Visitors enjoy a day in the gardens as the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County hosts Garden Field Day on Aug. 15. ADAM UZIALKO/STAFF Classic rock and the aroma of hamburgers hung in the air, welcoming farmers and gardening enthusiasts to the EARTH Center for a Garden Field Day gathering.
The Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County was the host to the celebration at Davidson’s Mill Pond Park in South Brunswick on Aug. 15. The event featured environmental and agricultural organizations, a lush butterfly garden and, of course, the new Rutgers Scarlet strawberry.
“We’ve been working on this project for two years … working with local growers to get the plants for various trials,” said Stephen Jakubiec, an incoming Rutgers senior who worked on the Scarlet strawberry.
Researchers utilized more than a dozen partner farms to grow the different generations of the strawberry, capitalizing on the differing soil types in order to emphasize different traits in the plants. According to Jakubiec, the goal was three-fold.
The new Rutgers Scarlet strawberry was a main attraction at Garden Field Day. PHOTO COURTESY OF PETER NITZCHE “We want to grow for farmers to give them a better New Jersey strawberry,” he said, adding that the berry was bred precisely for the state’s climate. “First and foremost we try to get flavor … and get a good sweet-acid balance.
“The next thing is, right now you got to try one, but it’s August. That’s not typical,” he said. “Usually they’re harvested in late May and June, so as part of our research project we’re trying to extend the season now for these farmers.”
And, of course, Jakubiec said the third aim is to grow a healthier plant that will deliver higher yields.
While the Rutgers Scarlet strawberry stole the show — one attendee exclaimed “everyone is going crazy over it” — there was plenty more to see and do.
The New Jersey Agricultural Society was on hand, grilling up tasty fare to support its programs Farmers Against Hunger and Learning Through Gardening.
Kristina Guttadora, executive director of the agricultural society, said Farmers Against Hunger was able to distribute 1.3 million pounds of gleaned food to community assistance programs and local food banks last year. Much of that food, if not all, would have been plowed under were it not gleaned, Guttadora said.
“This event is great because it’s really our target audience,” she said. “It’s a place where we can find new volunteers and really get the word out.”
Learning Through Gardening helps 38 schools statewide develop and maintain gardens, including the Barclay Brook Elementary School in Monroe Township, St. Stanislaus Kostka in Sayreville and Lawrence Brook and Bowne-Munro Elementary in East Brunswick, according to Guttadora.
Vivian Morris, a master gardener with Rutgers Cooperative Extension, was explaining the howto’s of building a residential rain garden to passersby. Sitting beside a larger rain garden that she tends at the EARTH Center, Morris listed the benefits they convey.
“The purpose of a rain garden is to take the excess water coming off of a building and allow it, instead of being runoff and getting into our waterways, to collect in the center and percolate … through the ground and restore our groundwater,” Morris said.
The building that the Davidson’s Mill Pond Park rain garden was constructed for has since been demolished, but a proper garden stocked with native plants and perennials can go a long way to strengthening and revitalizing local watersheds, Morris said.
“The local impact [of having many rain gardens] is considerable,” she said. “Even a small one can help replenish the groundwater supply and keep runoff out of streams.”
A stone’s throw away was Alan Godber and Michael Shakarjian, representing the Lawrencebrook Watershed Partnership, an organization aimed at preserving the health and viability of that watershed. In addition to rain gardens, Godber and Shakarjian stressed the importance of smart development along waterways.
“Our activities are advocacy, education, [and] research and we want to be overall stewards of the watershed,” Shakarjian said. “The EARTH Center is big at promoting these sorts of causes.”
The duo handed out a list of 32 steps, such as installing a rain barrel, local residents can take to reduce their impact on — and even help strengthen — their nearest watershed. People who tick off 20 of the 32 items get a certificate and a 100 percent recycled tote bag from the organization.
“It’s a watershed-friendly guide,” Godber said. “Most people are receptive to it. You know, it’s baby steps and then their friends see them doing it and might start as well.”
Those efforts taken together would have an immensely positive impact on the environment, he added.
In the end, the Garden Field Day served as a celebration of nature’s bounty, with attendees soaking up the mid-August sun among agricultural experts and environmental advocates who were eager to share the wealth of their knowledge.