Celebrate April-National Gardening Month!

By Joanne K., Pitt County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer

April is National Gardening Month, when we gardeners celebrate the joys and benefits of playing in the dirt! Planning a garden, selecting plants, digging them into the ground, caring for them, and watching them grow is all part of the fun. Visiting other gardens helps us to appreciate the beauty and diversity of gardens and all that they offer.

Gardeners enjoy sharing their passion for growing things so much that in the 1980s, the National Garden Bureau worked with 23 co-sponsoring horticultural groups to legislate National Garden Week. President Reagan signed the Proclamation in 1986, making it official in 1987.

In 2002, the National Gardening Association worked to designate April as National Gardening Month. Now there's even a National Gardening Day, April 14th, when people are encouraged to get outside and start gardening.

Growing plants and being in touch with nature offer many benefits. Working outside lets you enjoy the benefits of fresh air and sunshine. Gardening is a low-impact way to build strength and maintain flexibility. Time spent in the garden is relaxing and can help to calm the spirits and promote restful sleep.

A garden can produce fresh fruits, herbs, and vegetables just outside your door. Flowers add beauty to your yard and can be cut to brighten the inside of your home or shared with a friend. Tree shade helps to cool your house.

A hummingbird sips nectar from a trumpet flower. Photo: Kelly Colgan Azar, Flickr CC BY-ND 2.0

Gardens are not just for people. They provide critical habitats for pollinators such as bees, bats, birds, beetles, butterflies, and other animals. These pollinators, in turn, pollinate the plants that produce our food and our flowers.

Tomatoes grow in porous terracotta pots. Photo: Sharon_K, Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0

There are many ways to celebrate this month:

If you're new to gardening, start small with a container garden. Vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers and herbs can be planted alongside parsley and chives in containers.

Introduce a child to gardening by letting them sow easy-to-grow plants such as marigolds, radishes, and lettuce.
Join a community garden where you'll meet like-minded gardeners who enjoy sharing their garden knowledge, produce, and friendship.

Go to the NC State Extension Master Gardener website at https://emgintranet.ces.ncsu.edu/ to learn more about plants and gardening.

Children learn best when they can actively participate. Photo: Kathleen Moore, NCSU Extension

This community garden is divided by plots. Photo: Donna Teasley CC BY-SA  4.0

Photo: Visit the Pitt County Arboretum for a lovely stroll through the gardens and to learn more about the plants that do well in our area. Joanne K.

Visit the Pitt County Arboretum or attend one of the monthly first Friday plant walks with Matt Stevens, Pitt County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent, who has a different plant theme from March through November.

https://www.pittcountyarboretum.com/northside-plant-walks.html

Whatever you choose to do, enjoy the fun of being in nature!