As the weather is finally starting to warm up for spring, it seems like the right time to get your garden started. Whether it is your first time as a gardener or your 10th, or if you want to grow vegetables or perennials, learn more by attending Burlington County’s annual Gardening Expo.
The Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders will once again be joining Rutgers Cooperative Extension and the Burlington County Master Gardeners to present the 4th annual Gardening Expo on May 2 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the county’s Community Agricultural Center located at 500 Centerton Road in Moorestown.
“It’s always been held in Moorestown. We thought we would use the Agricultural Center, because it focuses on gardening and horticultural education, which is a big part of what the center brings to the public,” Mary Pat Robbie, director of the department of Resource Conservation, said. “It’s really about education and giving the public the opportunity to learn about gardening and an array of topics, like vegetables, perennials and roses. It’s hard to go some place to get some hands-on teaching experiences. This provides that.
“And we also have vendors that are selling plants, like vegetable plant starter, if you are interested in planting a vegetable garden, and you can get information about starting a garden and buy a plant.”
The expo will feature educational workshops, access to gardening experts, kids’ activities, soil testing, rain barrel making and plants for sale.
“It is an opportunity to get out and learn and see what the county has to offer. A lot of our vendors are local, and farm market vendors come out; it’s kind of a preview of the market for the season. And we always try to make it an educational and fun event.
“We work closely with the Burlington County Master Gardeners program and they do a lot of the educational programs,” Robbie said.
The County Master Gardeners will hold workshops during the day starting at 11 a.m. with “Growing Herbs At Home,” followed by “Getting Your Garden Ready” at noon and “Integrated Pest Management” at 1 p.m., which will include a tour of the Master Gardener demonstration gardens. Wrapping up the day at 2 p.m. a roundtable panel of gardening experts will discuss topics requested by the audience.
Throughout the day, visitors can look for “Ask the Expert” signs at certain vendor locations. These experts are available to respond to questions on a variety of topics such as caring for your roses and daylilies, maintenance of garden tools and attracting pollinators to your backyard.
There will be a special “Build Your Own Rain Barrel” workshop with Mike Haberland from Rutgers Cooperative Extension. There is a $45 per person fee for the workshop to cover the cost of the barrel and supplies, and pre-registration is required. To register, call (856) 216–7130 ext. 3.
Local growers will have a large variety of vegetable and herb plants as well as flowering perennials, annuals and shrubs for sale.
Kids can make plant gifts to bring home to mom just in time for Mother’s Day. Storyteller Dorothy Stanaitis will be entertaining children on the front lawn starting at noon.
“We have a lot of kids activities, including some make and take crafts, like potted plants for Mother’s Day. We’ll also have face painting and storytelling,” Robbie said.
Robbie hopes those who come to the event become inspired to start gardening and learn more about how to be a successful gardener.
For the first 100 interested visitors, the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Agency will offer free soil testing for lead.
This will be a rain or shine event with free admission and free parking. For more information about this event, please contact the Department of Resource Conservation at (856) 642–3850.
