Plants

Square-Foot Gardening Workshop

Celebrate sustainable living with Backyard Growers Program in Gloucester MA

In this workshop, the Backyard Growers team will introduce you to the Square-Foot Gardening Method, which helps gardeners make the most of often limited growing space, and grow the most food possible for a household. We'll show you how to do this by using gridded square-feet instead of rows. You'll work with us to create your own custom vegetable garden plan for the season.

When: 
Saturday, May 3, 2025 9:30-11am

Backyard Growers Garden Storytime

Join Backyard Growers at Sawyer Free Library Garden in Gloucester Massachusetts for Garden Storytime

Backyard Growers brings a fun outdoor children's gardening program to the library! Children will plan, plant, water, weed, maintain & harvest a garden at the library all summer in this series of Thursday morning events. Learn about gardening as we share books and stories while exploring the process of growing. The ecology focused summer reading theme of Read, Renew, Repeat strives to bring attention to our natural world, as well as caring for the environment.  Located at the library raised garden bed on the Middle Street side of the Saunders House (88 Middle Street.)

When: 
Thursdays, July 11-August 29, 2024 10am

Plant Sale at Emma Andrews Library

Plant Sale fundraiser at Emma Andrews Library in Newburyport Massachusetts

Emma Andrews Library and Community Center invites you to the library for their annual fundraising plant sale!   As you are contemplating your gardens and find an excess of plants or plants that need dividing, please donate them to us. Plants may be dropped off in the backyard of the Emma at 77 Purchase Street on Friday, May 31. And then, come join us on Saturday, June 1 to find wonderful offerings for your garden. All proceeds go to fund the general expenses to keep the library running.

When: 
Saturday, June 1, 2024 9am-12pm

Seed Starting & Fairy Gardens with Backyard Growers

Seed Starting & Fairy Gardens with Backyard Growers and SFL in Gloucester Massachusetts

Join Sawyer Free Library and Backyard Growers as we welcome Spring making fairy gardens and planting seeds! This children's program is free and materials will be provided for starting seeds, planting, and setting up for the fairies to take up residence! This event will take place at the Backyard Growers office, the entrance of which is located in the back parking lot area of 103 Rear Maplewood Avenue. Attendees will  plant seeds and decorate their seed trays with all the classic components of a fairy house. Use sticks, stones, moss, and more to design a garden fit for a fairy!

When: 
Saturday, May 11, 2024 11-11:45am

Drop-in Seed Planting at North Shore Children's Museum

Seed planting workshop at North Shore Children's Museum in Peabody Massachusetts

Come to the museum to join volunteers from Newhall Fields for a very special planting program. Kids will get a chance to plant seeds, learn more about the anatomy of seeds and plants, color, and dress up. This program is drop in from 1-3PM, and included with your admission to the 12-2PM or 2-4PM play session.

When: 
Sunday, May 5, 2024 1-3pm

To Bee or Not to Bee

Come to newburyport Library for a gardening presentation focused on pollinators and how to plant to attract them. Photo by Bill O'Connor

We had such a great reaction to last year's program "The Role of the Honeybee in Our Environment" that we decided to offer another bee based program. This time, gardening guru Andi Ross will present her new program, "To Bee or Not to Bee." Landscaping to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects as well as birds and butterflies is not only trendy, its critical to our own survival. This lecture will explore what plants will attract beneficial wildlife to your gardens with slides of glorious gardens filled with wildlife.

When: 
Saturday, February 24, 2018 | 11am-12:30pm
Landmark Skills+ Summer Course at Landmark School in Beverly Massachusetts

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Winter Family Field Trip: Terrific Animal Tracking

Families will learn about identifying animal tracks at Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport Massachusetts!
Mammals such as squirrels, rabbits and deer leave many signs that they are active in winter. Learn how to interpret the tracks and signs or clues of active animals in winter. Stay active and warm with a group challenge about hibernation. Conduct an experiment about snow insulation.
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Kidleidoscope at Breakheart Reservation

Kidleidoscope is a program designed for preschoolers at Breakheart Reservation in Saugus Massachusetts
Come join our park interpreter for a story time and nature walk! Complete a small craft and explore the woods! Walks are gently paced and approximately 1 mile, though not accessible for strollers. Appropriate for families with children 3-5 years old. Meet at the Visitor Center.
10:30 am to 11:30 am

Unraveling Winters Wild Tales - Animal Tracking for Families

Kids will learn about tracks and signs and how they can tell a story at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield Massachusetts!
Welcome to the wild world of animal tracking! Participants will learn how to identify animal tracks by focusing on key details such as number of toes, toenail impressions, and overall size of the print.
3:00 pm to 4:30 pm

Saturday, January 24

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Nice n' Easy Hike at Breakheart Reservation

Nice and Easy winter hike at Breakheart Reservation in Saugus Massachusetts
Join the Park Interpreter for this weekly guided hike! Each trip will highlight natural and historic features unique to Breakheart. Hikes are moderately paced and range from 2-3 miles over sometimes uneven and rocky terrain. Best for ages 8 years and up. Meet at the Visitor Center.
9:30 am to 11:30 am

CraneOutdoors: The Castle Hill Hike

CraneOutdoors: The Castle Hill Hike at the Crane Estate in Ipswich Massachusetts
Come explore the lesser-visited corners of Castle Hill and its surroundings with us this season. This hike is a CraneOutdoors guide favorite because it’s got a little bit of all the things that make the Crane Estate such a special place…
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Gloucester's So Salty 2026

Celebrate Gloucester Massachusetts recognizably salty character with local cultural institutions in the heart of downtown.
Celebrate the fish city’s recognizably salty character with local cultural institutions and businesses during the 5th Annual Gloucester’s So Salty festival sponsored by the Cape Ann Museum in partnership with Discover Gloucester! This annual event brings over 2,000 people to the downtown area each...
10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Native Seed Sowing at Long Hill

Seed Sowing Workshop at The Trustess of Reservations' Long Hill Gardens in Beverly Massachusetts
Join Cole Campbell, production horticulturist at Native Plant Trust, for this native seed-sowing workshop at Long Hill Public Garden in Beverly, MA. Learn about our native plant seeds, and then get your hands in the soil to sow some seeds that you can take home with you.
11:00 am to 12:30 pm

Sunday, January 25

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Explore! North Shore: Winter Hike at Moraine Farm

The Explore! North Shore hiking series will get you outside and moving at Moraine Farm in Beverly Massachusetts
The Explore! North Shore hiking series will get you outside and moving at some lesser explored Trustees properties across the Northeast Region, at the right time of year to see these special places shine. These beginner hikes will not be too strenuous, and will offer frequent stops for learning and...
10:00 am to 12:30 pm

Gloucester's So Salty 2026

Celebrate Gloucester Massachusetts recognizably salty character with local cultural institutions in the heart of downtown.
Celebrate the fish city’s recognizably salty character with local cultural institutions and businesses during the 5th Annual Gloucester’s So Salty festival sponsored by the Cape Ann Museum in partnership with Discover Gloucester! This annual event brings over 2,000 people to the downtown area each...
10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Raptor Roundup: Meet Live Birds of Prey at IRWS

Raptor Roundup: Meet Live Birds of Prey at Mass Audubon's Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
Get a close look at some live local birds of prey while keeping warm in our barn! Learn each bird's unique story, discover why raptors play such a vital role in our environment, and explore their amazing adaptations, like keen eyesight and powerful talons, that help them survive in the wild....
11:00 am to 12:30 pm

Watching the Coastal Edge at Halibut Point

Tour the WWII era observation tower at Halibut Point State Park in Rockport Massachusetts.
Meet at the Halibut Point State Park visitors center to learn about the role Halibut Point has played in America’s military history. One day after the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack, U.S.
11:00 am to 12:30 pm
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