With spring in full swing, it’s time to start planning your garden! You can learn new techniques and draw inspiration from renowned designers and nature at Darien Library in April.
The library will host three events designed to help gardeners of all ages, those with green thumbs and new planters, alike.
— an announcement from Darien Library
Make healthy changes to your backyard this spring in two programs sharing sustainable gardening practices that will keep your space — and the environment around it — healthy and happy.
No-Till Gardening: April 4
Educator and farmer Mark Gostkiewics will share the magic of no-till gardening and other sustainable organic practices in “Learn About No Till Gardening” on Tuesday, April 4 at 7 p.m. in the Conference Room.
You can register for this program online, here.
Join educator and farmer, Mark Gostkiewics, as he explains the magic of no-till gardening and sustainable organic practices that will make gardening a joy for the whole family.
No-till gardening is a method where you don’t disrupt the soil structure by tilling, turning over, or breaking it up every year. This is important as soil structure is delicate and can be easily damaged. A rototiller can be used once to start a garden, but over time, tilling can lead to oxygen deprivation, nutrient loss, weed growth, and disruption of beneficial fungal networks in the soil.
Learn how to create beautiful, bountiful gardens using this method. You will discover a variety of easy and effective techniques, such as sheet mulching, hugelkultur beds, raised beds, and straw bale gardens. This method is a lot easier on your back, and you can grow vegetables, flowers, herbs, fruit and even mushrooms.
Gostkiewics is the owner of Tri Gable Lea Farm in Colchester, Connecticut, which has been in the family for generations. In 2013, he started the farm’s first CSA, and since then has added classes on natural processes, organic and sustainable practices, homesteading and how to care for a plant from seed to plate. Mark is also a middle and high school math teacher and is certified in special education.
Go Pesticide-Free: April 6
Darien Library and Darien Nature Center welcome Louise Washer, an expert in habitat restoration for pollinators, for “The Payoffs of a Pesticide-Free Yard.” Join us for an eye-opening discussion about pesticides commonly used on lawns and gardens and their negative impacts on human health, our environment, and biodiversity.
You can register for this program online, here.
Louise will discuss effective alternatives to pesticides and the importance of adopting sustainable practices to protect our air, water, and soil, and thereby promote biodiversity.
She will also discuss the need to update state policy around pesticide restrictions, point out specific pesticide legislation currently being debated in the Connecticut Legislature, and what you can do to help make Connecticut a leader on this issue.
Washer serves on the board of the Pollinator Pathway, which is now in over 325 communities across 11 states. She is also president of the Norwalk River Watershed Association, is a member of the Norwalk Mayor’s Water Quality Committee, and is on the steering committee of the Hudson-to-Housatonic Regional Conservation Partnership (H2H).
Contributed photo
Darien Library will help you get down and dirty — but in a good way — with three April events about gardening.
Frances Palmer’s Creative Process: April 19
Then, step into the awe-inspiring world of Frances Palmer, a Connecticut-based potter and gardener whose work has been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, and more.
Learn how she draws inspiration from her garden, her love of art, cooking, and photography into her daily creative pottery process. She will share the story of her artistic journey and how she lives a creative life and how you can too, on Wednesday, April 19 at 10 a.m. in the Conference Room.
You can register for this program online, here.
Palmer has worked for over 34 years from her home and studio in Weston. She earned a B.A. from Barnard College and an M.A. in art history at Columbia University. Her handmade, functional ceramics have been exhibited and sold internationally, including at Fotografiska, March, Moda Operandi, Neue Galerie, the Philip Johnson Glass House, Object & Thing, and Wave Hill.
Since 2017, Frances has collaborated with the design-led ceramic manufacturer 1882 Ltd. on a collection of creamware for the table. Her work is represented in leading private craft and contemporary art collections around the world. She is often featured in publications including British House & Garden, Elle Decor, House & Garden, T, The New York Times Magazine, Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, and The World of Interiors.