Organic Vegetable Gardening at Home Workshop

Spring is here and many area homeowners plan to take to their yard for the experience of growing their own food. But for those who want to keep their homegrown fruits and vegetables free of synthetic pesticides, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County offers a garden workshop exploring Organic Vegetable Gardening at Home. The workshop takes place on Saturday, April 6 from 1-3 PM, at the EARTH Center located in Davidson’s Mill Pond Park 42 Riva Ave. South Brunswick, NJ.

Many residents wish to lead a more “green” lifestyle and lessen their impact on the environment by tending a garden that doesn’t rely on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. This class will share techniques to achieve this goal. There are many gardening techniques that homeowners can use to produce a productive vegetable garden without relying on chemical fertilizers. This workshop will also introduce the concept of using Integrated Pest Management on the home front; and how simple practices, like the use of compost to improve soils, can go a long way towards achieving a healthy landscape. Topics like interpreting soil sample results and light requirements for various species will also be examined. Instructor for the class will be Rutgers Professor and Middlesex County Agricultural, Agent William Hlubik, who will explain the values of these planting practices.

Register by April 3 at 732-398-5262. You can make it a day of educational information at the EARTH Center, as this workshop will be preceded by a Backyard Composting workshop from 10 am – Noon. Register for this workshop at 732-745-4170.

If you are not familiar with your local Extension office, it is part of a nationwide network that brings the research of the state land-grant universities to local people. Rutgers Cooperative Extension offices throughout New Jersey are cooperatively funded by; the County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Rutgers University- New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The EARTH Center is located in one of Middlesex County’s most beautiful parks, the 300+ acre, Davidson’s Mill Pond Park and features ponds, wooded trails and open fields. Educational displays at the park include a demonstration vegetable garden, hard-scaped herb garden, and a water-conserving rain garden. These displays are used to spark conversation about earth-friendly gardening techniques, local agriculture, and topics that are the focus of Extension’s Agriculture & Natural Resource Management Department. 

Visitors can also find out more by calling 732-398- 5262.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension educational programs are offered to all without regard to race, religion, color, age, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.