Lectures & Seminars

Extension Master Gardener volunteers invite you to join us at The Learning Garden for in-garden demonstrations and instruction.  Each Demo Day will focus on seasonal activities, common problems, and solutions. Begin the day with a brief orientation session, then visit the gardens where Master Gardener Volunteers are available to answer your questions and share successful gardening techniques.

The Learning Garden consists of five individual gardens: Gateway, FourSeason, Rose, Sun-to-Shade, and Vegetable. We also have a Composting Demonstration site. Each garden site presents its own set of challenges and rewards for your exploration and learning. 

Save These Dates
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Time
9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Location
The Learning Garden
NC Cooperative Extension
Buncombe County Center
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville, NC

Preview of Demo Day Programs

July 10 – The Summer Garden. Maintaining a garden through the heat of summer requires an understanding of tasks such as managing soil moisture and nutrition. Learn how much water your own garden may require and explore ideas for lowering maintenance. Our Gateway garden is drought tolerant and receives little watering. By July, insects and other pests have arrived. Learn how to how to determine “good” from “bad” bugs, how to attract pollinators, and how Master Gardeners deal with pests. Bring your questions about moles and voles—they are active now, too.

August 14 – The Late Season Garden. Later in the season, more diseases and insects arrive along with ripe vegetables and flower blossoms. We will again visit problems with pests and diseases and help you make decisions on what to treat, what to ignore, what to pull, and what to replace in your garden. August is also the time to plan and plant your fall vegetables. Let us help you with that process.

September 11 – Harvest Time. It is time to harvest late summer vegetables and herbs and to enjoy the last of summer flowers. While many perennials are finishing for the year, others are coming into their own. Come get ideas from our FourSeason garden on extending the season in your garden. Start your fall garden clean-up and visit our Compost Demonstration site to learn how to recycle your garden. And don’t forget to move tender houseplants back into the house.

October 9 – Extending the Season. It is the time to protect and extend the cool season vegetable garden while you begin putting your perennial garden to bed. Visit our FourSeason garden for ideas on plants with winter interest. Talk to us about choosing and establishing cover crops and about cutting back plants. Visit our Compost Demonstration site for information on making compost. Fall is also the time to review and evaluate how your garden performed. Find out how we assess The Learning Garden and apply the concepts to your own garden. Fall is the start of the next garden cycle—planning for spring.

Watch for reminder notices prior to each Demo Day. These programs are free but registration is requested by calling 828-255-5522.