Yard & Garden

Become a plant detective and enhance your diagnostic skills! Join Madeline Potter, UME Faculty Specialist for Entomology & IPM, for a three-part plant diagnostic training series with a focus on diagnosing plant damage by insects and other arthropods. Live attendance is highly encouraged to participate in interactive portions of the training, but each training will be recorded if you cannot join us live. Training topics will include diagnostic tools, identification of plant damage categories and types, identification of common arthropod pests, plant diagnostic case studies, and more. Participants will have the opportunity to put their new skills to practice by virtually submitting monthly plant damage specimens. Register to receive webinar recording links and materials.

Schedule:
-Sept. 11th: Diagnosing plant problems
-Oct. 9th: Insect identification
-Nov. 13th: Integrated pest management & working with the public

Join Baltimore City, Maryland based non-profit Backyard Basecamp for their annual Harvest Festival on Sunday, October 27th from 2pm to 6pm (EST). The festival will feature local vendors, family-friendly activities, cooking and food demonstrations, workshops, crafts, food, music and more!

Extension Educator Madeline Potter, will be tabling with an activity about sustainable fall gardening and the benefits of leaving the leaves.

Event Highlights:
-Cooking Demos & Tastings: Savor mouthwatering cooking demonstrations and tastings that will tantalize your taste buds.
-Fun for Kids: Enjoy face painting, pony rides, pumpkin carving, and more activities designed for kids and families.
-Local Vendors: Explore the talents of local vendors and discover unique, handcrafted items.
-Food Truck Delights: Treat yourself to delectable offerings from our food truck.
-Farmstand with Chloe: We’re bringing back the farmstand with Chloe, who will be selling our amazing produce and farm goods.

Join us on October 5th, 2024 for a family fun day at at the farm to see agriculture education in action! Events are geared for children and include tractor races, milking contest, feed bag toss, compost chaos, egg operation, and more! This family event is free to attend and is located at the Frederick County Farm Museum Fall Fest at Rose Hill Manor Park in Frederick, MD. We hope to see you there!

Join Harford County Master Gardeners in conjunction with the Harford County Public Library - Darlington branch to learn what end-of-season tasks to do in the fall and which to leave until spring so that the upcoming season's garden plants and beneficial wildlife will thrive in your yard.

Each person attending must register prior to the program.

Charles County residents will have the opportunity to purchase a limit of two (2) barrels per Charles County household with a discount, while supplies last. Rain Barrels are 60 gallons in size and may be brown, green, gray, or terra cotta.

It may be chilly weather as winter approaches but Master Gardeners will teach you how to cultivate and grow fresh herbs in containers this winter and in your garden next spring. You'll also learn specifics about a variety of common and uncommon herbs.

Join the Harford County Master Gardeners to learn about plant additions to your fall garden and how to cultivate them. These include garlic, the toothache plant and saffron (yes you can grow saffron rather than spend a lot on a grocery store purchase). Edible plants that can be mingled in among your landscaping, not just your backyard garden, will be discussed. Come learn about these double duty edibles. 

Join the Harford County Master Gardeners to learn the basics of making and using compost by turning kitchen scraps, garden waste and other organic material into "black gold" without spending a dime! 

Bring your questions and leave with valuable information that will help enrich your soil and benefit the environment.  

Lawns have been a tradition since colonial days. But are lawns the best choice? Research across the USA shows that suburban turf is a water consumer, a maintenance time drain and a chemical-laden monoculture. Come learn from the Harford County Master Gardeners how to break the cycle!

Mark your calendar and start planning your garden now! Winners receive prizes and bragging rights! This event will include:

Taste testing different tomato varieties
Demonstrations and interactive displays
Celebration of tomatoes!

Categories judged:

Largest (size and weight)
Ugliest (misshapen)
Best tasting
Cherry (10)

FREE to participate.

If you need reasonable accommodation to participate in any event or activity, please contact the University of Maryland Extension at 301-334-6960 by Aug. 1, 2024.