Folks are invited to bring their “brown bag” lunch and learn a little about gardening at the next lunch-time session presented by La Porte County Master Gardeners. In a short, one-hour session, participants will learn that not all bugs in the garden are bad. In fact, many are necessary and very helpful. An experienced Master Gardener will help you understand insect management in the vegetable garden and recommend flowering plants to attract beneficial insects.
The third session in the Brown Bag Gardening Series on Wednesday, March 18, will feature Master Gardener Carol Lerner, who was born and raised in Chicago and attended the University of Chicago. Some years later she discovered the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, and took courses there in natural history and botanical illustration. This, in turn, led to writing books. Carol is the author and illustrator of seventeen non-fiction books for children. Carol and her husband have two grown sons. They garden in northwest Indiana and are members of the La Porte County Master Gardener Association.
Gardening is one of America’s most popular hobbies. According to a recent National Gardening Association report, 42 million households in the US (35%) grew their own food in a garden in 2014. That’s an increase of 17%, with most of that growth coming from younger households. Get a “jump-start” on gardening this year by participating in one or all of the sessions in the Brown Bag Gardening Series, sponsored by the La Porte County Master Gardener Association.
Sessions will be held as follows:
Wednesday, March 18, Insect Management in the Vegetable Garden, Purdue Extension-La Porte County office, 2857 W. State Road 2, LaPorte, IN (on the south side of La Porte Co. Fairgrounds).
Wednesday, April 15, Learning to Grow (and Growing to Love) Herbs, Michigan City Public Library, 100 E. 4th St. Michigan City, IN.
All sessions will be held from Noon to 1:00 p.m. Central time
Folks are invited to bring their lunch and join in for one or more sessions on these gardening topics. The fee is just $5 for each fun, relaxing session, which includes informational handouts. No need to pre-register; just show up.
For more information about the sessions in the Brown Bag Gardening Series, please call Purdue Extension – La Porte County at 219-324-9407. You may also download a flyer at www.extension.purdue.edu/laporte; click on the “Garden” heading at top of the web page and click on the “Master Gardener – La Porte County” link.
The LaPorte County Master Gardener Association is one of the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service programs and helps fulfill the state motto of “Helping Others Grow” by training volunteers to promote good gardening and horticultural practices. The Association accomplishes this through its volunteers conducting educational activities and projects in the community throughout the year. For more information about the Master Gardener Program or about becoming a Master Gardener, please contact the LaPorte County Extension office at 219-324-9407 or visit www.extension.purdue.edu/laporte and link to “Master Gardeners” under “Garden.”