Growing Small Farms

09/24/2026

You have three more opportunities to join a tour of Chatham County Cooperative Extension’s Pollinator Paradise Garden in Pittsboro. Sustainable Agriculture Agent Debbie Roos will conduct three tours in October, and that will be the last opportunity until next May.

Come see the beautiful fall bloomers, meet our fall caterpillars (monarch, variegated fritillary, pipevine swallowtail, black swallowtail, and more!), and learn about fall planting. Participants on a late September tour got to see a monarch butterfly that had just emerged from its chrysalis! Tours are free but pre-registration is required (and tours are filling up fast).

Visit Cooperative Extension’s Growing Small Farms website at the link below to register for a tour.

Interested in learning about pollinators, native plants, organic gardening, and creating habitat for wildlife? NC Cooperative Extension's Pollinator Paradise Demonstration Garden in Pittsboro was…

09/16/2026

There's still room in my Pollinator Garden Tour scheduled for this coming Monday, September 21! Tours are free but registration is required and only takes a minute. See the link below. I hope to see you there!

Agriculture Agent Debbie Roos will give a tour of Chatham County Cooperative Extension’s Pollinator Paradise Demonstration Garden.

09/15/2026

RSVP for this Friday's Chatham Co. Native Plant Sale!

On this Friday September 18 folks will have a rare opportunity to come to Pittsboro and buy native plants from our three Chatham County native plant nurseries!

This sale is hosted by Chatham County Cooperative Extension and it will be a great chance to see all three nurseries in one convenient space. All proceeds go directly to the nurseries.

This plant sale will be outdoors so please dress accordingly.

Chatham County Native Plant Sale
Friday, September 18, 2026
3:00-5:00 p.m.
Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center
Pittsboro, NC

Participating Nurseries:

Growing Wild Nursery

Mellow Marsh Farm

Rachel’s Native Plants

RSVP is requested so the nurseries can plan.

Please RSVP at the link on the web page below if you plan on attending. Sales will begin promptly at 3:00 p.m. We hope to see you here!

On Friday September 18 folks will have a rare opportunity to come to Pittsboro and buy native plants from our three Chatham County native plant nurseries!This sale is hosted by the N.C. Cooperative…

08/30/2026

I really enjoyed my visit earlier this week to see Farmer Cee at Green Heffa Farms! It's always fun seeing the certified organic medicinal crops Cee is growing, both in the field and in high tunnels. She makes beautiful teas that you can find on her website greenheffafarms.com. Follow her on social media for updates!

08/27/2026

The first fall tour of Chatham County Cooperative Extension's Pollinator Paradise Demo Garden is next Wednesday September 2! Spots are filling up fast so don't wait too long to register if you are interested. I hope to see you there!

Fall tours of North Carolina Cooperative Extension's Pollinator Paradise Demonstration Garden in Pittsboro start in early September!The garden features over 240 species of perennials, trees, shrubs,…

08/12/2026

I'm excited to announce that registration is open for Chatham County Cooperative Extension's annual Pollinator Habitat Workshop & Native Plant Sale! This workshop always sells out so don't wait until the last minute to register if you are interested in attending...we have already had over 60 people register in just the first few hours! Full details can be found on the link below.

North Carolina Cooperative Extension Workshop on Creating Biodiverse Habitat for Pollinators and Other Wildlife

08/11/2026

Had a great group for my tour this morning of Chatham County Cooperative Extension's Pollinator Paradise Demo Garden! Close to 30 folks braved the high heat and humidity to walk around and talk about native plants and critters (not all made it into the photo). I have a few spots left in my August 25 tour and will post a link to register in the comments

07/31/2026

Had a great visit this afternoon to Perry-winkle Farm to see Cathy Jones and her crew. I was accompanied by our summer intern Sydney Kain. The farm crew was busy making bouquets from the flowers harvested this morning for the Carrboro Farmers Market tomorrow. I was very impressed by the farm's bumper crop of potatoes this year!

07/28/2026

Very important information for NC beekeepers, but others can have a role in monitoring!

From a July 27, 2026 press release issued by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDA&CS):Contact:Dr. William (Bill) Foote(919) 707-3730NCDA&CS confirms…

07/28/2026

Central Carolina Community College's Sustainable Agriculture Program in Pittsboro is enrolling students now for the Ecological Landscaping certificate. This certificate is designed to give students the tools necessary to become competent practitioners of ecological gardening and effective land stewards. Courses in plant science, plant propagation, biological pest management and design are paired with hands-on gardening labs and opportunities to tour and understand the key principles of ecological landscaping with professionals. Classes begin 8/17/26.

Apply here: https://www.cccc.edu/admissions/apply-now/new-students

Chatham, Harnett and Lee county recent (and not too recent) High School graduates may be eligible to attend tuition-free through the Central Carolina Promise and Promise Plus programs.