Jamestown, NY – Late summer is the time for harvesting tomatoes, potatoes, squash, and berries.

“Late Summer Harvests” is the theme for the fourth in a series of five gardening classes presented by organic gardeners Scott and Pam Stoleson through Audubon Community Nature Center.

This hands-on, taste-buds-on workshop is set for 1-3 p.m. on Sunday, August 20, at the Stolesons’ home in Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania.

You may get to sample such distinctive items as Black from Tula tomato, kohlrabi, multi-colored carrots, and Ma Guan, also known as fuzzy gourd.

You will learn the tasks needed to keep the veggies coming in: tying up tomatoes, snapping suckers, monitoring mildews and blights, and squishing squash bugs.

The Stolesons have been raising some of their own food for more than 15 years. They estimate that they produce 85% of the vegetables, 50% of the fruit, and 10% of the nuts that they consume.

Keep in mind that you could get dirty.

The City of Buffalo is seeing a resurgence that many of us never thought we would see in our lifetime. New buildings are going up and businesses that never gave Buffalo serious thought are now lining up to purchase commercial space for immediate and future development, all of which is tremendous news for the city by the lake and its surrounding suburbs.

As a result, housing prices are also skyrocketing. Again, that’s good news if you currently own a home in the 716. For those now looking to buy, many are already finding themselves priced out of the market. And those who rent, especially in the city, are dealing with dramatically increasing monthly payments, making the cost of quality rental housing a big burden on our low-income residents.

Jamestown, NY – Audubon Community Nature Center (ACNC) has added raised beds to its kitchen garden and will be offering three free gardening workshops, all thanks to a grant from Jamestown Cummins Engine Plant

Reg Boutwell, an avid gardener with years of experience, designed and built the raised beds. He is also instructing the 6-7 p.m. Raised Bed Gardening workshop on Thursday, July 6. Rain date is the same time on July 13.

Raised beds require some thought when it comes to design, and filling the beds requires a bit of know-how to get the best results. They also have some advantages over in-ground gardens.