part of North Carolina. An award-winning author and environmental epidemiologist for the US Environmental Protection Agency, she will introduce us to the hazards of systemic insecticides and review the best landscape management methods to support pollinator health.

A book cover titled 'Restoring Eden' by Elizabeth D. Hilborn, featuring a scenic landscape with mountains, trees, and a farmhouse under a cloudy sky.

DGF will raffle off three signed copies of Dr. Hilborn’s book ” Restoring Eden” at the end of the program.

Pre-Lecture Plant Swap

Prior to the keynote address, the DGF will host a participant Plant Swap from 6:00 – 7:00 pm.

Bring your divided plants or extra garden plants to share with DGF members. Please bring plants in some form of container, labeled if possible, and remove any plants not taken at the end of the swap. Be ready to connect with other plant-loving people.

If you have plants to drop off, you can drive up to the main entrance, bear to the left, drop off plants at the plant swap space, then go to the parking lot.

Upcoming DGF Events

The Durham Garden Forum (DGF) is an informal group that meets once a month to enrich gardening knowledge and skill. Meetings are on the third Tuesday of the month from 7:00 – 8:30 pm. Most meetings are via Zoom. Members have access to a video library of presentations, and they also receive discounts at Durham Garden Center, and For Garden’s Sake, and Deep Roots Natives.

Durham Garden Forum memberships cost $25 per year. You can access the membership form here (scroll down to bottom). If you are a DGF member, you will receive invitations to register for each month’s meeting. For new members joining now through the end of 2025, membership extends to the end of 2026.

Dates, topics, and presenters for upcoming DGF lectures include

October 26, 2025 “Using Native Plants In Design” with Laurel Babcock, Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer of Durham County

November 18, 2025 “Growing and Maintaining Camellias” with Brie Arthur, horticulturalist, teacher, and author

December 16, 2025 “The Light Eaters” with Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic journalist covering science, health, and the environment

January 20, 2026 “Nature’s Action Guide” with Sarah F. Jayne, author, educator, and environmentalist

Questions? Contact durhamgardenforum@gmail.com

Edited by Melinda Heigel, NC State Extension Master Gardener ^SM volunteer of Durham County

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-6ts

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

Tag: gardening in Durham NC

Learn About Promoting Pollinator Health at Durham Garden Forum Keynote