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On the blog: local gardening events for October 2025. Look for our Extension Master Gardener (SM) volunteers at "Ask a Master Gardener" program tables, where we provide community members opportunities to learn about gardening. Discover events and virtual programs offered by local community friends.

Are your espalier-curious? In this week's blog, Extension Master Gardener(SM) volunteer Jeff Kanters takes us on a journey as he combines art and science in training two heirloom apple trees into espalier. His goals? To maximize fruit production and pump up their aesthetic appeal.

The Seed Starters team's late-summer taste test revealed top tomatoes for 2025. Read more on our blog to learn what slicer, small-sized, and cherry tomatoes took winning spots in their assessment of flavors, appearance, and production.

Carol Feldman concludes our cucumber blog series with insights from the 2025 cucumber growing project, experimenting with various soil amendments and trap plants. Read more about the valuable lessons she and the team learned.

Want to know what you can do to promote pollinator health in your landscape? Join the Durham Garden Forum on September 16, 2025, for a lecture by Dr. Elizabeth D. Hilborn, writer, scientist, and veterinarian specializing in honeybee medicine. Come early for the pre-lecture plant swap. Learn more in our blog post.

In his September dispatch from the Accidental Cottage Garden, Gary Crispell talks about the garden's resilience. He lays out a plan for garden tasks for the month that includes lawn rejuvenation, planting, and bird-friendly practices.