Dig Deeper talks

The Master Gardener volunteers of Orange County host Dig Deeper With Us, a series of free, monthly talks about gardening.

We’re taking a break in December 2025 but starting in January 2026, we hope you’ll join us for our winter and spring talks at the new Orange County Southern Branch Library at the Drakeford Library Complex, 203 S. Greensboro St. in Carrboro.

Jan. 11, 2026 (2-3:30 p.m.): Technology in the Garden. The speaker will be Eric Kurtz, a Master Gardener volunteer in Orange County who has shared his technology expertise with us in helpful ways. Check out his weather station at our demonstration gardens at the Bonnie B. Davis Environment and Agriculture Center in Hillsborough! He also designed and printed the new plant tags with informative QR codes for our plant sale at PlantFest in October. See you on Jan. 11!

Recent talks (click on link to view presentation):

Native Plants, a presentation by Linda Bell and Julee Herbert, Master Gardener volunteers in Orange County, on Sept. 14, 2025, at the Orange County Public Library in Hillsborough. They explained the value of native plants and some truths and misunderstandings about natives. They also pointed out favorite natives with various light and moisture needs. A PDF of the talk includes helpful links and references at the end.

What Gardeners Need to Know: Alpha-gal allergy and other illnesses spread by ticks, presented by Onyinye I. Iweala, MD, PhD, and Jennifer Platt, DrPH, on Oct. 19, 2025, at the Orange County Library. Some tick bites lead to serious diseases. Dr. Iweala (left) is an allergist and immunologist at UNC who does research on alpha-gal mammalian meat allergy. Dr. Platt (right) is on the faculty of the UNC Gillings School of Public Health. She had a tick-borne illness and cofounded an organization that educates health providers and the public about alpha-gal syndrome and other tick-borne conditions.

Deer: Biology, Gardens, Urban Areas and Disease, presented by April Boggs Pope, a deer biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, on Nov. 16, 2025, at the Orange County Library. Pope (in photo) talked about deer habits, problems with overpopulation and diseases, plants that deer may be more likely to eat, why it is a bad idea to feed deer, and ways to keep deer away from your yard.