Healthy Food Systems

The delightful hum of lawnmowers is right around the corner. Soon we’ll be tackling outdoor tasks that have been calling our names during the cold winter months. As we transition into warmer days, our 2026 spring “Ask A Master Gardener Plant Clinics” will be traveling around Queen Anne’s County to various events and open houses. This is a great opportunity to have Master Gardeners help with all your gardening questions, from garden pests and plant problems to selecting the perfect native plants and beneficial insects. Master Gardeners will be on hand to give tips and tricks to make your home garden flourish, help troubleshoot tricky growing situations, and offer encouragement on creating the perfect garden for your space. These events are free and open to the public.

Dates/Topics: 

March 28-29, 2026- Enhancing your garden with native plants at A Little Farm and Nursery (100 Davidson Drive, Stevensville, MD 21666). Master Gardeners will be on hand to discuss picking the right native plant for the right place. From 10 am to 2 pm 

April 11, 2026 – Vertical Gardening at the Queen Anne’s County Library (200 Library Circle, Stevensville, MD 21666). Master Gardeners will focus on creating vertical gardening that maximizes growing space by training plants to grow upward, making it an efficient and attractive solution for small gardens and urban environments. From 10 am to noon

April 18, 2026-Enhancing your garden with native plants at Lowe’s Bayshore Nursery (703 Love Point Rd, Stevensville, MD 21666). Master Gardeners will be on hand to discuss picking the right native plant for the right place. From 10 am to 2 pm   

April 25, 2026- Vegetable Gardening 101 at the UME Office (505 Railroad Ave, Centreville, MD 21617). Master Gardeners will focus on helping you get your vegetable garden started. From 8 am to 11:30 am 

May 2, 2026- Planting a Spring Garden at An Eastridge Garden (533 Dulin Clark Rd, Centreville, MD 21617). Master Gardeners will focus on helping you get your spring gardens started. From 10 am to 2 pm 

May 9, 2026-Container Gardening at the Queen Anne’s County Library (121 S. Commerce St., Centreville, MD 21617). Stop by the library with all your questions about gardening, garden pests, plant problems, and insects as the Master Gardeners kick off the Year of "Container Gardening." Container gardening allows plants to thrive in pots or other vessels, offering flexibility and accessibility for gardeners with limited space or poor soil conditions. From 10 am to noon

May 9, 2026-Container Gardening at Unity Church Hill Nursery (3621 Church Hill RD, Church Hill, MD 21623). Stop by the library with all your questions about gardening, garden pests, plant problems, and insects as the Master Gardeners kick off the Year of "Container Gardening." Container gardening allows plants to thrive in pots or other vessels, offering flexibility and accessibility for gardeners with limited space or poor soil conditions. From 10 am to 2 pm 

For further information please call or reasonable accommodations to participate in this event contact the University of Maryland Extension Rachel Rhodes, at (410) 758-0166 or rjrhodes@umd.edu   

University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.

The delightful hum of lawnmowers is right around the corner. Soon we’ll be tackling outdoor tasks that have been calling our names during the cold winter months. As we transition into warmer days, our 2026 spring “Ask A Master Gardener Plant Clinics” will be traveling around Queen Anne’s County to various events and open houses. This is a great opportunity to have Master Gardeners help with all your gardening questions, from garden pests and plant problems to selecting the perfect native plants and beneficial insects. Master Gardeners will be on hand to give tips and tricks to make your home garden flourish, help troubleshoot tricky growing situations, and offer encouragement on creating the perfect garden for your space. These events are free and open to the public.

Dates/Topics: 

March 28-29, 2026- Enhancing your garden with native plants at A Little Farm and Nursery (100 Davidson Drive, Stevensville, MD 21666). Master Gardeners will be on hand to discuss picking the right native plant for the right place. From 10 am to 2 pm 

April 11, 2026 – Vertical Gardening at the Queen Anne’s County Library (200 Library Circle, Stevensville, MD 21666). Master Gardeners will focus on creating vertical gardening that maximizes growing space by training plants to grow upward, making it an efficient and attractive solution for small gardens and urban environments. From 10 am to noon

April 18, 2026-Enhancing your garden with native plants at Lowe’s Bayshore Nursery (703 Love Point Rd, Stevensville, MD 21666). Master Gardeners will be on hand to discuss picking the right native plant for the right place. From 10 am to 2 pm   

April 25, 2026- Vegetable Gardening 101 at the UME Office (505 Railroad Ave, Centreville, MD 21617). Master Gardeners will focus on helping you get your vegetable garden started. From 8 am to 11:30 am 

May 2, 2026- Planting a Spring Garden at An Eastridge Garden (533 Dulin Clark Rd, Centreville, MD 21617). Master Gardeners will focus on helping you get your spring gardens started. From 10 am to 2 pm 

May 9, 2026-Container Gardening at the Queen Anne’s County Library (121 S. Commerce St., Centreville, MD 21617). Stop by the library with all your questions about gardening, garden pests, plant problems, and insects as the Master Gardeners kick off the Year of "Container Gardening." Container gardening allows plants to thrive in pots or other vessels, offering flexibility and accessibility for gardeners with limited space or poor soil conditions. From 10 am to noon

May 9, 2026-Container Gardening at Unity Church Hill Nursery (3621 Church Hill RD, Church Hill, MD 21623). Stop by the library with all your questions about gardening, garden pests, plant problems, and insects as the Master Gardeners kick off the Year of "Container Gardening." Container gardening allows plants to thrive in pots or other vessels, offering flexibility and accessibility for gardeners with limited space or poor soil conditions. From 10 am to 2 pm 

For further information please call or reasonable accommodations to participate in this event contact the University of Maryland Extension Rachel Rhodes, at (410) 758-0166 or rjrhodes@umd.edu   

University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.

Join us for an interactive program with Rachel Rhodes, UME Horticultural Educator, as we explore the world of plant propagation. Participants will learn the basic principles and techniques of propagation, including how to grow new plants from stems, leaves, and roots.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this activity please contact your local University of Maryland Extension Office, Rachel Rhodes (410) 758-0166 or rjrhodes@umd.edu by March 5, 2026.

University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.

Stop by the library with all your questions about gardening, garden pests, plant problems, and insects.  This month’s topic is “Vertical Gardening.” Master Gardeners will focus on creating vertical gardening that maximizes growing space by training plants to grow upward, making it an efficient and attractive solution for small gardens and urban environments.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this activity, please contact your local University of Maryland Extension Office, Rachel Rhodes (410) 758-0166 or rjrhodes@umd.edu by April 1, 2026.

University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.

AGNR faculty and staff are invited to the 2026 State of the College and Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 13, at 9:00 am at the Riggs Alumni Center. The AGNR Faculty and Staff Excellence Awards serve to recognize and celebrate the exceptional achievements and contributions of our colleagues across the College in innovative research, impactful teaching, meaningful extension work, service, and leadership. 

Participants will learn more about herbs that are vibrant, nutritious, and can grow in compact locations (like a windowsill). Pots, soil media, and herbs will be provided for each audience member to take home.

Join the seed-saving movement with our first annual Seed Circle Project. This year's seed choice is Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter Tomato. We will highlight this heirloom tomato and show you how to save seeds at the end of the season, so you can return dried seeds to local seed libraries or your local extension office.

Free seeds or plants will be available and the only thing that we ask is that you pass along seeds to friends, neighbors, and donate what you can back to seed libraries across Allegany and Garrett County. 🍅 Seeds will be available while supplies last in Allegany and Garrett Counties, but anyone can come to learn about tomatoes! Locations for picking up free seeds for this project will be announced in March!

A Virtual Tomato Basics Gardening Class will kick off our seed saving year on, February 23rd at 12:30pm!

Register here: https://go.umd.edu/2026SeedCircleProjectRegistration

February 12, 2026
Salisbury University
Montgomery Conference Room, Commons Dining hall

Lunch is included.

Transportation to tour two nearby local farms will also be included.

The event begins at 9:30a and ends around 3:30p

February 10, 2026
University of Maryland College Park
Pyon Su Room, Stamp Building

Lunch is included.

Transportation to and from the farm for a tour will also be included.

The event begins at 9:30a and ends around 3:30p

PSLA Seminars are held in person weekly on Mondays beginning 2.9.26 in PLS Building Rm 2107/2109 from 12PM-1PM followed by graduate student lunch with the seminar speaker. Seminars will be broadcast live via Zoom. Spring 2026 will feature speakers from the University of Oregon, National Links Trust, Brookhaven National Laboratory, MSDE, and the University of Florida.