Two free classes at Central Library March 18 & 25 on organic gardening

Experts from the Virginia Cooperative Extension, or VCE, will be at Central Regional Library on March 18 and 25 to teach residents how to make organic vegetable gardens grow.

Nancy Berlin, the Prince William County Natural Resources Specialist with VCE, said the two classes in the Sustainable Garden series will walk participants through the organic gardening process, which includes seed selection, soil preparation, dates to plant, how to plant seeds, growing and harvesting. “We’ll teach you all the techniques that you need to know based on research ... from Virginia Tech and Virginia State University.”

Berlin said the first class will include information on starting seeds, soil preparations and composting. Soil preparation is key to organic gardening. “When we prepare for an organic vegetable garden, it’s a lot different than traditional gardening in that you really have to take care of your soil. Once you build the soil, it’s something that you don’t have to do again and again.”

The second class will deal with what to plant and when to plant it, how to rotate crops, how to harvest and successive planting that can keep a garden going well into the colder months.

Classes are free, but registration is required. The classes will run from 10:30 until noon, Berlin said. “I’d recommended registering for the class as soon as possible because it’s limited space available in the community room at the library.”

The Virginia Cooperative Extension also offers classes in parenting, nutrition, health and the environment. Call 703-792-7747 for more information.