The Garden Club of the Back Bay

Join Berkshire Botanical Garden and Phil Forsline, “a modern day Johnny Appleseed”, for a look at where apples come from. Until recently most apple varieties grown in the United States were derived from seedling stock planted by European settlers in the 17th – 19th century. Forsline, the former curator of Cornell University’s Agricultural Research Station recounts his expeditions to Kazakhstan in search of wild apple strains to conserve the apples natural genetic diversity.  A photo of wild apples in Kazakhstan by David Derrick is pictured below.This talk will focus on how scientists use genetic treasures from the apple’s ancestral home to increase disease resistance, improve hardiness, and revolutionize growing apples worldwide.

Phil Forsline is the retired Research Leader for Cornell University Agricultural Research Station’s Plant Genetics Research Unit. For over twenty five years he has worked to improve hardiness and disease resistance in apples.  The lecture will take place at Berkshire Botanical Garden, for a fee of $18 for members of BBG and $24 for non-members.  To register, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org. or call 413-298-3926.

Hancock Shaker Village presents a Root Cellar Workshop on Saturday and Sunday, October 2 – 3, from 10 am – 5 pm.   Students will learn the basics of food storage, tour existing root cellars, see presentations on innovative design options, assess and plan their own crop storage needs, examine energy and monetary savings, and explore planting guidelines while seeding a garden.  Participants will take home their own food security action plan, a design for a space of their own, planting and storage guideline charts, as well as a copy of the Bubels’ book on root cellaring.  Come ready for two intensive weekends and learn how to make hard work into simple living!  Tuition is $250 for HSV members, and $300 for non-members.  To register, and for more information, log on to www.hancockshakervillage.org, or call 413-443-1088, x 213.