The Friends of Milford Library and the Milford Recreation Department's Benson-Crump Memorial Community Gardens Program are in their thirteenth season co-sponsoring a spring gardening lecture series at the Milford Public Library.
All lectures are free, open to the public, and held in the first floor library program room. Coffee, tea, and light pastries are served during each lecture. For more information, contact Nancy at 203-783-3307 or Linda at 203-783-3280x8.
Unusual garden vegetables
The first program in the series will be Monday, March 24 at 7 p.m., and is called, “Growing Unusual Garden Vegetables.” Abigail Maynard, plant pathologist from the Connecticut Agricultural Station, will lead the program, talking about shaking up a garden with some unusual vegetables, such as globe artichokes, Belgian endive, radicchio, specialty melons, and versatile Asian greens.
“Highly nutritious and easy to grow, these unusual vegetables will be a big hit in your garden,” a library press release states.
Maynard will talk about how, where and when residents should grow their vegetables.
Plant diagnosis
The second in the series will be Monday, April 14, at 7 p.m. and is titled, “What's Wrong With My Plants — Diagnosis and Control of Common Vegetable Diseases.”
Plant Pathologist Yonghao Li from the Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station will discuss early identification and accurate diagnosis of key diseases that attack popular garden vegetables. Li will discuss different management options, including diagnosis, proper disposal, and organic and biological methods of control.
Hydroponic gardening
The final program in the three-part series will be Monday, April 21, at 7 p.m. “Hydroponic Gardening” will be led by Colin Coogan and Maxon Keating of Connecticut Roots in Stamford.
Hydroponic gardens can be grown inside, outdoors, and even in small places using containers of water, or in soil-less mediums like sand, crushed rock, gravel or vermiculite, the two men will explain.
“The benefits of hydroponic gardening are vast and include high yields, year round growing, water saving and simplicity — no digging or weed pulling,” they say in their announcement about the program.