The Prince George’s Soil Conservation District, along with the Bloomin’ PGC Partners, our Co-hosts, Linda Jones of Elements of Nature, Michele Coleman of a Heart 4 People Farm and other local urban farming advocates, invite you to participate in our Urban Farmers & Growers Open Mic Night! This event is a platform for the urban farm community to collaborate and share useful information. Any urban farming-related topics—land leases, equipment and supplies, staffing and volunteering, resource-sharing, grants, and mental health— are open for discussion. While the focus is on urban farmers in Prince George’s County, all farmers and growers are welcome to join us!

*** THIS MONTH *** IN-PERSON ONLY ***

Learn about the power of incorporating cover crop mixes into your urban agriculture crop rotation plan. Whether you’re growing on 3 acres or 10 raised beds, cover crops can be an important tool in your soil health tool box. “Cover crops increase soil organic matter, and improve soil fertility by capturing excess nutrients after a crop is harvested. They also raise soil moisture holding capacity, help prevent soil erosion, limit nutrient runoff, reduce soil compaction, and can even help suppress some pests.” Executive Director of the Prince George’s Soil Conservation District and Owner of Edgewood Farms in Upper Marlboro, Steve Darcey will share his cover crop plot trials and methods to terminate them mechanically. We’ll also here from partners, Bill Tharpe of the Maryland Department of Agriculture and Colleen Kiefer of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, about financial incentive programs to help you implement cover crops into your urban ag operation as well as their own experiences with cover crop mixes.

Farmers always welcome to share their enterprises and discuss challenges and opportunities they face in growing for-profit and for donations in Prince George’s County. Ask and answer questions, share your signature growing tips, discuss the latest news in the urban Ag industry, or even blow off some steam. (We know that pesky groundhog is driving you nuts!).

Register here: https://Cover-Crops-April-Open-Mic-Night.eventbrite.com

For more information on the Bloomin’ PGC Urban Farm Initiative: https://www.pgscd.org/urban-agricultural-conservation/urban-farms/bloomin-pgc/

Bloomin’ PGC is an initiative launched by the Prince George’s County Food Equity Council in partnership with the Prince George’s Soil Conservation District, the University of Maryland Extension in Prince George’s County, ECO City Farms, Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission, the Prince George’s County Department of the Environment, the Office of Food Security, and The Capital Market of 20743 to support the growing urban agriculture movement in Prince George’s County.