Education Programs for Adults

We engage a variety of adult audiences including garden clubs, environmental groups, library clubs, municipal agencies and more. Explore our topics below or contact us about arranging a program tailored to your group’s interests. The programs currently available include the following PPTs/webinars and hands-on soil health assessment. (Preview our programs on our OCSCD YouTube Channel.)

For more information about Education Programs, please call Becky Laboy,
Education Outreach Specialist, (609) 991-1534 or Contact Us

healthy soil

Don’t Treat Your Soil Like Dirt!

Building a Foundation for Your Jersey-Friendly Yard

Soil is one of the most important components of your garden, but possibly the least understood. In this program, we will explore the chemical, physical and biological processes of soil and how they work together to create a healthy foundation for your native garden.

Soil, Water and Light

Tips for a Successful Garden

Planning and growing a successful garden begins with an understanding of the basic elements that support plant growth – soil, water and light. Knowing these conditions in your yard will help guide your species selection and your overall garden design. Using the Jersey-Friendly Yards website, we’ll discuss the tools and resources to assess these conditions in your yard, offer suggestions for appropriate plant species selection, and share ways to design your garden based on the soil, water and light conditions in your yard.

Jersey-Friendly Yards

Landscaping for a Healthy Environment

Explore the Jersey-Friendly Yards website, including its tools and resources that you can use to create your own “Jersey-Friendly Yard”. Through the practical lens of a Jersey-Friendly gardener, we’ll explore techniques to create a healthy foundation of soil, methods to implement water conservation practices at home, and strategies to select appropriate plants to attract pollinators, birds and wildlife to your yard.

The berries of Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra), are an essential winter food source for birds. Photo by Becky Laboy

Trees and Shrubs for a Winter Wildlife Garden

Trees and shrubs are essential to attracting and sustaining wildlife in your winter garden. We’ll use the Jersey-Friendly Yards website to identify and explore native trees and shrubs that offer food and shelter for birds and other wildlife, and provide beauty and interest to our winter yards. Tips and techniques for creating brush piles, installing roosting and nesting boxes, and for maintaining stems and leaves for overwintering beneficial insects will be discussed.

Nashville Warbler forging on native Beach Plum (Prunus maritima) during spring migration. Photo: Becky Laboy

Attracting Birds to Your Yard

Birds delight us with their cheery songs, fluttery movement and colorful attire. Attracting birds to your yard is easy when you use landscaping practices that support their needs and eliminate harmful chemicals. We’ll explore a wide selection of bird-friendly native plants that provide food, protection, nesting material and places to raise young in your yard. 

Assessing Your Soil’s Health

*This program requires an outdoor space in which to conduct a soil assessment demonstration.

A healthy garden begins with a foundation of healthy soil. A Soil Health Assessment can provide you with valuable information about the heath of your soil and offer solutions to common problems such as compaction, erosion, lack of nutrients, and pH. Learn how to assess your own soil and explore solutions for a healthier landscape.