Penn State Extension's Lancaster County Master Gardeners will host "Gather, Connect and Grow: A Workshop for Community Gardeners" on Saturday, July 15, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The free event will be held at Penn State's Southeast Agricultural Research and Education Center, 1446 Auction Road, Manheim, which is a working farm that is home to dozens of vegetable, field crop and environmental research projects and one of the largest flower trials in the country.

Last year, when Master Gardener Sue Hynicker began researching the county's community gardens, she discovered that information was hard to find, and none of the gardens or gardeners were connected to each other. She learned that some of the gardens are managed by township staff members while others are organized by community leaders, and they vary in size, ranging from large fields divided into smaller areas to city lots that are between buildings.

The community gardening workshop is meant to bring everyone together to share resources. During the workshop, Hynicker will provide information she received earlier this year at a conference hosted by the American Community Garden Association. Additionally, a representative of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank will provide details to help community gardeners find ways to locally donate any extra food they grow. Other topics will include best practices, pros and cons of tilling, cover crops and small space gardening. Tours of the Master Gardeners' five idea (demonstration) gardens will be available.

To register for the workshop, email Hynicker at poodie53@comcast.net.