Extension expands resources for Franklin County

For the past two weeks, Franklin County Extension Office Regional Extension Agent Taylor Vandiver has hosted Friday Lunch ‘n’ Learn sessions at the Franklin County Courthouse on topics of interest to local growers. The last in the three-session series is Friday – but that’s not the end of resources Vandiver has to offer in Franklin County.

Vandiver covers a five-county region in northwest Alabama, and she’s been with the Extension providing home horticulture advice for about two years in Alabama, plus three years in Florida before that. People come to her, she said, with all kinds of horticulture-related questions.

“Most often I get asked questions like, ‘Why is my grass dying?’ or ‘Why are my trees dying?’” Vandiver said. Bedbugs and other home pests are also informational topics on which she can provide educational materials. She’s also on-hand for help with gardening questions – the Lunch ‘n’ Learn series has covered tomatoes and container gardening and will wrap up with a focus on Planting for Pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Although Vandiver said she hopes to do future classes on topics of interest, she said it’s important for people to realize that she is available whenever the Extension can be of service, ready with “research-based information.” “All the information we give out is research-based. It’s not something you looked up on Google that might or might not work or might not be safe,” Vandiver said. “I’m here to educate.”

She’s available year-round for questions, with Franklin office hours each Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through July. She also teaches Master Gardener courses each spring, with sign-ups beginning at the end of January. Vandiver can be reached at 256-284-3024.

The final class in the free Lunch ‘n’ Learn series will be held Friday from 11 a.m. to noon in the Franklin County Courthouse basement.