Cornell Cooperative Extension

Schenectady County
Flowers in Minns Garden, Cornell Campus. Echinacea. Cornell University Photography.
Image by Lindsay France

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

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.

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

CCE-Schenectady 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! We offer free or low-cost gardening classes and tours all year long, and opportunities to share your love of gardening as a volunteer! Call us or come by today!

Apples on the tree at Cornell Orchard (Cornell University Photography)

Commercial Horticulture Program

The Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program provides educational programs and information to growers and agri-business professionals, arming them with the knowledge to profitably produce and market safe and healthful horticultural crops.

Read more
Japanese maple, Acer palmatum Thunb.

Trees & Shrubs

Ornamental trees and shrubs can enhance the beauty of your home landscaping. Find some suggested varieties here.

Read more
flats of sprouting seeds

First Planting Dates

Consult our charts of popular vegetables and the earliest and latest dates they safely can be planted (as seeds, transplants, or sets) in our region.

Read more
coneflowers and black eyed susans (echinacea & rudbeckia)

Easy Care Perennials

Perennials offer year after year of blooms for your garden, and are a smart investment in your garden. Visit our resources to learn more.

Read more
Quincy, IL, June 20, 2008 -- Fields of corn are flooded and crops may be ruined for the year by the flooding waters of the Mississippi River in southern Illinois.

Flooded Gardens & Crops

Is produce from your flooded garden still safe to eat? Find out more information on our site.

Read more
Leaf lesions on tomato due to late blight

Plant Diseases

Prevention and early identification are crucial to minimizing damage from disease in your garden and landscape. Check out these resources that can help you stay ahead of disease in your garden.

Read more

Last updated November 23, 2021

Gardening

Find Your Zone!

The 2021 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 type in a Zip Code and find the hardiness zone for that area.

Insect Diagnostic Lab

U.S. postage stamps of spiders and insects, used on the Cornell Insect Diagnostic Lab website; 200px wide to use as an image for a sidebar link to their site at: http://entomology.cornell.edu/IDL

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 of experience 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/

Visit Cornell Garden Based Learning website

Events

See more

Testing

Beginning Monday, July 6, insect/soil and plant samples will be accepted Mondays and Thursdays at the Sustainable Living Center/greenhouse facility located in Central Park (180 Ptl. Chaires Lane, Schenectady)

Drop off hours: 9am -12pm (Mondays and Thursdays only)

We ask that you:

Have exact change ($5.00 per sample/id)

Complete forms prior to dropping off

Wear a face covering during your visit.

Once your sample is reviewed/tested, follow-up education will be done via phone or email.  Soil and insect samples can also be mailed. Please follow instructions on the form.

TESTING FORMS: