Friday, June 20, 2025, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cornell Agri Tech
Jordan Hall, Room 216 (2nd Floor)
630 W North St, Geneva, NY 14456.
Saturday, June 21, 2025, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Optional bus tour, Rochester, N.Y.
Online registration coming soon.
In a partnership between Harvest New York and New York State Seed to Supper, we are excited to announce that Cornell Garden-Based Learning will be hosting a two-day Resilient Gardens Conference in Geneva, N.Y., focused on culturally relevant gardening skills adapted to climate change for the unique resource needs of urban gardeners.
The first day’s focus will be on addressing barriers for beginning gardeners most affected by post-pandemic food insecurity, hearing from leaders of diverse stakeholder groups on strategies to overcome these issues in cities, and rural communities and connecting resources between Cornell Cooperative Extension and leading community gardens.
The second day is optional and will include a bus ride to Rochester to tour three gardening projects across the city. The Resilient Gardens Conference is scheduled for June 20th (Fri), from 9:00 am – 5:00 PM and June 21 (Sat) 8:00-3:00 pm at Cornell Agri Tech 630 W North St, Geneva, NY 14456. We’ll have speakers from Community Gardens working with the Harvest New York Team, as well as Cornell University staff on key urban gardening topics, and tours of innovative projects to gain inspiration from! This is primarily open to Seed to Supper Garden Educators, Master Gardener Volunteers and Community Garden partners.
Day 1 Program
Friday, June 20, 2025
8:00 – 9:00: Check-in and Breakfast
9:00 – 10:15: Keynote and Breakfast
10:30 – 11:45: Workshops Session 1:
Demonstration of Hands-On Gardening Techniques
Join Dr. Steve Reiners and Ken Estes in the demonstration garden to explore gardening techniques that can save you space and time including: simple ways to build raised beds, potato towers, gravity feed drip irrigation,’herb/greens wall’, straw bales as containers, and simple deer exclusion fencing.
- Steve Reiners, Professor, School of Integrative Plant Science, Horticulture Section, Cornell AgriTech
- Kenneth Glenn Estes, Jr | Agriculture Program Manager, Cornell Cooperative Extension | Livingston County
Building Lasting Relationships for Community Garden Spaces
Session info coming soon.
- Sharron Bachman, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator
- Eme Nieves, Urban Gardening Educator
Ganondagan White Corn Project:
Jeanette and Peter Jemison will share the history of the White corn project and why it was important to bring it back to Ganondagan. Many times, bigger isn’t always better-it’s more about value and integrity. Jeanette Jemison is a member of the Snipe Clan of the Akwesasne Mohawk Reservation for more than three decades, Jeanette has been instrumental in the development of innovative and transformational cultural programs for Ganondagan and profound community connections. As Program Director she focuses on Haudenosaunee and Indigenous programming and select collaborations. Peter Jemison is a Heron Clan member of the Seneca Nation of Indians. An internationally celebrated artist, Jemison was the Founding Historic Site Manager of Ganondagan State Historic Site, the site of a 17th century Seneca Indian town located in Victor, NY.
- Jeanette M. Jemison, Program Director Friends of Ganondagan
- Peter Jemison, artist, Heron Clan, Seneca Nation
11:45 – 1:15: Lunch and Discussion
1:30 – 2:45: Workshops Session 2:
Good and Bad Bugs in your Garden
A resilient garden will be home to many insects. Learn to tell the difference between the ‘good bugs’ – who pollinate and eat pests – and the ‘bad bugs’ – who eat our crops – and what you can do to tip the balance towards the good bugs.
- Amara Dunn, Biocontrol Specialist, NYS Integrated Pest Management
Start with a healthy foundation: How and why to test your garden soil, and understanding the results
Extension Associate Hannah Shaylerwill share the information and resources you need to take action to build healthier and more resilient soils. We’ll cover skills and techniques needed to tackle the basics of site assessment, soil testing, understanding results, healthy gardening practices, and strategies for ecological gardening. Urban Garden Specialist Mallory Hohl will showcase the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets Community Garden Soil Testing Program, including how to take the needed soil sample for testing.
- Mallory Hohl, Urban Garden Specialist, Harvest NY, Cornell Cooperative Extension
- Hannah Shayler, Extension Associate, Cornell Waste Management Institute, Crop and Soil Sciences Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University
Cultivating the Future: Organizing and Planning for Community Gardens in New York State
Join us for an engaging workshop where participants will explore practical tools to shape the future of community gardens in New York State. This session will provide an overview of key historical events that have shaped the community garden movement and their relevance today. Participants will collaborate in brainstorming innovative solutions to address current challenges faced by community gardens. Through interactive discussions and planning exercises, you’ll gain actionable insights to support sustainable and thriving green spaces. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener, an advocate, or just starting out, this workshop will inspire and empower you to make a lasting impact.
- Makela Elvy, M. Ed., Community Garden Leadership Specialist, Harvest New York, Cornell Cooperative Extension
3:00 – 4:15: Workshop Session 3:
Making Your Garden Part of the Climate Solution through Ecological Gardening
Learn several foolproof methods for creating greater resilience in your garden to adapt to the chaos of our changing climate. Strategies will include techniques to deal with flooding, drought, increased pest pressure, earlier frosts, and more. We’ll also discuss how to make you garden a carbon storage system to be part of the climate solution.
- Jennie Cramer, Garden Educator
Stories in Youth Programing
Join for stories and discussion with the Massachusetts Avenue Project, and the Cornell Cooperative Extension Schenectady County Sustainable Living Center on youth programing and engagement!
- Katie Pfohl, Farm Manager for Massachusetts Avenue Project
- Falena Berdine, Farm Education Coordinator for Massachusetts Avenue Project
- Hassleer L. Jacinto-Whitcher, Agriculture & Horticulture Educator at CCE-Schenectady County
Bugs, Molds, Weeds, and what can we do about ‘em!
Join us for an interactive and hands-on session on how we can manage pests in the garden. Identification is the first step! We will explore biodiversity in the garden, the importance of scouting, and preventative and reactive strategies for managing different kinds of pests.
- Lori Koenick, Extension Support Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Cornell Vegetable Program
4:30-5:00 Closing
Day 2 Program: Optional bus tour to Rochester
Saturday, June 21, 2025,
Tour Schedule:
- 8:00 – 9:00: Bus Loading
- 9:00 – 10:00: Bus Drives to Rochester (CCE Monroe)
- 10:00 – 10:45: Tour of CCE Monroe Food Forest
- 10:45- 11:30: Lunch
- 11:30 – 11:45: Load bus and drive to St. Mark’s & St. John’s
- 11:45-12:30: Tour of St. Johns St. Marks
- 12:30-1:00: Load bus and drive to Food Link Farm
- 1:00 – 1:45: Tour of Food link Farm
- 1:45-2:45: Drive back to Geneva, Cornell Agri-Tech
Tour Details:
Cornell cooperative Extension of Monroe County
- Ashly Piedmont, Master Gardener Coordinator for Monroe County CCE
We will be able to explore the many demonstration garden projects CCE Monroe maintains including: a 250 sq/ft native pollinator garden. Demo gardens for shade/sun/drought tolerant/ and other site-based factors, the Vegetable Varieties Trail Garden featuring the Cultural Roots of the African Diaspora vegetable collection, their Food Forest, a Tool Library.
St. Mark’s and St. John’s
- The Rev’d Cindy Rasmussen, PhD Rector,
- Maria Hartz-Clineburg, M.Div. (she/they), Operations and Missions Director and EDEN Garden Volunteers
St. Mark’s and St. John’s (SMSJ) has been gardening and growing food for distribution in the Beechwood Neighborhood of Rochester since 2012. For decades SMSJ was emblematic of what was happening in our neighborhood. We were losing members and money, having to heat and keep up a large physical plant, all the while professing to be a beacon of hope for those who needed it. So, we stopped attending meetings and literally started digging. We now steward 6 community gardens all sitting on formally vacant lots within the Beechwood neighborhood. These gardens are volunteer run, and each year produce over 2,500 lbs of fresh fruits and vegetables that are harvested for and by our neighbors. We strive to grow food in sustainable and organic ways, focusing on growing native plants and produce. We emphasize sharing abundantly, with open harvesting opportunities and distribution through our food pantry. We plant seeds of hope, and foster a community where the body, mind, and spirit can be fed.
The Foodlink Community Farm
- John R. Miller, Ph.D. Foodlink Community Farm Specialist
- Frank Keophetlasy Community Farm Manager
The Foodlink Community Farm at 607 Lexington Ave. is a 1.6-acre urban agriculture campus located between the Edgerton and Lyell-Otis neighborhoods of northwest Rochester. The farm
consists of a large community garden, a commercial growing operation, and public pocket park and play area. Through the Foodlink Community Farm, Foodlink provides opportunities to build
connections between the land, our programs, and our community.