NC State Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, Chatham County

Did you know that Chatham County has several thriving woman run farms that provide products and services to our community? Once a year they open their doors and you don't want to miss it! It's time for the 2026 She Farms Tour!
Wander through vibrant fields of juicy berries, colorful flowers, grapes and fragrant Christmas trees. Meet inspiring guests, including local producers, county extension agents, children's book authors. The Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Chatham County will be located at Farrell’s Creek Farm on Martha’s Chapel Road in Apex to answer gardening questions and distribute free Extension publications and soil testing kits.
Click the link below for details - participating farms, FAQ's.

https://cloerfamilyvineyards.ticketspice.com/she-farms-apex-2026

Hope To See You There!

She FARMS Apex 2026 Get tickets online for She FARMS Apex 2026 here.

The Chatham County Extension Master Gardener Volunteers visited the UNC Farm at Penny Lane today.

The farm is located on 40 acres in northern Chatham County and uses a holistic approach to enhance the quality of life of individuals with mental illness by offering opportunities to become healthier and more self-sufficient. It offers programs like horticulture therapy, cooking classes, and creative arts, alongside growing organic produce for participants.

Every year, I get requests for how to establish a “wildflower meadow.” My advice is often surprisingly simple: reduce mowing.

Folks usually envision a sea of bright, hot-colored flowers—the kind of "superbloom" you might see on an alpine mountaintop. But our Southeastern growing season is a marathon, not a sprint. Those bright "calendar" flowers often bloom quickly and struggle in our humid summers, finding it impossible to compete with the native plants that invariably come to stifle them. Instead of fighting nature to create a Western-style meadow, we should look at what our North Carolina soil is already trying to grow.

May All Your W**ds Be Wildflowers - Lee County Center | N.C. Cooperative Extension Some "w**ds" might be the native plants you (and the pollinators) are looking for!

Aquatic w**ds can quickly become a problem in farm ponds, recreational ponds, and other water bodies. Unmanaged vegetation can interfere with fishing, livestock watering, irrigation, and overall pond health. Correctly identifying aquatic w**ds is the first step toward selecting an effective management strategy and avoiding costly treatment mistakes.

Join N.C. Cooperative Extension for the Pond W**d Identification and Management Workshop. This educational program will help participants identify common aquatic w**ds and algae, understand the factors that contribute to w**d problems, and explore management options available for ponds and other aquatic systems.

June 23, 2026
6:00 - 8:00 pm

Pond W**d Identification and Management Workshop - Chatham County Center | N.C. Cooperative Extension Date: Tuesday, 6/23/26Time: 6:00 - 8:00 pmLocation: Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center, 1192 US 64 West Business, Pittsboro, NC 27312

Droughts can occur when our region receives below-normal precipitation over a period of weeks to months. ⚠️ Minimal precipitation can impact agricultural production, wildfire activity and water resources such as streamflow, groundwater and reservoir levels.

How does drought monitoring happen in ?

✅ The NC Drought Management Advisory Council (NC DMAC) assesses our drought status weekly and issues county-level drought status advisories, among other responsibilities.

You can sign up for a weekly email update from their partner organization, the North Carolina Climate Office, that includes helpful infographics describing the current drought status and impacts!

💧 Learn more and subscribe to the weekly update here ➡️ products.climate.ncsu.edu/drought

𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭

𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚’𝐬 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟕-𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟗 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭. With water restrictions likely to increase if rainfall deficits persist, gardeners may be asking how to insure their gardens survive. Here are a few tips that might help:

• 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡: No new plants, no fertilizing, no pruning, except to remove dead or dying branches. Plants which are stressed from lack of rain must concentrate on retaining moisture, not putting forth growth.

• 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐜𝐡: Mulch all vegetable, flower, and landscape beds with a 4″ layer to conserve water, keep soil temperatures cool, and prevent w**ds from competing with desired plants.

• 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬: Prevent w**ds from competing with plants for moisture.

• 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐧 𝐠𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭: It is less stressful for grass to go dormant than to be active and drought-stressed. Do not mow unnecessarily.

• 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 stressed by disease or insects to reduce competition for water with healthier plants.

• 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐨𝐟𝐟. Water the entire root zone, not the leaves. Water in the morning (6am - 10am) before heat rises to limit loss by evaporation.

• 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 promotes deeper roots and greater drought tolerance.

• 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭, which survived and which did not.

• 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 consider grouping plants with similar water needs to make it easier to care for them in the next drought.

•𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 to drought conditions. Select drought-tolerant plants to replace those that died.

Photo credit and additional information on current conditions: https://ncdrought.org

Need Aquatic (A) Pesticide Credit?

Pond w**ds causing problems? Join us in-person or online for a Pond W**d Identification and Management Workshop and learn practical strategies for identifying and managing aquatic w**ds and algae.
Open to pond owners, landowners, farmers, and pesticide applicators. Attendees may earn 2 hours of A, N, D, and X pesticide credit.
https://pond-w**ds.eventbrite.com

Poison Hemlock is a common poisonous w**d in Virginia! It looks a bit like Queen Anne's lace or wild parsnip (be careful foraging!) but can grow 6-10 feet tall and has stems spotted or streaked with red or purple.

Poison Hemlock is an herbaceous biennial flowering plant in the carrot family. It grows 6 to 10 feet in height with a smooth green stem often spotted or streaked with red or purple. The leaves are finely divided and lacy, up to 20 inches long by 16 inches wide. It has white flowers that grow in small erect clusters. Each flower develops into a green, deeply ridged fruit that contains several seeds. All parts of this plant have an unpleasant odor. While Poison Hemlock is usually biennial, in favorable locations it may be perennial.

Where it may be found:
Poison Hemlock is a non-native that is very common in Virginia and across the United States. It grows along fence lines, ditches, wet roadsides and meadows.

What part(s) of the plant are toxic:
All parts of Poison Hemlock are extremely poisonous, emit a foul odor and contain the toxin coniine what acts exactly like ni****ne. The juice can cause severe skin irritation. Often, internal poisoning occurs after the victim confuses the Hemlock root with Wild Parsnips, the Hemlock leaves with Parsley, or the Hemlock seed with Anise.

More info on all poisonous plants in Virginia: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/CNRE/CNRE-13/CNRE-13NP.html
More info on poison hemlock: https://extension.psu.edu/poison-hemlock

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the detection of a New World screwworm (NWS) in a bovine in Zavala County, Texas. NWS is a serious pest that affects livestock, pets, wildlife, and less commonly, people and birds. NWS larvae (maggots) burrow into the flesh of living animals, causing serious damage to livestock and economic losses. The affected animal is a 3-week-old calf and larvae were identified in its umbilical area. To date, there have been no further detections in the US.
Press release: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/news/agency-announcements/usda-confirms-presence-new-world-screwworm-united-states

“The positive case in Texas is disappointing but is not surprising considering its proximity to Northern Mexico,” said State Veterinarian Mike Martin. “For several weeks the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Veterinary Division has worked closely with our counterparts in South Carolina to develop similar state plans for New World Screwworm control and the movement of livestock. We will continue to work collaboratively with a focus on medications for the treatment and prevention of this pest. We will also continue our efforts to collaborate with our federal partners to help our state be in a better position to prevent and control the spread of New World Screwworm.”

It is also important to note that New World Screwworm is not a food safety concern and the food supply is safe. More information can be found at the USDA website https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animals/animal-health/livestock-and-poultry-disease/stop-screwworm.