Nicholas County Agriculture & Natural Resources

Lawn, Gardening & Pests

This Month in the Garden Calendar

Controlling Drainage in Your Garden

Water is a very important component to a successful garden, but like all other aspects of growing plants, too much water can be detrimental.  

Excessive water can cause seed and root rot, decline in germination and displacement of oxygen, especially when the plants are young. The major contributing factor to poorly drained soil in plant production is inadequate aeration. 

More from the Garden Calendar

New River Master Gardeners

Welcome to the New River Master Gardeners. Formed in 2000, we represent Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh, and Summers Counties. We are a volunteer organization that provides educational opportunities for people interested in gardening and growing plants. We generally meet on the third Thursday of each month. Meetings often include educational opportunities, club business, community project involvement, and plant and seed exchanges. For more information on the Master Gardeners Program go to the West Virginia Master Gardeners website.

New River Master Gardeners meet every third Thursday of each month.

Extension Agent: Brian Sparks—Nicholas County 304-872-7898; Fayette County 304-574-4253
Extension Agent: David Richmond—Raleigh County 304-255-9321; Summers County 304-466-7113

Lawn, Gardening & Pests News for Nicholas County

Join the Winter/Spring 2025 Master Gardener Training

WVU Extension Master Gardener training, which used to be 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 late winter/spring 2025 term, beginning on January 9 through May 15. Classes will be held every Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. 

AgAlert! Boxwood Blight

Boxwood blight is a fungal disease that affects one of West Virginia's most popular landscape shrubs.

Boxwood blights are a fungal disease that can be fatal if no measures are taken to manage the disease at the early stage of infection and symptom appearance. There are two different fungal pathogens involved with blights – Volutella buxi  and Calonectria pseudonaviculata.

Join the Winter/Spring 2024 Master Gardener Training

WVU Extension Master Gardener training, which used to be 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 late winter/spring 2024 term, beginning on January 11 through May 2. Classes will be held every Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. 

Agriculture

Agriculture News for Nicholas County

2025 Agriculture Dinner Meeting Series

Each winter, WVU Extension brings education, know-how and research right to your community through a series of educational dinner meetings. 

Through these dinner meetings, participants have the opportunity to learn from WVU Extension specialists and industry experts about relevant topics to help you improve your own agricultural operations.

Upcoming EPA changes and how they will affect pesticide use in agriculture

The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) governs the registration, distribution, sale and use of pesticides in the U.S. FIFRA gives to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to regulate pesticide enforcement. However, the EPA must meet obligations under other acts, including the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (Figure 1). 

The ESA is overseen by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The ESA establishes protections for fish, wildlife and plants that are listed as threatened or endangered and provides for adding and removing species from the list of threatened and endangered species, and preparing and implementing plans for their recovery. The ESA also provides for interagency cooperation and for issuing permits for otherwise prohibited activities, provides for cooperation with states and implements the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna. 

Lease Recommendations for Land Owner & Tenants

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:

Nicholas County Fair

For the most recent information about the fair including nightly entertainment, go to the  Nicholas County Fair page on Facebook.

Natural Resources

Natural Resources News for Nicholas County

Register for White Oak in West Virginia Webinar

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

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

WVU is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer -- Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran.
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs).
The WVU Board of Governors is the governing body of WVU. The Higher Education Policy Commission in West Virginia is responsible for developing, establishing, and overseeing the implementation of a public policy agenda for the state’s four-year colleges and universities.
Reasonable accommodations will be made to provide this content in alternate formats upon request. Contact the WVU Extension Service Office of Communications at 304-293-4222.