Berkshire Botanical Garden is celebrating Earth Day!
Join BBG’s Ron Kujawski on Friday, April 25, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Stockbridge Library, and receive a bare root tree with instructions on how to plant it in celebration of Earth Day/Arbor Day! Can’t make it on April 25? An additional supply will be available at BBG on Friday, May 2, from 4 to 6 p.m. outside the Education Center at BBG. Trees planted throughout the Berkshires will benefit the earth, our people and our pollinators!
Join gardening expert Ron Kujawski in his teaching garden in West Stockbridge on Saturday, June 22, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., as he demonstrates his home garden tips and tricks! Learn first-hand about the different planting strategies for crops using raised beds, mounding and vertical space. We will explore in-garden composting and pest management and how to adapt to no-till gardening.
Ron starts seeds in the basement where he’s set up benches, heating mats and fluorescent lights. Then he moves the seedlings of cool-season vegetables to his unheated greenhouse while the warm-season vegetables are placed on benches in south-facing windows in his house. As the weather improves, he sets them out on the deck before moving them to the garden under row covers.
Ron Kujawski spent his formative years working on his family’s onion farm in Florida, N.Y. From there he went on to earn his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate in biological sciences from the State University of New York at Albany. After five years of developing and directing the Environmental Studies program at Simon’s Rock College in Great Barrington, Mass., he moved on to the University of Massachusetts Extension Service as a specialist in landscape, nursery and urban forestry. Now retired, he spends time as a horticultural consultant, author, writer, and lecturer, that is, when he is not tending to his vegetable garden. Ron also chairs the Horticultural Advisory Committee at the Berkshire Botanic Garden and writes a column for their weekly online newsletter. He and his daughter, Jennifer, have co-authored the book Week by Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook.
Gardener Ron Kujawski shares his tips for getting the most out of your tomatoes in this virtual Berkshire Botanical Garden class on May 11. He’ll cover tomato varieties, planting for success and care throughout the season. Pest and disease management will be addressed. He’ll also share his tips for harvest and preservation. Ron personally grows over 40 tomato plants in his home garden each year! $10 for BBG members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/growing-knock-out-tomatoes
Ron Kujawski spent his formative years working on the family onion farm in Florida, New York. From there he went on to earn his BS, MS, and PhD in Biological Sciences from the State University of New York at Albany. After five years of developing and directing the Environmental Studies program at Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, MA, he moved on to the University of Massachusetts Extension Service as a specialist in landscape, nursery and urban forestry. Now retired, when he is not tending to his vegetable garden, he spends time as a horticultural writer and lecturer. His weekly columns appear in the Berkshire Eagle during the growing season and The Berkshire Edge throughout the year. Ron and his daughter Jennifer Kujawski co-authored the book: Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardeners Handbook. Their weekly gardening tips can be found on Instagram at weekbyweekvegetablegardeners and Facebook at Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook.
This Berkshire Botanical Garden lecture on growing garlic by local garden guru Ron Kujawski—comes on Wednesday, October 12 from 10 – noon, just in time for planting a garlic crop. Ron will inspire, entertain, and inform gardeners about how to grow the best garlic in town. Each student will go home with a selection of cloves of Ron’s favorite picks for Berkshire County and the local environs. Ron will cover the subject from clove to scape, from selecting varieties and optimal growing conditions, to planting and cultivation, as well as curing and storage. Attendees will be given insight into growing other allium species, including shallots, leeks and onions.
Ron Kujawski is the former Landscape and Nursery Specialist for UMass Cooperative Extension. He is a garden writer, educator, and researcher in IPM, plant nutrition, and soil science. He teaches for the horticultural industry throughout New England. BBG members $20, nonmembers $25. Register online at https://berkshirebotanical.org/education/lectures-and-workshops/
This Berkshire Botanical Garden presentation on Saturday, April 12, from 1 – 3, is designed to help you understand the various types of tomatoes, the best time to start them from seed and when to set them out. The pros and cons of different methods of growing will be discussed. In-season care, including mulching and pruning along with pest and disease control, will be described, as will harvesting and methods of preservation. Students will learn proper handling and transplanting of tomato seedlings via hands-on activities.
Ron Kujawski, Ph.D. is the former Landscape and Nursery Specialist for UMass Cooperative Extension. He is a garden writer, educator and researcher in IPM, plant nutrition and soil science. He teaches for the horticultural industry throughout New England. BBG member price $30, non-members $35. Sign up at www.berkshirebotanical.org or call 413-298-3926 x 15.
This Berkshire Botanical Garden lecture on growing garlic by “garden guru†Ron Kujawski—held just in time to plant your garlic—will inspire, inform and give you the information needed to grow the best garlic in town. Each student will go home with a selection of cloves of Ron’s favorite picks for Berkshire County and the surrounding area. Ron will cover selecting varieties, growing conditions, planting and cultivation of this great crop, as well as curing and storage. Consideration will be given to other allium groups, including shallots, leeks and onions. The class will take place at the Education Center at Berkshire Botanical Garden on Saturday, October 12, from 10 – 12, and costs $22 for BBG members, $27 for nonmembers. Sign up by calling 413-298-3926, or on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org.
Ron Kujawski is the former Landscape and Nursery Specialist for UMass Cooperative Extension. He is a garden writer, educator and researcher in IPM, plant nutrition and soil science. He teaches for the horticultural industry throughout New England. Photo from www.patagoniaorganics.com.
