Don't Be Too Tidy

Give yourself and your landscapers a break, and your yard will reward you with vitality!

Leave the leaves. Right now, butterflies and bees are nestled under fallen leaves for winter, and won't emerge til it's consistently warmer. Plus, dead leaves enrich your soil as (free!) mulch.

Save dead plant stems. Butterfly chrysalides cling to them, and certain bees nest in hollow stems. Leave stems in place until late May; or if you must cut them, carefully pile them in a less visible corner.

Hang on until tomato time. In our area, Xerces Society advises, "Some bees don’t emerge until late May, so the longer you can tolerate your 'messy' garden, the better." As you would with tomato planting, wait until temps are reliably in the 50s before removing stems and relocating leaves to other parts of your yard.

Start Composting

Sign up for the free webinar Black Gold: Composting Simplified and you'll be a composting pro.This Rutgers Master Gardener talk with Cheri Wilczek will be held on Zoom on March 28 at 7:00 pm. We're co-sponsoring it with Morris Township, the Chathams and Florham Park. Register here.

Our Earth Month Promotion: We'll soon be partnering with four towns to sell a 100-gallon backyard composter at a discounted price ($99 vs $127 retail). It's Farmer Shaun's favorite, and it will help support Grow it Green, the urban farm in Morristown!

Reminder: Java's Compost offers curbside pickup and also a monthly drop-off option at the Madison Department of Public Works' Recycling Center. Even if you're backyard composting, you may want to consider Java's for kitchen waste that can't be composted at home, like bones, dairy, oils and fats.

SAVE THE DATE!

List your yard sale and get on the map for this spring's Madison-Chatham Town-Wide Yard Sale, happening on Saturday, April 30, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Fee: a $10 tax-deductible donation to the Great Swamp Watershed Association.

Previous yard sales have attracted hundreds of shoppers from PA, NY and all over NJ! 

Go Native

Our second annual native plant sale with the Great Swamp Watershed Association starts April 1.

Preview the sale now then shop online early for the best selection of kits (designed for sun and shade) as well as single species—including Showy Goldenrod, Blazing Star, Cardinal Flower, Blue Lobelia and more. 28 species will be on sale through April 22. Get yours before they sell out!

Kits provide a succession of blooms from spring through fall. Free kit manuals, garden design plans, and other helpful resources make getting started easy!

Why do natives plants matter? Bees, moths and butterflies are threatened by lack of a habitat where they can live, breed, and find food. With native flowering plants, you provide host plants that sustain the insects that pollinate our food crops—including many of our favorite summer fruits. Plant them near your veggie garden and see!

Electric Vehicle (EV) Expo

Friday, April 22, 2:00–5:00 pm

At Sunday Motor Co. Café

Join us for our second annual EV Expo! On Earth Day, the eye-catching cars parked outside Sunday Motor Co. Café in Madison won’t be gas guzzlers. Owner Nick Vorderman is partnering with the Environmental Commissions of Madison, Chatham Borough and Chatham Township to host this informative showcase of electric cars and e-bikes.