Agriculture and Natural Resources

MGV’s New Demonstration Garden Article #2 – Let’s talk about drip irrigation.

 

MGV’s New Demonstration Garden Article #2   – Let’s talk about drip irrigation.

It’s been just over a month since the Clermont County Master Gardener Volunteers (MGV) planted the new demonstration vegetable garden and we’re excited to see how much it has grown. As we check in on the progress, we also want to share more about how we care for this garden every day.

The garden is maintained daily by the MGV’s volunteering on a rotating basis from May through October. This rotating schedule is a key part of the garden’s routine maintenance. One person manages the watering, weeding, harvesting, pest management, journaling and other general maintenance needs for three consecutive days.  Then it is passed to the next volunteer to perform the same duties.

 

 

Drip Irrigation: The newest addition

This year, we’ve introduced drip irrigation—a new way to keep the garden watered efficiently and sustainably — and it is already making a big difference.

Setting up drip irrigation for a new garden starts with a simple layout plan. First, decide where your planting rows, raised beds, or containers will be. Then, run a main water supply line (usually a ½” poly tubing) along the garden’s edge or center. From that main line, smaller ¼” tubing—called emitters or drip lines—is run to each plant or bed. Emitters can be spaced out to match plant locations, delivering water slowly and directly to the roots.

 

A pressure regulator and filter are typically added to prevent clogging and ensure a steady flow of water. For the demonstration garden, we connect the system to a standard spigot and manually turn it on as part of our daily routine.

While some systems include a timer, ours operates without one, and watering is managed by volunteers. This manual approach comes with benefits, such flexibility to adapt watering times to weather patterns or specific plant needs.  It also offers a consistent approach to watering and allows the MGVs the opportunity to get to learn and know the system.

 

Benefits of drip irrigation

Water Efficiency
Drip irrigation delivers water directly to the base of each plant, right where it’s needed most—at the roots. This targeted method drastically reduces water waste due to evaporation or runoff. Compared to traditional hose or sprinkler methods, it can use 30–60% less water, making it a smart choice for regions facing drought or water-use restrictions.

Healthier Plants
Because drip irrigation provides a consistent level of moisture to the soil, plants experience less stress from overwatering or drying out. The steady hydration promotes strong root systems and even growth. Plus, because water isn’t splashed on the leaves, it helps prevent common problems like mildew, blight, and other fungal diseases.

Weed Control
One unexpected bonus of drip irrigation is that it helps control weeds. Since water is only applied near your desired plants, the surrounding soil stays relatively dry, making it harder for weeds to sprout and thrive. Less weeding means more time to enjoy the garden!

Time-Saving
Although it takes a little effort to set up initially, drip irrigation saves a lot of time in the long run. With the system in place, watering becomes a quick and simple task. For those with access to a timer, the system can even be automated, freeing up more time for other garden tasks—or for just relaxing and enjoying the harvest.

Improved Soil Structure
Drip irrigation promotes better soil health by slowly and evenly distributing water. This gentle watering prevents soil erosion and keeps nutrients from being washed away. In raised beds especially, it helps maintain the ideal balance of moisture without compacting the soil.

Adaptable and Scalable
Drip irrigation systems are highly flexible. Whether you’re watering rows of vegetables, raised beds, or potted plants, the tubing and emitters can be easily arranged to fit your layout. And as your garden grows, the system can grow with it—simply add more lines or connectors as needed.

Low Maintenance
Once installed, drip irrigation is relatively low-maintenance. The main tasks include checking for clogs, occasionally flushing the lines, and replacing worn-out parts as needed. With minimal effort, the system continues to deliver water efficiently all season long.

Environmentally Friendly
By reducing waste and directing water exactly where it’s needed, drip irrigation supports sustainable gardening practices. It helps reduce runoff into storm drains and protects local ecosystems while helping your garden flourish with less environmental impact.

 

We love to have people stop by! The garden grows best when it is shared. If you are ever near the Clermont County Fairgrounds and see someone working in the garden, feel free to stop, ask questions, and check out the space. Or if you need inspiration for your own raised bed drip irrigation system, the garden is always open and available to the public.

 

 

 

 

Article 1 & 2 submitted by Heather Thompson, Clermont County MGV

Urban Ag Field Day

Are you new to Urban Agriculture, or have you been growing for years? No matter your experience, join members of the Urban Ag team for a variety of crop management topics aimed to help your Urban Ag farm operate more efficiently and profitably. The field day will be held at the NECIC site, which features several types of actively farmed high tunnels and raised bed systems on-site. Learn about strawberry production, modernizing your irrigation system, and the benefits of row covers. Each presentation will be 15-20 minutes long with time for questions at the end. Bring your production challenges, and we’ll discuss how to solve them.

-Registration IS required for this event by June 20. Please use this link or QR code to the right: https://go.osu.edu/necic25
-There is NO registration fee to attend this event.

DATE: June 25, 2025
TIME: 4:00–6:00 p.m.
LOCATION: North End Community Improvement Collaboration, 311 Bowman Street, Mansfield, OH

FLYER

EVENT SPONSORS:

  • OSU IPM Program
  • OSU Urban Ag Team
  • OSU CFAES
  • Immediate Needs Grant
  • USDA NIFA 20247000643574
  • USDA FSA
  • FSA23CPT0012850

Bird n’ Tick Talk

“Bird n’ Tick Talk” offered by A DAY in the WOODS to woodland owners and enthusiasts in SE Ohio at Vinton Furnace State Forest

USDA to Open General and Continuous Conservation Reserve Program Enrollment for 2025  

Stakeholder Toolkit: 

Description: USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) plans to reopen the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a popular conservation program that enables agricultural producers and private landowners to increase wildlife habitat and conserve natural resources. FSA is accepting offers for both the General and Continuous CRP today through June 6, 2025.

The program, which marks its 40th anniversary this year, helps producers and landowners generate income from unproductive or marginal cropland while re-establishing valuable land cover to improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and support wildlife habitat. Acceptable offers from all CRP signups must be approved by September 30, 2025.

We need your help to spread the word to eligible producers. This toolkit includes:

  • Newsletter Article
  • Talking Points
  • Social Media Suggestions
  • Graphic (attached)

If you have any questions, please contact Christina Cooley at Christina.Cooley@usda.gov .

2024 Farm Commodity Program Payment Estimates for Ohio Counties as of May 2025

These are estimates based on the recently released NASS yield data and the current market-year price average. Remember, they are just estimates, as the final numbers for both yield and price for the 2024 commodity program are not finalized until October.

Paper version

Digital version

So, why did we write the article? First, the numbers show that there will be a wide range of potential payments due to the variability of weather in 2024, which impacted county yields (drought).  We will be watching and revising these numbers as we go through this summer. In June, the RMA will release county yield data, which we will use to refine these numbers. Second, there are many counties which the NASS data is not available to use. Keep reminding your producers of the importance of completing the NASS surveys when they get them as it allows estimations like these to be made—adding valuable information for their management decisions.

 

A NEW EDUCATIONAL DEMONSTRATION GARDEN IS COMING TO LIFE!

The Clermont County Master Gardeners are excited to kick off the summer vegetable gardening season with a new and improved demonstration garden! This garden, located at the Clermont County Fairgrounds, is designed to teach and inspire everyone, regardless of gardening experience. Our hope and mission are that this space will be more than just a garden — it will be an educational hub where we can all learn together.

What did we do to prepare?

Construction: We began by working with a local contractor to design and construct a variety of raised beds. Our goal was to create a space that could showcase different gardening techniques while being accessible and educational for visitors of all ages. The beds vary in shape and height to demonstrate the versatility of raised-bed gardening and to accommodate a wide range of plants and users. 

Filling with Quality Soil: We took special care in choosing the right soil blend for our raised beds. A healthy mix of compost and topsoil ensures that our plants will have the nutrients they need from day one. Good soil is the foundation of any successful garden.  (Yes, soil—not dirt! Soil is alive with nutrients and microorganisms that plants need to thrive.)

Adding Support Structures: We installed simple fencing and trellises within some of the beds to support climbing plants like beans and cucumbers. These structures not only help vertical growers thrive but also make the most of limited space. As the garden grows, these trellises will be full of green life.

Ready for Learning and Growing: With the beds filled, the soil in place, and trellising installed, our demonstration garden was ready to plant.  You can find a variety of local favorites, such as tomatoes, peppers, beans, and cucumbers, to name a few.

This is a shared public space where we welcome visitors of all ages and gardening backgrounds. We’re excited about this growing season and even more excited to share it with our community. Stay tuned for more updates!

Potager Article #17

A series of articles presented by Candy Horton, an OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer

I went out into the garden today in between the rain showers because I wanted to check on the things I have growing in there.  About a month ago, I planted a row of radishes, spinach, and lettuce.  I have two sets of radishes planted, 1 row of lettuce, spinach, carrots, bush beans, and three buckets with potatoes all planted.  The radishes, spinach, and lettuce are all doing pretty well.  A little over a week ago, I had to scrap the first plantings of lettuce and spinach as they didn’t do very well at all, but the first radishes are fantastic.  I should be able to start harvesting those soon.  The new rows of spinach and lettuce have maybe 1 or 2 little seedlings popping up already.  I noticed today that I do have some sprouts showing in the potato buckets, but they are not very high, and I will need to work on those in the next few days.

I wanted to try something a little bit different this year.  With the walking paths in the garden, I knew that I would lose some planting spaces, so I decided to add some back into the garden through a different way of gardening, through container gardening.  I bought several plastic pots that I will be adding some herbs to, which I will keep on the back porch to keep them close to the kitchen.  I also bought some colorful rubber feeding/water buckets from the local farm store and have started planting potatoes in them.  I bought what I believe will be enough seed potatoes to start a bucket of potatoes each month through the end of September or the first of October.  Once they all start getting to the point of needing to be harvested, I’m hoping that I will be able to start harvesting 3 buckets of potatoes each month, all the way through to December.  I have three different varieties, and I would really be interested to see if I could have fresh potatoes for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

When I purchased the buckets, I sat down one day and drilled holes in the bottom of the buckets.  I have them set up on scrap wood blocks to allow really good drainage.  I then filled the bucket with about 6” of good garden soil, added the seed potatoes, and covered them with about 3” of soil.  As the plants grow, I will continue to add soil at the base of the plant to encourage it to grow more potatoes and give me a larger crop.  I’m hoping that I won’t run out of seed potatoes before the end of the season.  Because we are limited on when seed potatoes are available, I have to guess at how much I will need to keep planting and harvesting all year.  I will need to do this with a lot of my vegetable plants.  At the end of the year, I will put the soil from the buckets into the compost bin and clean and disinfect the buckets to be used again next year.

While I was out in the garden about a month ago, I checked on the leaf mulch that I had started, and it looks fantastic.  There are so many worms and healthy critters in that pile that I’m so excited.  I’m adding this compost to each of my beds as I get them cleaned out and seeds or plants planted.  I also turned the compost bin from the first one into the second one.  That pile is doing really well and will create a really nice batch of compost to add to the beds this fall.  Starting this fall, if I continue with the process of composting that I have done, I will have a continual supply of really healthy, natural compost to add to the garden beds.   I have really noticed a difference in the beds that I have been adding compost to regarding the soil health.  It’s easier to work, looser, and a lot more worms and other soil life.  I started with soil that was very heavy in clay, and this will be the third summer since starting to add the leaf compost to the beds.  I believe that it is making a big difference to the garden beds.  I have added a couple of links below that will help with container gardening or provide more information about growing your garden.  Talk with you soon.

No Garden? No Problem! – Container Gardening Basics | Growing Franklin (osu.edu)

Get Your Garden On | Victory Gardens – Let’s Grow Ohio! (osu.edu)

SBA Relief Still Available to Ohio Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by September Drought

Deadline to apply for economic injury loans approaching

ATLANTA—The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Ohio of the June 2 deadline to apply for low-interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the drought beginning Sept. 24, 2024.
The disaster declaration covers the Ohio counties of Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Coshocton, Guernsey, Hamilton, Highland, Holmes, Knox, Licking, Montgomery, Muskingum, Pike, Preble, Scioto, Tuscarawas and Warren and Dearborn, Franklin, and Union in Indiana as well as Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Kenton, Lewis, Mason, and Pendleton in Kentucky.

Under this declaration, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and PNPs with financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.

EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster, even if the business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

“Through a declaration by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, SBA provides critical financial assistance to help communities recover,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “We’re pleased to offer loans to small businesses and private nonprofits impacted by these disasters.”

The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.25% for PNPs, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. For more information on SBA, applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Consider attending a “New Sprayer Technologies and Best Practices for Vineyards and Orchards” workshop on August 12.

This workshop allows you to learn the best spraying practices using conventional sprayers and the new technology available to growers to make the pesticide application more precise and cost-effective. For example, you will see an “intelligent sprayer” with an AI application (developed here in Ohio several years ago) that detects the existence of targets to be sprayed and varies the application rate on the go depending on the canopy characteristics (size, canopy leaf density). Another new technology gaining popularity is using drones to spray pesticides. These new technologies and several types of conventional orchard/vineyard sprayers will be demonstrated in the afternoon part of the workshop. There will be plenty of time to talk with the presenters of talks and the vendors who will bring their sprayers to the site for demonstrations.

The attached flyer provides detailed information about this workshop, including location, agenda, and registration, but here is the key information you should know.

DATE: August 12, 2025

TIME: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

LOCATION: Quarry Hill Winery & Orchard, 8403 Mason Rd #2, Berlin Heights, OH 44814

REGISTRATION COST (includes lunch and refreshments): Early Registration: $45 per person until July 1; Late Registration: $60 per person, July 2 until August 1

REGISTER at https://go.osu.edu/spray2025

FLYER  

The morning part of the workshop will be indoors, with limited seating capacity. Registration will be closed once the seating capacity is reached, so please consider registering early.

This event is a collaboration between Ohio State University Extension, Michigan State University Extension, Pennsylvania State University Extension, and the USDA-ARS Application Technology Research Unit.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the following organizers of the workshop:

Erdal Ozkan: ozkan.2@osu.edu

Maria Smith:  smith.12720@osu.edu

Frank Becker: becker.587@osu.edu

April Ohio Fruit News

The April issue of Ohio Fruit News is now available online at https://bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/u.osu.edu/dist/b/28945/files/2025/05/OFN_APR_2025-FINAL-3.pdf.
Features in the article include:
  • An introduction to pawpaw by Dan Lima
  • Best practices for spraying in the orchard and vineyard by Erdal Ozkan
  • Managing moths in the apple orchard by Ashley Leach
  • Update on federal funding to NCCR and NEWA by Melanie Ivey