Local gardeners looking to get ahead of the game are in luck. The Andover Community Association’s Andover Institute is sponsoring a free workshop with local farmer Diane Hersey on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Bachelder Library on Chase Hill Road in East Andover. The workshop will also include a presentation by Peter Zak of Highland Lake Apple Farm in East Andover.
Hersey is a lifelong New Hampshire resident and owner of Down Home Organics. She offers classes in rural living and organic gardening, for which she draws on years of personal experience living and working on farms. Zak is a longtime apple grower in East Andover. He and his wife sell fresh fruit in season as well as cider, jams and jellies.
From Hersey, participants in Saturday’s workshop will learn about starting seeds indoors, in cold frames, in mini greenhouses or by sewing them directly into the soil. Zak will speak about planting and caring for apple and other fruit trees and berries. For more information about the workshop, email andovercommunity03216@gmail.com.
Jenifer VanPelt