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.
Location: Blue Ridge Community and Technical College
13650 Apple Harvest Drive
Martinsburg, WV 25403
Cost: $5, cash only, paid at the door. Preregistration is required.
For questions, contact Emily Morrow, Jefferson County Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent.
The schedule for the day is listed below.
Concurrent Sessions 1
9 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Setting Up A Garden
Getting Started
Speaker: Angela Laboda, WVU Extension Master GardenerLearn about the basics around selecting and preparing a garden site, and how to plan a garden that is enjoyable and successful.
Gardening 201
Keep Growing
Speaker: Marilyn White, WVU Extension Master GardenerTake your garden to the next level by implementing practices such as garden infrastructure, crop rotations, and succession planting.
Transition Your Landscape from Conventional to Conservational
The Garden that Keeps Giving
Speaker: Jason Swope, University of Maryland Extension Master Gardener
Learn about landscaping choices that improve water quality, promote native species, and increases wildlife habitat.
Concurrent Sessions 2
10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
Selecting Seeds and Transplants
Getting Started
Speakers: Susan Belmont and Misi Shepard, WVU Extension Master Gardeners
How to read a seed packet, which plants can be direct sowed in the ground for the greatest success, and picking healthy transplants for purchase.
Water Resources
Keep Growing
Speaker: Rick Lowman, University of Maryland Extension Master GardenerA droughty year is bad news for growing anything, especially food. Learn ways to conserve water for the growing season.
Growing Berries
The Garden that Keeps Giving
Speaker: Rick Lowman, Jim Kuehn, Penn State Extension Master GardenerLearn the basics of growing small fruit.
Concurrent Sessions 3
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Soil Testing
Getting Started
Learn how to take a good garden soil sample and interpret the results.
Where Did I Go Wrong?
Keep Growing
Speaker: Sandra Griffin, WVU Extension Master Gardener
All gardeners, novice to advanced, experience hiccups year to year. Learn how to diagnose and resolve some of the most common issues in the garden, such as diseases, pests, and out of control weeds
Native Bees
The Garden that Keeps Giving
Speaker: Meg Brager, WVU Extension Master Gardener
These pollinator powerhouses benefit the environment and agriculture in many ways. Learn how to encourage their presence in your own landscape