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Cabell County Agriculture & Natural Resources

Lawn, Gardening & Pests

Get a yard that feels and looks like home. Get a bountiful harvest. Grow your own and sow something beautiful. WVU Extension has lawn, gardening and pests information you can use.

Master Gardener Program

Learn about joining the Cabell County Master Gardener Program. Like our Facebook Page and stay updated with our blog. Contact our local leadership with questions.

This Month in the Garden Calendar

Importance of Color in the Garden

Purple cabbage cut in half show white stems.

An exciting benefit of gardening is the vast palate of colors that can be observed with garden plants. Vegetables, flowers, herbs and fruits contain natural pigments that can be visually seen as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white, black and brown.

The colors we find among our garden plants are the result of complicated genetic traits that are expressed over the course of the growing season. Color can even be an indicator of plant nutrition and overall plant health. Sometimes, poor color expression, like yellow or dull leaves, can be a signal for plant disease or nutrient stress. Colorful plants also attract pollinators and other beneficial insects to the garden.

More from the Garden Calendar

Lawn, Gardening & Pests News for Cabell County

Join the Spring 2023 Master Gardener Training

female planting in a garden

WVU Extension Master Gardener training, typically offered through in-person courses organized by WVU Extension offices around the state, will once again be available online via Zoom sessions. 

WVU Extension will continue offering online Master Gardener training classes for the spring, beginning on March 2 through June 29. Classes will be held every Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. 


AgAlert! Cucurbit Downy Mildew

Cucurbit downy mildew (CDM) has now been found in Monongalia County, West Virginia, as well as neighboring states – Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Maryland. For the latest information, visit the CDM regional map at https://cdm.ipmpipe.org/

Cucurbit downy mildew (CDM) is a destructive disease that can affect most members of the gourd family or Cucurbitaceae, such as cucumber, cantaloupe, pumpkin, squash, watermelon and zucchini. However, cucumbers are the worst affected cucurbit that can be completely killed in two weeks from the onset of the disease. 

Symptoms of the disease may vary slightly from species to species, but in general, it causes angular chlorotic lesions on the foliage. These lesions appear angular because they are bound by leaf veins. During humid conditions, the lower surface of the leaf is covered with a downy, pale gray to blackish mildew. 


Join us for the 2022 Master Gardener Conference

The 27th annual Master Gardener Conference will be held on April 8-10, 2022, at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Garden enthusiasts and beginner gardeners from near and far are invited to join us this year! To register for the conference or find more information about the schedule and speakers, visit the Master Gardener Conference page.

West Virginia Extension Master Gardener Program.

Agriculture

Practical economic strategies. Investments in local growers. Farming like our future depends on it. WVU Extension offers timely, research-based agriculture information you can put into practice.

Agriculture News for Cabell County

Lease Recommendations for Land Owner & Tenants

Ben Goff.

Ben Goff, WVU Extension Agent in Mason and Putnam counties, offers recommendations for landowners and tenants who want to prepare for the upcoming farming season and work to minimize their respective risks.

Goff covers a variety of tips for farmers and landowners regarding farm leases, including:


Mid-Ohio Valley Fall 2021 Beef Quality Assurance Trainings

A group of cattle farmers learning about livestock in a classroom setting.

The fall 2021 WVU Extension BQA trainings will focus on topics including:


Register for 2021 Pasture Management Certificate Training

Barn on farm.

The Pasture Management Certificate Training is offered as part of Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College Agricultural Innovation Workforce Trainings & Certifications. 

Instructed by Kevin Shaffer, Ed Rayburn and Ben Goff from WVU Extension, this certification will teach farmers how they can improve sustainability to their operation by improving their pasture management so there is more available forage year-round. 


Cabell County Ag News

2022 Cabell County Master Gardener Course

The 2022 West Virginia Master Gardener Course will begin on March 3rd and run weekly on Thursday evenings from 6 to 9 PM through June 30th. This class will be primarily Zoom-based but the Cabell County Master Gardeners will be offering an in-person viewing opportunity in the WVU Extension-Cabell County Office located in Milton, WV. 

The charge for the course will be either $50 for the non-printable PDF West Virginia Master Gardener Manual or $100 for the physical book. To register for the Cabell County Master Gardeners' Course, visit  https://bit.ly/2022CCMGClass.

For more information contact WVU Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources Evan Wilson at 304-743-1342 or email jewilson@mail.wvu.edu.

Natural Resources

Land you can take pride in. Nature you can appreciate. Keep wild and wonderful just that. WVU Extension has natural resources information from trusted experts.

Soil Testing in Cabell County

The WVU Extension Service Cabell County Office can help you with testing your soil for your home and garden. Additionally, we can help with interpreting your results to make amendments.

Natural Resources News for Cabell County

Shiitake Workshops

Join us on May 26 or May 27 at 6 PM for an evening of learning how to grow your own shiitakes at home with Dr. Dave McGill, Forest Resources Extension Specialist. We are offering an evening workshop to learn how to cultivate shiitake mushrooms.

These gourmet mushrooms can be grown for personal use or as an enterprise. In this workshop, you will learn about mushrooms and how to inoculate logs. Workshop participants will be able to inoculate and take home a shiitake mushroom log. To reserve a space please complete the registration link  http://bit.ly/shiitakeworkshop2021. Contact Evan Wilson with any questions. 

Shiitake mushrooms on a cutting board.QR Code for Shiitake registeration

Register for White Oak in West Virginia Webinar

Hand holding up a leaf from a white oak tree. The leaf is red from fall coloring.

Join us as we dive into the opportunities and challenges related to sustaining and harvesting white oak trees in West Virginia.

Tuesday, February 2


Register for West Virginia Woodland Stewards Seminar

Timber forest.

Join us as we dive into a variety of educational topics and learn more about how we can be better stewards of West Virginia's woodlands.

Tuesday, February 9