Gardening

Our Home Gardening programs are designed to increase the homeowner’s ability to solve horticulture problems and develop an appreciation of natural resources. The Home Gardening program at Cornell Cooperative Extension-Broome County (CCE-BC) is very active and centers around Cutler Botanic Garden, a  5 acre living horticulture classroom located on the property of CCE-BC at 840 Upper Front Street, Binghamton, New York.

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Learn more about Cutler Botanic Garden and the plants highlighted in our  monthly blog posts.

Home Gardening Classes

Ecological Gardening Guide

 It’s go time in the garden! Springtime is for adding fertility where it’s needed, and getting ready for planting! As the aboveground parts of the natural world awaken, there are many things you can do to turn your garden landscape into a resilient and productive environment. These steps will keep your garden healthy and thriving for the rest of the growing season.

Information on Soil Testing

Nutrient Analysis

Soil samples for nutrient analysis may be brought to the CCE-Broome Information Center, along with the appropriate fee, and we will help you fill out the appropriate form and send them to the Agro-One Soils Laboratory in Ithaca for testing. Copies of the test results are returned to the individual and to CCE-Broome about two weeks later, and you can contact us if necessary for assistance in interpreting your results.

Instructions for Soil Sampling:

soil_sampling_instructions.pdf

You can also send samples directly to the lab:

Dairy-One Soils Laboratory (800) 344-2697 x 2179

State specific Agro-One packages are targeted to customer needs. Due to the diversity of soils in North America, there are many different soil tests used to characterize the nutrient content of soils.
Each test was developed based on the chemistry of the soils and crop response in the region where the test will be used. Agro-One offers soil test packages and nutrient guidelines to meet the diverse needs of commercial crop producers and home owners here in the Northeast. * New York customers also have the option of an Agro-One analysis with Cornell recommendations.

Standard soil nutrient test
This test provides recommendations for establishment and maintenance of home lawns and gardens, commercial turf, commercial vegetables, commercial fruit, and field crops (pasture, hay, annual crops). Measures pH (in water), phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium and micro nutrients including organic matter. Samples are sent to Agro-One Lab located at 730 Warren Rd., Ithaca. Expect at least two weeks for test results to be returned.

Download and print the appropriate FORM from the Agro-One website to include with your soil test samples. (NOTE: when you visit the above link, you will see a list of different forms. For testing home garden soils, download and print Submittal Form H for Lawn, Garden and Landscapes and Form H2 if you are submitting multiple samples).

Check out these Cornell resources

for information on growing flowers, fruits, vegetables, herbs, trees, shrubs and more. 

Last updated July 2, 2025