Across the nation, thousands of people are stepping up to solve the crisis that is afflicting our heroic frontline health workers and first responders. As hospitals struggle to find safe and reliable supplies, companies, organizations, and individuals are joining forces to get health care workers the personal protective equipment and lifesaving medical devices they need. No single organization can do this alone. In fact, the proliferation of organizations in this space has made it incredibly challenging to navigate.

National PPE Coalition’s goal is to aid that process by enabling connections. We’re working to bring crucial partners – state governments, corporations, manufacturers, non profits, and individuals – together in order to build an efficient, unified supply chain.

By coordinating all emergency PPE crisis efforts, we not only minimize the risk of misdirecting critical supplies to places that may need them less urgently, but increase their individual power exponentially. Working together, the PPE Coalition members are working together to ensure that every shipment of PPE sent is a life-saving shipment.

Blue Ridge Eco-Gardener Certificate of Merit

Ecological gardening is a way of thinking about gardens and landscapes in which gardens are no longer seen as a collection of plants, but a community with complex interdependencies between plants, animals, soils and the environment. This certificate program explores ecological principles for creating and managing a healthy, self-sustaining garden and landscape in a changing climate. Students enrolling in the Certificate of Merit program will work to complete 120 hours in core classes on topics including principles of ecological gardening, seasonal plants and tasks and sustainable landscape design along with electives on hardscape, edibles, seed saving and other subjects of interest to participants. View current class offerings for credit in the Blue Ridge Eco-Gardener program here.

To begin your program, complete an application and return it to the Education Center along with a one-time, non-refundable $55 application fee.

Join over one hundred students on a quest to deepen understanding of the natural sciences through the Blue Ridge Naturalist Certificate of Merit. The program offers adult learners a comprehensive curriculum of study about the natural world of Western North Carolina. Classes meet year round and students work to complete 240 hours in core courses on ecology, botany, geology and plant identification as well as electives on animals, lichens, insects and more. View current class offerings for credit in the Blue Ridge Naturalist program here. All students must complete and present a final project prior to graduation.

To begin your program complete an application and return it to the Education Center along with a a one-time, non-refundable $55 application fee.

Connect with Us Online           https://www.ncarboretum.org/sprout-blog/

Check out our blog and discover an array of tips and tricks that will help you cultivate your love for nature. Featuring interviews from staff and volunteers, learn how to improve your gardening skills, expand your knowledge of the natural world and receive hands-on techniques that you can implement at your own home.

FREE Video Course by Wild Abundance

Discover delicacies growing right outside your door.

Your guide through this course is seasoned Wild Abundance instructor Luke Cannon, who has practiced wild food foraging for over two decades. More than a botanist, Luke is a long-time pursuer and teacher of the magic and medicine of plants. An avid naturalist, Luke draws from a diverse pool of knowledge, combining his natural history studies with his life experience in organic farming, natural building, permaculture, nature-based mentoring, and rural homesteading.

Getting started gardening can be exciting, and it can feel daunting.

Your teachers, Natalie Bogwalker and Chloe Lieberman share experience-based, practical instruction for growing their top ten vegetables to really fill your plate, belly, and larder. We put together this class so that you can begin with the crops that are most likely to be successful and rewarding. Or, if you’ve got some experience gardening but want to expand your repertoire, this course will help you do so in a way that makes sense and yields abundantly.

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), Grandfather Mountain will close until further notice, effective Sunday, March 15. The closure means the park will prohibit public access, including from the main entrance gate and hiking trails.

In addition, all special events and programs scheduled through Memorial Day have been canceled or postponed.

Many farms across North and South Carolina have added on-farm pickups, home delivery & online pre-orders to accommodate for social distancing in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. Please see the listings below for more information, and check out our interactive Google Map for farm locations near you!

Are you a farmer interested in being listed? Email [email protected]

Please:

• DO NOT show up at farms without prior permission.
• Follow specific instructions provided by each farm.
• Stay home if you are feeling ill.

NEW! North Carolina BioBlitz Patch

For adults looking for an extra challenge this spring, the Arboretum has created the North Carolina BioBlitz patch in conjunction with the 2020 City Nature Challenge (April 24 – 27). To earn the patch, participants will need to create a free iNaturalist account; attend the “Intro to iNaturalist” class on April 9 (or watch the recorded version later); make 50 nature observations during the City Nature Challenge; and help identify 50 species during the Challenge’s “identifying” stage (April 28 – May 3). Students in the Arboretum’s Blue Ridge Naturalist and Blue Ridge Eco-Gardener certificate programs can earn three elective credits if they complete the North Carolina BioBlitz program and one credit if they only take the “Into to iNaturalist” class.

Online Gardening School

Are you ready to grow some serious food? This six-month online video course will give you the skills and tools you need to be able to grow a garden for yourself, from the ground up. Begins EARTH DAY April 22, 2020!

It’s time to plant potatoes! Learn some simple tricks to ensure a good harvest.

Learn the best vegetables to direct seed and the best vegetables to transplant.

Listen to the pros and cons of selecting seed and growing your own plants from seed as opposed to buying starts.

Many of us will be spending more time in our gardens as we shelter in place during the evolving coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Our gardens will continue to grow and we will continue to have gardening questions.

To answer those questions, Extension Master Gardener℠  Volunteers of Buncombe County will be working from home to keep the Garden Helpline open to the public. We are available to respond to your phone calls and emails. Send an email or leave a voice message at any time and a Master Gardener will respond during the Helpline hours listed below.

The information we provide is consistent with NC State University horticultural research and an integrated pest management approach which includes cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical methods.

MONDAY & WEDNESDAY: 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
FRIDAY: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Open March through October.