Tonight and this weekend at Valley View Farms in Cockeysville:
Thursday evening intro series: Introduction to Vegetable Gardening, 7 p.m. This quick and concise course will teach participants the basics of growing vegetables in Maryland gardens. The class will provide all the resources you need to get a jump start on the kitchen garden.
Saturday at 9 a.m.: How to Grow Tomatoes, Peppers and Other Popular Vegetable Plants. Tomatoes and peppers rank as America's favorite vegetable plants. Learn to grow them and others successfully during today's class. We'll discuss favorite varieties to help you decide which are best for your garden.
Saturday, 11 a.m. New Annuals, Perennials and Tropicals for 2010. What's new? How about new colors of our old favorites, new disease-resistant perennials, longer-blooming tropicals and great choices for hanging baskets and containers? We'll discuss all of the above in today's seminar.
Homestead Gardens opens its second location in Severna Park Saturday. The new store is located at 522 Ritchie Highway and will offer the same variety as offered at the flagship store in Davidsonville.
Meanwhile, at the Davidsonville location, Homestead Gardens hosts a radio broadcast Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. with Andre Viette of Viette's Nurseries, followed by a seminar at 1 p.m.
At the Irvine Nature Center in Owings Mills this weekend:
Friday, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Spring Night Hike and Campfire. We’ll take a night hike to look for nocturnal animals, listen for frogs calling, and test our senses in the darkness. We’ll end the hike with a campfire and s’mores. Fee: $8 members, $12 non-members. Ages 7 & up (with adult). Registration deadline: Thursday.
Saturday: 11 a.m. to noon. Grow More in Less Space. Are you short on space? Come learn why carrots love tomatoes and other simple garden techniques that will save you space, time, energy, and money! Topics include square foot gardening, companion crops, and self watering containers. Make your own self-watering container to take home, all supplies included. Fee: $6 members, $10 non-members
Painting Four Seasons in the William Paca Garden, a secluded reconstructed 18th-century garden in Annapolis, continues Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The landscape painting workshop is conducted by Jean Brinton Jaecks, landscape and garden watercolorist. All levels welcome. $60. (This class is full, but now is the time to register for classes in August and October.)
The U.S. National Aboretum is having a moving sale Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Surplus garden-related books and art will be available as the staff prepares for a major renovation. In addition, some of the koi population in the pool will be for sale as the staff thins its numbers. Experts will be on hand. Free admission.
Photo credit: Baltimore Sun/Doug Kapustin
The U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington will host a tour of the National Garden from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday to see trees and shrubs of the Mid-Atlantic Region. Learn which would grow well in your garden. No registration required. Meet at the national GArden Lawn Terrace.
The 12th Annual Pennsylvania Herb Festival will be held Friday and Saturday, April 16 and 17, at the York Expo Center. The festival features nationally known speakers, workshops and vendors of plants, herbal crafts, as well as products for the gardener, cook and crafter.