Free gardening workshops March 21 & 22

Free gardening workshops, sponsored by WSU Extension and Cowlitz County Master Gardeners, will be held at the Cowlitz County Expo Center in conjunction with the Home and Garden Show on March 21.

9:00 a.m.: Preparing your Vegetable Garden

WSU Master Gardener Jon Griffin will discuss what to do in your vegetable garden to prepare it for planting. You will learn when to plant, how to get an early start and what it takes to maintain healthy plants to get a great harvest.

11:00 a.m.: Mason Bees

WSU Master Gardener Billie Bevers will discuss the skills needed for raising Mason Bees. Orchard Mason Bees are highly effective pollinators that are very non-aggressive. They become active in early spring when apple and pear trees begin flowering. The class covers management, bee biology and management of pests.

12:30 p.m.: How to Sharpen your Tools

Do you fight with your tools when using them? WSU Master Gardener Dale Hurley will show you how sharpen your tools so that work for you and with you. Learn how to give your tools the edge that will shorten work and make chores easier and more enjoyable.

March 22

11:00 a.m.: Lawn Care

Professional groundskeeper and WSU Master Gardener Bryan Iverson will explain everything you wanted to know about managing your lawn. Discussion on the proper techniques in lawn maintenance will include watering, fertilizing, weed control and mowing. Learn the best way to prepare the area for planting a new lawn.

12:00: Tips to control moles

Sadly, all too many property owners know the frustration of having that vision of a beautiful lawn ruined by moles. WSU Master Gardener Bryan Iverson will talk about which techniques are the most effective in getting rid of moles. Bryan will discuss what works and what products fail to get results.