Fall Vegetable Gardening Class!

It is now time to plan and plant for a productive fall and winter vegetable garden! To help you get ready, Pender County Cooperative Extension is holding a fall vegetable gardening class, covering all the vegetables and herbs you can plant now to harvest through fall and winter. We will also discuss sustainable pest management strategies and winter cover crops.

This class will be taught on Saturday, August 15th, at two different times and locations: from 10 am to noon at the Pender Public Library in Burgaw; and from 1:30pm – 3:30pm at the Pender Public Library in Hampstead. Both classes are free, but preregistration by Thursday August 13, is required. To register for the Burgaw class, please call 259-1234; to register for the Hampstead class, please call 270-4603.

If you have any questions about the class or fall vegetable gardening, please contact Pender County Cooperative Extension at 259-1235 or email charlotte_glen@ncsu.edu.

Become a Master Gardener Volunteer!

Would you like to be a more successful gardener? Do you want to understand the science of gardening? Are you interested in sharing your knowledge with others? If so, you should become a Master Gardener Volunteer! Master Gardener Volunteers are people just like you who enjoy gardening and desire to share their passion and knowledge with others. Master Gardeners volunteer with their local Cooperative Extension’s horticulture outreach program to share their information with people in their communities.

The first step to becoming a Master Gardener is to attend Master Gardener training, which begins August 18^th in Pender County.Master Gardener training is open to all Pender County residents. No previous horticultural training is required. All you need is an interest in gardening and a desire to learn and share your knowledge. Becoming a Master Gardener will provide you with research based knowledge focused on environmentally friendly gardening and landscaping for our local growing conditions, and offers volunteer opportunities to assist with educational programs throughout the county. As a Master Gardener you will meet other people from Pender County that share your interest and be part of an organization dedicated to helping people garden more successfully.

Find out more about the Master Gardener Program and download an application and schedule here

Marvelous Mulch!

Mulch can do marvelous things for any landscape or garden. It can conserve moisture, keep soil temperatures cooler, prevent weed seed from coming up, and slowly add organic matter to the soil over time. Mulch protects trees and shrubs from damage by lawn equipment and reduces root competition from grass, helping trees and shrubs to grow faster. In addition, a nice layer of mulch makes any planting look better. Mulching is a relatively easy task but there are a few tips to be aware of in order to get the most benefit from mulching your landscape.

Read the entire article here

New Issue of Extension Gardener Available!

The latest issue of the Extension Gardener newsletter in now available online! Extension Gardener newsletter is written by horticultural experts with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. Each issue includes statewide features plus a special regional section written specifically for your area of the state.


In the summer 2009 issue, you can read about:
- Water Gardens
- Knock Out Roses
- Straw Bale Gardening
- Summer Lawn Fertilization
- Smart Watering Practices
and more!

Click here to download your copy of the latest Extension Gardener!