LUMBERTON — I have always loved to see summertime arrive, and ironically, as I get older, I am almost as happy to see it leave. Summer seems to bring a sense of freedom, maybe stemming from my school days and summer vacations, but nonetheless, a happy feeling.

As the summer days roll by, I now pleasantly look forward to fall with its cooler temperatures and crisp autumn mornings. Fall brings images of pumpkins, hayrides, bonfires, cornucopias, our county fair, apple cider, with splashes of red, orange, and brown everywhere. A cornucopia, also known as a horn of plenty, is basically what I want to offer here today. North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center, will be offering a plethora of horticultural classes this fall.

We have a series of seven classes on general gardening titled “The Extension Gardening Series.” These classes include Easy to Grow Fruits and Berries, Gardening with Herbs, Organic Pest Management, Sustainable Vegetable Gardening, Living Landscapes with Perennials, Living Landscapes with Trees and Shrubs, and Sustainable Lawns and Alternatives. Another standalone class to be offered is “Fall Vegetable Gardening in Containers.” These classes are free to the general public, and you can pick and choose any that you might be interested in attending. Registration is strongly encouraged. Participating in five of “The Extension Garden Series” classes is a prerequisite to attending the Master Gardener Volunteer training this coming winter.

You might be asking yourself, what is a living landscape? If you would, imagine a developer purchases a tract of land, be it wooded, cropland, or meadows. The property is basically cleared of everything, roads are installed, houses built, and the newly installed landscape might include six evergreen shrubs as foundation plants in front of the house.

Where are all the native plants that support our local ecosystem? The Living Landscape classes address this issue and highlight native plants we can add to our landscape. Thankfully, there is growing interest in being better stewards of our land and natural resources. Folks are realizing we need to continue to provide habitat for our native fauna. There is no better way to counter this degradation than to include native plants in our landscape.

I would be remiss if I fail to mention the 76th annual Robeson Regional Agricultural Fair will be coming this fall as well. After two years of pandemic-influenced absence, I know everyone is looking forward to its return. I would like to remind you there will be loads of prize money offered for your blue-ribbon winning crops, crafts, antiques, canned and baked goods, and much, much more. So now is the time to start planning and gathering your best offerings to enter in the fair.

Remember, all the classes are free, but please call our office to register. You can check our website https://robeson.ces.ncsu.edu/ on the events tab for specific dates and times of each class.