Raleigh County Agriculture & Natural Resources

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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

Contact the WVU Extension Service Raleigh County Office to learn about the Master Gardener Program.

This Month in the Garden Calendar

Gardening Wishes for the New Year from our Associate Dean

Associate Dean Jennifer Williams smiles with a bouquet of zinnia flowers.

I have many fond memories of growing up on our family farm in Hardy County. Each spring, my dad would plow a large area behind the house for the garden and my mom would carefully select and buy the plants. Then, when the heat of the day had subsided, we would all head out to plant. My uncle would assist in our efforts by planting beautiful zinnias, that to this day, are my very favorite flower. It truly was a family affair at the farm.

My favorite time was harvesting and preserving our bounty. Time spent in the kitchen with my mom preserving the myriads of products from our labors is a memory I cherish. I try to continue the tradition each summer as physical work and the memories I recall are therapeutic and so very good for my soul.

Lawn, Gardening & Pests News for Raleigh 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

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 Raleigh County

2025 Agriculture Dinner Meeting Series

A person leans on a fence, wearing gloves in the winter, with a red barn visible in the background.

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.

Org chart that depicts Congress at the top, followed by branches that lead to FIFRA then EPA, and ESA then FWS and NMPS.

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:

Lawn, Gardening & Pests
Active Alerts in Raleigh County

AgAlert! Boxwood Blight

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

Read AgAlert! Boxwood Blight

AgAlert! Herbicide Contaminated Compost

Compost has traditionally been used by growers not only for supplying nutrients to the soil and plant but also due to its multiple beneficial attributes, such as balancing pH, enhancing water holding capacity, and boosting soil structure and beneficial microbial populations to improve overall soil quality for plant growth and development. Compost can hold nutrients for a longer time and deliver to plants when needed. Nutrients found in compost are released slowly as the compost decomposes, reducing nutrient loss through prevention of off-site movement. Despite all these benefits, herbicide contaminated composts can do lots of harm to plants, especially to those belonging to the family Solanaceae, which includes tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Plant distortion due to growth regulator type herbicide is shown in Figure 1.

Tomato plant with curled leaves due to growth regulator type herbicide. Potato plant with curled leaves due to growth regulator type herbicide.

Read AgAlert! Herbicide Contaminated Compost

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.

Read AgAlert! Cucurbit Downy Mildew

Raleigh County Agriculture News

Raleigh County Farmer's Closed

The Raleigh County Farmer's Market has closed for the year. Thank you to all the vendors who participated. If you would like to become a vendor for the 2020 year, please call our office 304-255-9321.

Speakers Available for Raleigh County Community Events

Looking for a speaker for your group, your classroom or your organization in Raleigh County?

WVU Extension agents can teach on a variety of topics, including:

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.