Grayson LandCare

August meeting features tours of the School Garden and Food Independence
2022-08-15 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Grayson LandCare Office, 104 Courthouse Street, Independence, VA, 24348, United States
We continue to highlight Grayson LandCare’s many projects. This month we’ll meet at the GLC office. You can drive or carpool to the Independence Elementary School and tour the kids garden. Next we’ll head over to Food Independence to tour the Food Pantry.

Tour New River Hill Farm September 19
2022-09-19 18:00 - 19:00
Please note the early meeting time of 6pm! Days are getting shorter and we want to have ample time for the tour. We will tour the New River Soil and Water Conservation District’s New River Hill Farm. It operates under a conservation easement. We will also tour the newly acquired property that will become Grayson County first park with access to the New River. More details to follow.

Annual Meeting, Potluck and Silent Auction October
2022-10-17 17:00 - 21:00 | Cox Chapel Community Center, Cox Chael Rd, Independence, va, 24348
As always, we look forward to a fun evening of great food and fellowship while voting on the slate of candidates for open board positions, bidding on auction items and raising money for Grayson LandCare. This year our Annual meeting will be held at the Cox’s Chapel Community Center, 1639 Cox Chapel Rd, Mouth of Wilson, VA 24363. From Independence, take Battlefield Rd at Rixey’s Market. Take a left onto Cox Chapel road and cross the bridge. You’ll stay on Cox Chapel and the Community Center will be on your left.

Our annual evening with local authors at the Grayson County Library
2022-11-21 19:00 - 20:00
We are pleased to hold our annual reading by local authors at the Grayson County Public Library in Independence. I can’t think of a better venue for an evening featuring the joys of storytelling.

March meeting features new Town Manager Laura Ratcliffe
2023-03-20 19:00 - 20:00 | Grayson LandCare Office, 104 Courthouse Street, Independence, VA, 24348, United States
Laura Ratcliffe will be joining us March 20th at 7pm at the GLC office. March 1st is Laura’s official start date as manager, but she has already started work and has met with Rick and I several times. I am very pleased to have her as our new Town Manager. Given the continued interest in Town Park, Laura will discuss that as well as other projects on the Town agenda including the new speaker policy for council meetings.

Seed Swap April 1st 11am-noon Wythe Grayson Regional Library
2023-04-01 11:00 - 12:00 | Grayson County Library, 147 S. Independence Ave, Independence, 24348, United States
It’s no April Fools joke! Grayson LandCare and the Grayson County Public Library in Independence are holding our second seed swap on April 1st from 11 am to noon in the main area of the Library. Please bring seeds to share and swap. You are welcome to take seeds even if you don’t have any to share! Help us kick off a new season for the seed library!
If you have extra seeds please consider donating them so that we may grow our community Seed Library. Stay tuned for an upcoming class on seed saving-date to be announced.

Introduction to Permaculture Presentation
2023-04-13 18:00 - 20:00 | Grayson LandCare Office, 104 Courthouse Street, Independence, VA, 24348, United States
6:00 pm, Thursday, April 13th at the Grayson LandCare office
Potluck & Intro to Permaculture
Bring a dish to share and learn more about Permaculture and how to apply its principles to your garden.
RSVP cynthia@graysonlandcare.org

Building Good Soil with Permaculture
2023-04-15 10:00 - 12:00 | Church of the Good Shepherd, 9441 Grayson Pkwy, Galax, VA, 24333, United States
What the heck is Hugelculture? Join us to learn more about this age-old soil-building technique and how you can use the principles in your own garden.
RSVP permaculture@graysonlandcare.org

April presention features Arborist Casey Johnson
2023-04-17 19:00 - 20:00 | Grayson LandCare Office, 104 Courthouse Street, Independence, VA, 24348, United States
Casey Johnson will be the featured speaker for the meeting April 17 at 7pm at the Grayson LandCare office at 104 Courthouse street in Independence. In addition to his main presentation on the Network for Environment and Weather Applications ( NEWA) he will also field some “ask the arborist” questions at the end of the evening.
The Network for Environment and Weather Applications connects you with data from weather stations across the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and South. National Weather Service forecasts on the NEWA website make it a handy place to find weather information. NEWA was created in 1995 by the New York State IPM Program and continues to evolve to stay current with advances in IPM and weather forecasting. A weather station was recently brought onto the NEWA network in Elk Creek (Courtesy of Elk Creek Properties). NEWA is a free service, and Casey Johnson will demonstrate some of its applications as well as field questions about its use.
You can find more information on NEWA here https://newa.cornell.edu/ist, NEWA

LandFair presentation of projects and awards Sunday April 23 3-4 pm, GLC office
2023-04-23 15:00 - 16:00 | Grayson LandCare Office, 104 Courthouse Street, Independence, VA, 24348, United States
Everyone is invited to join us Sunday April 23rd from 3-4 pm in the Grayson LandCare office at 104 Courthouse Street in Downtown Independence. Support our local high school students and watch the presentation of awards. The talented winner will receive $1,000!onment, community, economy,

May presentation features Donny Garmon, VA Forestry Department and Lindsey Young, Ag Economic Development Specialist
2023-05-15 19:00 - 20:00
We are pleased to present Donny Garmon and Lindsey Young Monday, May 15 at 7pm at the Grayson LandCare office. Donny Garmon of the Virginia Department of Forestry is the primary contact for forest landowner assistance, reforestation, and forest management services at the county level. Lindsey Young is the Agricultural Economic development specialist for Grayson County. Her responsibilities are numerous. They Include developing new ag opportunities for Grayson County in the areas of agriculture, food security, livelihoods and economic growth. Also to provide technical leadership for the planning, review, research and implementation of agricultural economic expansion initiatives and marketing opportunities for locally produced products. AND to develop and coordinate agri-tourism events with Director of Tourism. Come with your questions!

Pallet Herb Garden Make & Take-POSTPONED
2023-05-20 10:00 - 12:00 | Church of the Good Shepherd, 9441 Grayson Pkwy, Galax, VA, 24333, United States
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are postponing the Pallet Herb Garden Workshop. A new date has not been set.
Saturday, May 20th, 9:30-1pm we will have our monthly workday at COGS instead of the pallet workshop. We will be planting bell peppers in the annual garden and sheet mulching the paths and swales. Join us if you can! We will eat lunch outside afterward at the deli nearby. You can purchase lunch or bring your own if you prefer and join us for a nice social time after the workday.
When it is rescheduled, this is the description:
10:00am-noon, Saturday, May 20th at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Galax
Join the Permaculture group at the garden to create a pallet herb garden for your patio or porch! Bring the whole family, tour the garden, and take home a portable garden of your own. $15 materials fee- all plants, soil & pallet provided.
RSVP permaculture@graysonlandcare.org

Permaculture Garden Workdays
2023-06-10 09:30 - 13:00 | Church of the Good Shepherd, 9441 Grayson Pkwy, Galax, VA, 24333, United States
Join the Grayson Permaculture Group for a variety of tasks required to maintain and expand the Food Forest Garden. Learn from our group of experienced permaculture gardeners and explore the garden with the folks who work to maintain it.
Bring gloves and wear closed-toe shoes. Tools and materials provided. email: permaculture@graysonlandcare.org for more information.

POSTPONED! June 19th meeting POSTPONED!
2023-06-19 18:00 - 20:00 | Church of the Good Shepherd, 9441 Grayson Pkwy, Galax, VA, 24333, United States
This June presentation has it all: It’s a field trip, cookout, plant sale and tour! Join us at the permaculture garden for a cookout and “ragged” plant sale. We will gather at the Church of the Good Shepherd on June 19th for a cookout at 6 pm followed by a tour of the garden. Bring a side dish to share. The plant sale will be recently divided plants from the garden, not new seedlings. The permaculture garden features a wide array of native plants and most are excellent for pollinators as well. All proceeds go to support the Permaculture garden.

June 26 meeting at the Permaculture garden .
2023-06-26 18:00 - 20:00 | Church of the Good Shepherd, 9441 Grayson Pkwy, Galax, VA, 24333, United States
This rescheduled June presentation has it all: It’s a field trip, cookout, plant sale and tour! Join us at the permaculture garden for a cookout and “ragged” plant sale. We will gather at the Church of the Good Shepherd on June 26th for a cookout at 6 pm followed by a tour of the garden. Bring a side dish to share. The plant sale will be recently divided plants from the garden, not new seedlings. The permaculture garden features a wide array of native plants and most are excellent for pollinators as well. All proceeds go to support the Permaculture garden.

July presentation features Elizabeth Underwood of the New River Conservancy
2023-07-17 19:00 - 20:00 | Independence 1908 Courthouse, 107 E Main St , Independence, VA, 24348, United States
We are happy to bring Elizabeth Underwood back to Independence to help us get ready for Clean River Month in August. Elizabeth is Director of New River Conservancy. She will speak about the New River Hill Forest, our 174 acre land acquisition in Grayson County, and an overall update on NRC. Join us July 17 at 7pm at the Baldwin Auditorium of the 1908 Courthouse, the presentation is free and open to the public.

August meeting features invasive plant control with Cynthia Taylor
2023-08-21 17:30 - 20:00
You can control many of the invasive plants we struggle with using mechanical and chemical treatments, combined with seasonal timing. Early fall is the best time to start controlling invasive plants and permaculture garden creator, Cynthia Taylor, will lead a demonstration/presentation to show us control methods for common invasives in our area. Learn techniques you can put into practice on your land in the coming month. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Division of Natural Heritage currently identifies 90 invasive plant species that threaten or potentially threaten our natural areas. Here is link to the list
https://graysonlandcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/nh-invasive-plant-list-2014.pdf

We will meet at 5:30. Please bring a picnic dinner as we will need as much time as possible for this demonstration/presentation. Address: 433 Churchview Lane, Fries Va 24330

September meeting features beekeeping and flower farming
2023-09-18 18:30 - 19:30
Please note the earlier start time due to shorter days.
Thanks very much to Hank and Denise Sturkie of Mt. View Farm for hosting the September meeting. There is always interest in the art of beekeeping and cutflowers continue to grow in popularity. We’ll do a flower walk and end with a bee talk. In case of bad weather, Hank will talk about bees at the GLC office. Please meet at the GLC office to carpool, there is limited parking and 4 wheel drive is recommended. If you live on the western end of the county, please carpool with friends.
directions: Stay on HWY 58 west for 16.7 miles. Continue straight in Volney (at Corner Market) where it will become HWY 16. Stay on 16 for 2.1 miles. Ignore the first Wallens Creek exit. Turn hard right onto 736 (Wallens Creek Rd). Go .1 miles and turn left onto 736 (Woodcrest Rd). Go 1 mile and Mt. View Farm, 969 Woodcrest Rd, will be on the left (the first driveway on left after Yonder Lane with a green farm gate, which will be open) The driveway is .75 mile long and steep.

Annual meeting and Auction October 16 at the Fries Theatre, in Fries VA
2023-10-16 17:30 - 21:00 | Fries Theater, 316 W Main St,, Fries, VA, 24330, United States
We look forward to seeing everyone-please invite your friends and neighbors-to the Harvest Moon Dinner, Auction and annual meeting! We are happy to showcase the Historic Fries Theater at 316 W.Main Street, Fries VA 24330 from 5:30-9pm. The tentative schedule for the evening includes 30 minutes to meet and mingle, check out the silent auction items and place your bids. If you need a little more time, we’ll wait to collect the silent auction bid sheets at 6:30. Enjoy the potluck buffet, a short business meeting to elect new board members and end the evening with the live auction. Enjoy a fun evening with friends, a delicious meal and an opportunity to support a great organization.

IFM OnLine Market Open House
2023-11-15 16:00 - 18:00 | Grayson LandCare Office, 104 Courthouse Street, Independence, VA, 24348, United States
The Independence Farmers Market will host the annual Online Market Open House at the IFM/GLC office at 104 Courthouse Street. This free event will be held during the regular pick up hours from 4-6 pm on Wednesday November 15. Everyone is invited to try samples, meet the vendors, get help setting up an account, and just pop in to say hello.

Holiday Card workshop
2023-11-19 14:00 - 16:00 | Grayson LandCare Office, 104 Courthouse Street, Independence, VA, 24348, United States
Instead of a meeting this month, we’ll have a hands-on workshop. Join us Sunday afternoon November 19 from 2-4 pm. Make your own holiday cards and gift tags with pressed flowers and ferns. You can also embellish with paint or colored pencils. $5 covers the cost of all materials for 5 cards. Kids are welcome with an adult.
Please rsvp to director@graysonlandcare.com by Friday November 17. Pay at the door. Light refreshments will be served.

Food Independence Distribution Nov 21
2023-11-21 09:00 - 11:00
The monthly Food Independence Food Distribution is November 21st. This is a week early to make sure folks get their boxes before the holidays. Thanks to everyone who helped with the Turkey Fund!

1st Winter Market, Nov 24, 11am -2pm
2023-11-24 11:00 - 14:00 | Courtthouse Street
The Independence Farmers Market Winter Markets will be held from 11-2pm on Friday November 24 and Saturday December 2. Both Markets will be held on Courthouse Street and Gate Center parking lot and feature IFM Kids Bucks. The first 25 kids to the Market tent get $5 of IFM Kids Bucks to spend on anything at the Market.
The November 24 Market features the annual Chili Cook-off. Bring a crockpot of chili-preferably already hot, to the Market between 9:30-10:30. Free to enter, $5 lets you taste all the chili and vote for your favorite. Winner of people’s choice will be announced at 1:30 and wins $100. Shop locally for the holidays with your favorite Farmers Market vendors.

2nd Winter Market, Dec 2, 11am-2pm
2023-12-02 11:00 - 14:00 | Courtthouse Street
The Independence Farmers Market Winter Markets will be held from 11-2pm on Friday November 24 and Saturday December 2. Both Markets will be held on Courthouse Street and Gate Center parking lot and feature IFM Kids Bucks. The first 25 kids to the Market tent get $5 of IFM Kids Bucks to spend on anything at the Market.
The 2nd Winter Market on December 2 features free Kids activities and your favorite vendors. In addition to the IFM Market, the Free Market Christmas Shop will be held in the Gate Center. 11-1 is just for kids-“elves” will assist kids to pick out a gift for family members. 1-3 Is open to everyone. It’s all free. Also visit the Christmas Bazaar at the Firehouse on Davis street. And be sure to stay for the parade and enjoy a visit with Santa and other Town festivities.

Free Market Christmas Shop
2023-12-02 11:00 - 15:00 | Gate Center, 122 Davis Street, Independence, United States
The Annual Free Market Christmas Shop will be held in the Gate Center. 11am-1pm is just for kids-“elves” will assist kids to pick out a gift for family members.
1-3pm the shop is open to everyone. It’s all free and the Cate Center Culinary class will serve hot chocolate and cookies.

Food Distribution December 19
2023-12-19 09:00 - 11:00
The monthly Food Distribution is Tuesday December 19. This is a week early to ensure folks get their box before the holiday.

Tapping black walnut for syrup
2024-02-09 13:00 - 16:00
Tapping, it’s not just for Maples! Join Rick and Cynthia Taylor for tapping and making syrup from black walnut trees. They will discuss supplies, tapping/boiling/evaporating and finishing. Rsvp to cynthia@graysonlandcare.org for directions.
RAIN OR SHINE, most activities are under shelter

Pruning Workshop 11am-1pm
2024-02-10 11:00 | Church of the Good Shepherd, 9441 Grayson Pkwy, Galax, VA, 24333, United States
YES, we ARE pruning today!
Join us Saturday February 10 from 11am until 1 pm at the Permaculture garden at Church of the Good Shepherd. The workshop will be led by Casey Johnson. Casey has a degree in Horticulture from Penn State, manages the orchard at River North and is a GLC board member.
We’ll focus on fruit trees. If time allows blueberries will be included. Dress warmly and bring pruners or loopers if you have them.
RAIN DATE FEB 24, same time and place

Book Discussion-Noah's Garden
2024-02-16 18:00 - 20:00
Join the Grayson Permaculture Group for a book review at the home of Ann Watson (call 276-768-8171 for details and directions) on Friday evening February 16th, 2024 at 6:00 pm.

We are reading a classic by Sara Stein, Noah’s Garden. All are welcome to enjoy food and fellowship with some lively discussion. A main dish will be provided but let Ann know if you are coming for a count and if you want to add to the potluck (certainly not required…there’s always plenty!!).

Grow More Vegetables, part 1, February 17
2024-02-17 09:00 - 12:00 | Courtthouse Street
It’s back. Learn to pack a 21/2 X 5 foot raised bed with a huge amount of vegetables! It’s easy to multiply by 5 so this works for larger gardens too. This is an interactive vegetable growing workshop for all skill levels. We’ll meet at the Grayson LandCare/IFM office at 104 Courthouse Street, Saturday February 17th from 9 am to noon. Snow date is the 24th, same place and time. Cost is $15, pay at the door, and light refreshments will be served. Planting dates, spacing, interplanting and succession plantings will be addressed. Using information from the best national and local gardeners you’ll learn to apply these techniques to a single raised bed or a full-sized market garden.
In order to get the most out of the class, please come with a sketch, or even just the dimensions of your space. In addition, think about the top 5 vegetables you’d like to grow. This “homework” will give you a head start when we break into groups and design gardens for maximum production. Start planning for a successful garden now. The class is limited to 20 people. Please email Michelle Pridgen at independencefarmersmarket@gmail.com to register.
The next workshop which will cover pest and disease control, irrigation and fertility will be held March 1st, same location, price, and time. Snow date for the 1st workshop is February 24, March 9 for the second. You can take either or both classes.
