Agriculture & Natural Resources

Welcome

Berkeley County is home to many small farms producing diverse commodities from fruit to honey, grain to meat, and dairy to poultry. Diverse farming operations offer diverse habitats of fields and hedgerows, orchards and woodlands for area wildlife to live, forage and rear young. Whether you are a back yard gardener, an orchardist, or a farmer, our focus is to be your local connection to up-to-date agricultural information. Scroll to bottom of page for links to external agriculture organizations and agencies in the local area.

Lawn, Gardening & Pests

This Month in the Garden Calendar

Organic Matter Maintenance for Thriving Soil

Soil organic matter consists of the remains of plants and animals in varying stages of decomposition. Organic matter can fall into one of three types: plant residues and living microbial biomass; active organic matter, otherwise known as detritus; or stable soil organic matter, otherwise known as humus. The living microbial biomass and detritus contribute to the fertility of the soil and the release of nutrients from decomposition. Humus is the end result of decomposition and is considered stable organic matter. This contributes to the structure, tillage, cation exchange capacity and dark color of the soil. 

Benefits of maintaining high stable organic matter include physical benefits, such as reducing runoff, easier tillage and increased water holding capacity; chemical benefits, such as increased cation exchange capacity, accelerated mineral availability and increased buffering capacity; and biological benefits, such as increased nutrients for living organisms in the soil and enhanced biodiversity.  

More from the Garden Calendar

Eastern Panhandle News

Intro to Gardening Series

Thinking about starting your own garden but not sure where to begin? Visit your local library at one of our upcoming sessions to hear from a WVU Extension Master Gardener on the basics of starting a new vegetable garden. Each session presented will be the same, RSVP to the location you wish to attend.

Read about Intro to Gardening Series

Martinsburg Gardening Workshop March 22

Join the Berkeley-Jefferson WVU Extension Master Gardener Association for a morning of gardening workshops to kick off the 2024 growing season. This year, the program will include nine sessions to choose from, with topics geared towards beginner gardeners, intermediate gardeners, and advanced gardeners. 

Date: Saturday, March 22, 2025

Time: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., doors open at 8:30 a.m.

Read about Martinsburg Gardening Workshop March 22

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