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Health & Fitness

Prince George's County Gardeners Learn About Healthy Soils

Training at the Sheridan Street Community Garden.

Gardeners at the Sheridan Street Community Garden in Riverdale learned about building healthy soils and using cover crops last Saturday at a free training.

Herb Reed from the University of Maryland Extension led the training, which included information on the importance of soil and how gardeners can keep soils healthy.  Participants learned about what not to do—for instance, it is very important to keep off of wet soils.   They also learned about the many benefits of planning cover crops, ranging from reduced fertilizer costs, to suppression of pests, to improved soil health.  Cover crops such as crimson clover, winter rye, and buckwheat were recommended, and participants gained hands-on experience planting two test plots at the Sheridan Street Community Garden.

Participants came from area community gardens, such as the Sheridan Street Community Garden, the Greenbelt Community Garden, and the Hyatt Park Community Garden.  Gardeners from the University of Maryland as well as Master Gardeners from around county attended.   More training events will be held at the Sheridan Street Community Garden in the future; if you are interested please contact Christie Balch at cbalch@umd.edu.

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For gardeners looking for more information, the University of Maryland Extension’s Home and Garden Information Center is a wonderful resource.  Gardeners can call the center or email photos and get answers from experts.  There is also a diagnostic feature on the website to help identify specific plant problems.  Find information on our website.

For information on the Master Gardening Training in Prince George’s County, visit their website.

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For more information on the Sheridan Street Community Garden, run by University of Maryland Extension, and information on how to get a garden plot, contact Christie Balch at cbalch@umd.edu.

University of Maryland Extension (UME) is a statewide, non-formal education system within the college of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.  UME educational programs and problem-solving assistance are available to citizens and are based on the research and experience of land grant universities such as the University of Maryland, College Park.

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