Andover Central School district teamed up with members of
Allegany’s CCE 4-H to host a garden program discussing the importance of
plants, fungus and our local pollinators. Much like the program last year, many
hours were spent refurbishing the garden found behind the school’s Art
classroom. A great time was had by all, as everyone got down on their hands and
knees to dig out weeds and prepare the garden to plant flowers. The children
familiarize themselves with plants you might find in your own garden, such as
snapdragons, begonias, hostas and geraniums. The end result was beautiful and
the hard work that the students put into the garden showed. They kids smiled
proudly, knowing that the end result was because of their efforts.
At the end of the program the students were able to head
home happy, with flowers which they potted and propagated themselves. Along
with the knowledge they can use to further improve their own indoor or outdoor
gardens back at home.
A special thanks to guest speaker Deb Wagoner for coming in
to give an educational lesson on bees and why we should take a moment to understand
the importance of our local buzzing pollinator. Flowering would be extremely
difficult without the assistance of honey bees, many of our major crops
(apples, mangos, and peaches) wouldn’t be able to fertilize.
Also, a shout out to the awesome staff members who were able
to help with the program, without them, things would not have moved nearly as
smoothly. The members of CCE had an amazing time working with everyone who
participated and hopes to work together in future.
If you’re interested in teaming up and working with Allegany’s
Cooperative Extension you can contact us directly at the Allegany County 4-H
Office or we can be reached by mailed to Allegany County Cooperative Extension,
5435A County Road 48, Belmont, NY 14813. Please contact Allegany’s CCE STEM
educator, Lisa Reynolds at (585) 268-7644 Ext 22 or CCE’s Agricultural
Educator, Jeremy Baier at (585) 268-7644 Ext 14 with any questions.
The Andover Gardening Project is one of many programs
offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Allegany County (CCE-Allegany). The
association is part of the national cooperative extension system, an
educational partnership between County, State, and Federal governments. As New
York’s land grant university Cornell administers the system in this state. For
more information, call 525-268-7644 or visit our website at www.cce.cornell.edu/allegany. Cornell
University Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment
opportunities.
