Cornell Cooperative Extension

Cayuga County
seedlings in a flat
Image by Sandy Repp

Let us help you get started with vegetable gardening!

Master Gardener volunteer conducts a pH soil test on a soil sample
Image by Sandy Repp

A soil pH test is a great first step to successful gardening.

Produce at a farm stand
Image by Sandy Repp

Find recommended varieties of vegetables that grow well in our area!

Striped cucumber beetle Acalymma vittatum (Fabricius, 1775) from Bugwood.org
Image by David Cappaert, MSU, Bugwood.org

What's eating your plants? We can help you find out, and suggest ways to control it!

Master Gardener logo, 800x400 in yellow & green

Learn skills and share what you know, as a volunteer in the CCE Master Gardener program.

Gardening

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County is your resource for information on soils, site improvement, plant selection, proper plant care, eco-friendly practices, integrated pest management, composting and so much more! Call us or come by today!

fresh compost

Make Compost!

Find resources here on how to start and maintain a home compost bin! Learn how to turn food and yard waste into "black gold" for your garden!

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Houseplant

Houseplants

Growing plants indoors can be difficult, but here are some links that may be helpful in making you successful at growing plants indoors:

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sweat bee on a bright pink dahlia

Pollinator Support

Learn about wild and managed pollinators, why they are important and how you can help them, in these links, videos and resources from Cornell.

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Kitchen garden in Gers, France with marigolds, tomatoes and trellises

Food Gardening

Interested in having your own vegetable garden, at home or in your neighborhood? Find links and resources here that will help get you started.

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Exotic Bush Honeysuckles

Invasive Plants

Many plants that are now considered invasive started out as popular garden ornamentals. Learn more about what plants to avoid in your garden.

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close-up photo of soil after tilling

Soils & Climate

Your garden soil and our local climate have a big impact on every aspect of growing plants. Find resources here on soil texture, organic matter, soil testing and more.

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Last updated December 18, 2024

Gardening

Find Your Zone!

test

The updated 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map helps gardeners and growers determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. For the first time, the map is available as an interactive GIS-based map, for which a broadband Internet connection is recommended. Users may also simply type in a ZIP Code and find the hardiness zone for that area.

The USDA Web Soil Survey (WSS) provides soil data and information produced by the National Cooperative Soil Survey. Use their online tool to see soil type data over an aerial map of Cayuga County.

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Events

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Insect Diagnostic Lab

For more information about an insect, or how to deal with an insect problem in or around your home or garden, contact the Insect Diagnostic Lab, a program of Cornell Cooperative Extension in the Department of Entomology. For a $25 fee, an insect or related arthropod can be shipped to the lab, or a detailed photo can be emailed, for expert identification. Diagnostician Jason Dombroskie, Ph.D. has many years o fexperience identifying insects and other arthropods. More information about this service, including fact sheets on common outdoor and indoor insects, can be found at http://idl.entomology.cornell.edu/