“The “Celebrate Spring” symposium is a great way to learn about home and community gardening as we prepare our gorgeous green spaces for the new season,” said Freeholder Director Lillian G. Burry. “The County’s Master Gardeners have a wealth of knowledge to share and can answer all of your horticulture questions—so bring them all!”

Master Gardeners will present workshops on a variety of topics including organic vegetable gardening, container gardening, weed and insect control, ground covers, native plants, pollinators and common landscaping mistakes and how to avoid them. Tours will be available throughout the day to see:

• The Master Gardener’s Plant a Row for the Hungry Garden which gives hands-on experience in vegetable gardening.
• The Junior Master Garden where young teens grow their own garden under the direct tutelage of Master Gardeners.
• The Herb, Native and Rain gardens, which demonstrates ecologically safe ways to minimize erosion and waterway pollution caused by runoff from hardscapes such as driveways.

A Rutgers’ Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Helpline table will be open at the symposium to answer everyone’s gardening questions. A helpline is also available year-round weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 732-303-7614.

In conjunction with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, the Monmouth County Master Gardener program seeks to educate everyone in matters horticultural, help answer questions regarding gardening problems around the home, support community gardens for towns and schools, and provide a speaker’s bureau to bring Master Gardener led discussions to local gardening clubs and other interested community groups around the County.

For more information about the spring symposium or the Monmouth County Master Gardener program, call 732-431-7260 or go to www.VisitMonmouth.com.

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