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A field journal is important to the work of scientists who study nature, and they’re pretty fun to make too!

When you go outside and see nature (or even if you see plants and animals inside), you can record what you see and notice in your field journal. It is a way of keeping track of all the interesting things you observe in the world around you.

You can make a field journal however you want—out of an old notebook, loose paper, or maybe even a notebook from the Newport Restoration Foundation store!

There is no one way to make a field journal. You can record your observations in the way that makes the most sense to you. You can use writing, drawing, charts, pictures, or any other way you want to record your thoughts! Many scientists like to record the date, time, place, and weather conditions (is it sunny, cloudy, warm, windy, snowing?) on each page—this helps them to remember where and when they saw the plant or animal. If you want, you can also include an image of what you see—this can be a simple drawing, a colorful sketch, or even a photograph. Your observations can be written short, long, or anywhere in-between—just write about whatever interests you, and the things you’d like to remember about what you’re seeing.

It’s important to remember to try not to disturb the plants or animals as you are observing them, and to try to “leave no trace” to avoid hurting a plant or animal’s natural home or habitat.

Prescott Farm is a great place to get started on a field journal, since there are so many different plants and animals to see, all in one place!

Here are some examples of field journals, to help you get started:

We learned about the Power of Wind from our May Second Sunday From Home program (Click here to check it out!). Now it’s time to learn how to create your own weather vane!

Instructions

Supplies:
– straw
– Pin or paper clip
– Pencil with eraser
– Cardstock (or heavier) paper
– Paper cup

 

Step 1
Draw arrows on cardstock paper and cut out. Try to make the back arrow slightly larger than the front, this will help the weather vane point in the right direction (the bigger side will be pushed by the wind, so the smaller side will point in the direction the wind is blowing).

Step 2
Cut slits into ends of straw. Make sure your cuts are done in the same direction, or your arrows will not be aligned.

Step 3
Insert paper arrows (head and tail) into the ends of straw.

Step 4
Poke pencil into center of the bottom of the paper cup, or another household object (such as a paper box, a piece of clay, anything that will keep the pencil upright).

Step 5
Attach straw to the eraser using pin or paper clip. Make sure that your straw is able to turn smoothly.

Step 6
Bring outside and watch it turn!

(Optional)
If you would like, use a compass to determine north, south, east, and west, and mark them on your weather vane. Now you’ll always know the direction of the wind!

Feel free to color or decorate your weather vane however you choose!

Be sure to share your weather vanes with us by tagging NRF on social media @nptrestoration!

From Rosé with the Roses, to Jazz on the Lawn, we have something for everyone this summer at NRF! Rough Point Museum, Whitehorne House Museum, and Prescott Farm will offer a variety of free and ticketed programs for all ages and interests. Please mark your calendars for upcoming special events including:

Rosé with the Roses
July 10 / 5:00 – 7:00 pm / $25 / Rough Point Museum
Rough Point’s rose allée bursts into full bloom for a few days every July. Savor this brief and breathtaking event with a glass of rosé in hand. The museum’s exhibits and grounds will be open for strolling. Price includes admission to the museum and one drink ticket. Please note that this program is weather dependent.

Second Sundays
July 14 & August 11 / 12:00 – 3:00 pm / FREE / Prescott Farm
Community comes together to enjoy the largest public open space on Aquidneck Island. Each month NRF joins with a non-profit partner to highlight the expansive history and horticulture of Prescott Farm. Explore the nature trails with our guest guides, chat up URI’s Master Gardeners, or climb inside the historic windmill – themes, guests, and activities change monthly!
July: Middletown & Portsmouth Historical Societies shed light on Prescott’s Capture
August: Gray’s Grist Mill takes us from seed to Johnnycake

The Myth & Mystique of Doris Duke in Newport
July 16 / 5:00 – 7:00 pm / $15 / Rough Point Museum
Almost every Newporter with a long enough memory has a story about Doris Duke. Special guests, including former staff and friends, recount their experiences, and we hope you bring your own recollections to share at this casual event that examines the legends and lore of Doris’s time in Newport.

Creative Survival: African Artisans in Newport
July 22 / 5:00 – 7:00 pm / $15 / Rough Point Museum
Newport was the most active slave port in the British North American colonies, and many of the enslaved Africans who arrived here were placed into training in the artisan trades, including furniture making. This presentation by the 1696 Heritage Group will explore how these African craftsmen and women contributed to colonial Newport’s economic and cultural prosperity.

Jazz on the Lawn
July 24 / 5:00 – 7:00 pm / $15; 12 and under free! / Rough Point Museum
A night that celebrates Doris Duke’s lifelong affinity for jazz music. Join us for an evening of picnic blankets, ocean breezes, and soulful tunes that recalls the early years of the Newport Jazz Festival when Doris was known to bring musicians back to Rough Point for informal musical performances. Featuring Joe Albano and the Jazz Lords, this program will take place outside.  In the event of rain, our alternate date will be July 31.

Ask a Gardener
July 27  & August 31 / 11:00 – 11:30 am / Rough Point Museum
Free with house or grounds admission.
Tour the Rough Point grounds in the company of experts – once a month our estate gardeners share their expertise on a range of topics from plant identification to organic garden care. Get insider tips about how the Rough Point staff keeps the grounds looking lush and how to incorporate those practices in your own home garden. This program takes place outside and is weather dependent. Tours meet at the camels.

Creative Survival Installation
July 29 / 5:00 – 7:00 pm / $20 / Whitehorne House Museum
The 1696 Heritage Group takes over Whitehorne House Museum for one night only, telling the stories of the enslaved and free Africans who worked in the artisan trades in colonial Newport. Public historians Theresa Guzman and Keith Stokes lead this small group experience and invite us to see the museum and its furniture collection through the lens of African artisans and their contributions to Newport’s “Golden Age.”

Rough Point Plant Sale
August 3 / 9:30 am – 12:30 pm / Rough Point Museum
You’ll want to save some space in your garden for this sale! Our estate gardeners have culled over 400 perennials from Doris Duke’s historic gardens, and this is your chance to plant a little bit of history in your home garden. One-gallon, five-gallon, and baby plants already rooted in soil will be priced to sell. This program takes place outside and is weather dependent. A rain date is set for August 10.

Floral Design Workshop
August 3  / 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
August 22  / 3:00 – 5:00 pm
$40; advance registration required / Rough Point Museum
Take home a one-of-a-kind reminder of Rough Point’s gardens. Led by estate gardener and floral designer Alyssa Leach, this workshop is for novices and experts alike and borrows inspiration from Doris Duke’s historic flower gardens. Materials included, and participants will each take home a mixed arrangement of their own design.

The Myth & Mystique of Doris Duke’s Inner Circle
August 8 / 5:00  – 7:00 pm / $15 / Rough Point Museum
Most people came to know Doris Duke through newspaper headlines and paparazzi images, but who did Doris count among her close friends and confidantes? While Doris’s name was connected to other celebrities like Andy Warhol, Imelda Marcos, and Jackie Onassis, those who knew her best are less well-known. Join us as we unveil the most intimate and influential relationships in Doris’s life.

Midsummer Celebration
August 13 / 5:00 – 7:00 pm / FREE / Whitehorne House Museum
Celebrate the reopening of Newport’s furniture museum by picking out your new favorite piece of early American furniture or rediscovering the fun of Legos and Tinker Toys. Light refreshments provided in the museum’s colonial revival garden.

For information on all events, visit newportrestoration.org/events.

Prescott Farm may be the best kept secret on Aquidneck Island. This 40-acre property is the largest open space park on the island and boasts not only multiple historic buildings, but also a rare double capacity windmill from 1812. Doris Duke purchased the property in 1969 with the intention of preserving the historic farmland and creating a space for a number of additional historic buildings that the Newport Restoration Foundation was in the process of rescuing from imminent demolition.

The only original building on the property is the impressive Nicholas-Overing House, built circa 1730. This formal 18th century building was home to the Overing family at the time of the American Revolution. British General Richard Prescott, the commander of the 6,000 British troops who occupied Newport during the Revolutionary War, decided to make the Overing’s house his country headquarters. It was here that Patriot commander Lt. Col. William Barton kidnapped General Prescott during a nighttime raid. Prescott was caught in only his night shirt and was not allowed to dress before being marched back to Narragansett Bay. This story spread rapidly and not only earned Prescott the nickname the Barefoot General but also resulted in Overing farm becoming colloquially known as Prescott Farm in homage to this early American victory.

Today Prescott Farm’s landscape harkens back to the rural Aquidneck Island of the 18th and 19th centuries, with gentle sloping land, fields lined with stonewalls and areas of scrub trees and brush. The farm is also home to both a kitchen garden and an herb garden which are tended to by a dedicated team from the University of Rhode Island’s Master Gardener program. These living laboratories marry colonial horticultural practices with more modern gardening techniques. Every year produce harvested from the gardens is donated to Lucy’s Hearth, a local women’s shelter on the island. Close to 700 pounds of food is donated every year.

The park is open year round daily from dawn until dusk. This season, Prescott Farm will be a site of community collaboration and engagement. During our new (and free!) Second Sunday programs, NRF will join forces with different community organizations across Aquidneck Island and beyond. These collaborations will highlight the expansive history and horticulture of the area as well as encourage exploration of the park’s nature trails, the historic windmill, and the work of URI’s Master Gardeners. Each month will feature a different community partner, theme, and activities.

NRF is excited to welcome Save the Bay for our next Second Sunday taking place on May 12 from 12:00 – 3:00 pm! They will be bringing their Traveling Touch Tank for visitors to get up close and personal with some new friends from the sea. Click here for more information about this program and upcoming monthly themes! Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to engage with your community and take advantage of Aquidneck Island’s best kept secret.

By Rachael Guadagni, Education & Public Engagement Assistant at Newport Restoration Foundation

Sometime during my first week serving as the NRF’s Director of Museums, our Marketing Manager suggested that I write an introductory blog post. I said, “Sure, in fact, I think I’ll write two, an introduction and something about my favorite room at Rough Point.  And I should have both pieces to you in about two weeks.”

Perhaps the above anecdote gives you some sense of my excitement about serving as the Director of Museums for this unique and significant organization.  Others might rightly see in the same story my ability to foolishly bite off more than I can chew.  Nevertheless, I promised to introduce myself, which I really should do, so on to the introductions!

I am a public historian and museum professional with some twenty years of experience in the fields of museum education, public programming, departmental leadership, exhibition curation, and other forms of museum practice and historical interpretation.  I hold a Ph.D. in American history from UCLA, and I have taught American history, world history, public history, and American Jewish history on numerous campuses across Southern California.

Undoubtedly, my deepest commitment as a scholar and museum professional is to the field of public history, which I would define as the practice of sharing scholarship and other historical practices (historical preservation, for example) with as broad a public as possible. I believe that a general understanding of the work of historians and others in the historical profession is vital to the foundation of a civil society, and I have committed most of my professional life to bridging the gap between working historians and the public.  My commitment to public history is very much in keeping with the goals and programming of the Newport Restoration Foundation.  Indeed, the Foundation’s mission statement makes clear that it does not simply promote preservation for preservation’s sake, but rather for the “enjoyment, education, and inspiration of all.”   Whether you live in an NRF home, visit an NRF museum, or just observe our beautiful restoration work on the streets of Newport, you are learning or experiencing something about the past and the work of those who study and interpret history.  Needless to say, I am thrilled to work for an organization that shares my interests and passions in such tangible and clear ways.

Prior to joining the NRF team, I worked the Autry Museum of the American West, an institution dedicated to the history and contemporary culture of the trans-Mississippi West (broadly construed).  Over a nearly twenty year career at the Autry, I served as a museum teacher, a public programs manager, curator, and most notably as the Director of Education and Visitor Engagement.  As I noted above, much of my practice revolved around making the work of academic historians visible and accessible to the general public, but I also spent a great deal of time building bridges between the museum and the diverse communities of Los Angeles.  I instituted an award-winning program that empowered students from grades K-college to curate public history projects that ranged from student art exhibitions to the production of short films, plays, and beyond.

Early on in my career, I brought former gang members, representatives of the LAPD, and western historians to the table to discuss the history of violence in Los Angeles and the broader American West, and over the past decade, I have spent a great deal of time working with California’s diverse Native-American communities.  I did so, because I believe deeply in the power of museums and other historical sites to serve as places of learning, engagement, and understanding.  To be sure, the museums of the NRF are very different from the sites I worked at in Southern California, but I still believe they have the power to educate, engage, and unite individuals and communities, and I look forward to exploring how we might achieve those ends in Newport and Southern New England.

In addition to my work at the Autry, I have also spent much of the past twenty years doing consultation work for other institutions, pursuing and completing my Ph.D., and teaching in the university classroom (still more examples of my willingness to bite off more than I can chew).

Twenty years is a long time to work at and in one place, but I found the Autry and the scholarly community of Southern California to be a valuable and nurturing training ground and a supportive environment in which to pursue my public history practice. It really took the prospect of working somewhere as special and valuable as the Newport Restoration Foundation to get my wife and I to pick up stakes and move across the country, but we are delighted to be here, and I am thrilled to be the Foundation’s Director of Museums.

To be clear, I am not a complete stranger to the Northeast or New England.  I was born in Mt. Auburn Hospital up in Cambridge, MA more years ago than I care to admit, and I was raised in suburban New York, where I lived until 1987.  So my new position and new location represent a kind of homecoming for me.  There is much in my return to the Northeast that I have found very familiar and very comforting.  Yes, I will have to get used to the winter cold again, but I appreciate the eastern greenery (made possible by regular precipitation) as well as the access to real pizza. I look forward to experiencing four seasons (in LA there are only two—hot and less hot with a little rain).  I enjoy hearing New England accents. And I appreciate living closer to my family in New York.  I will admit that as a New York Giants fan I find it tough to be surrounded by so many Patriots jerseys, but that’s a small price to pay for joining such a wonderful institution and working with such a talented and committed staff.

Those of you who read these blogs will read more from me from time to time (Remember that second blogpost? I still have to write it…), but the truth is that I would rather meet you in person at one of our museums. So when the season begins, please come to Rough Point, Whitehorne House Museum, or Prescott Farm.  You might find me walking around.  In fact, I spent most of my first Friday morning on the job walking the grounds of all three sites, and I loved it!  If you would really would like to meet me, send me an e-mail and let me know you’re coming. I will do my best to find the time to say hello.  You can reach me at Erik@newportrestoration.org

See You in Newport!

By Erik Greenberg, Ph.D., Director of Museums, Newport Restoration Foundation

This October officially marks the 50th anniversary of the Newport Restoration Foundation, so we’re opening our doors to the community with special events, including FREE admission to Rough Point on October 24 to celebrate our Golden Birthday. This entire year we’ve been looking back at — and sometimes reviving — what Doris Duke and others were up to around the time of its founding. Please mark your calendars for special events across all of our museum locations including:

Newport Schools Night
Rough Point
September 19 / 5:00 – 7:00 pm / Free

Tucked all the way at the end of Bellevue, Rough Point is easy to miss. All Newport K-12 students and their families are invited to visit Doris Duke’s eccentric home for a night of fun and exploration. The museum and grounds will be open for strolling. Lawn picnics and #camelgrams encouraged. All ages welcomed. Ages 18 and under are free, and adults admitted free if accompanied by a K-12 student. Otherwise, general admission is $10.

 

A Closer Look at Designing for Doris, Curators Tour & Open House
Rough Point
September 20 / 4:30 – 7:00 pm / Free

David Webb archivists Dianne Batista and Levi Higgs will explore the intersecting interests of David Webb and Doris Duke in this special tour of Designing for Doris: David Webb Jewelry and Newport’s Architectural Gems. The tour will touch on the curatorial process and the commitment to beauty and design that drew two creative minds together. Tours will be held at 4:30, 5:30 & 6:30 (advance registration required). Light refreshments served at the open house to follow, which is free and open to the public. This is a Design Week RI event.

 

Ask a Gardener
Rough Point
September 29 & October 27 / 11:00 am, weather permitting
Included with admission to the house or grounds

Every last Saturday of the month, estate gardeners share their expertise on a range of topics from plant identification to organic garden care. Get insider tips on how to make your own garden as lush as the gardens at Rough Point.

 

Gardening with the Masters: Colonial Foodways of New England
Prescott Farm
October 7 / 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Lecture begins at 11:00 am
Free Event

Whether you’re growing lettuce or lupines, the URI Master Gardeners are here to help! At 11:00 am hear garden pros speak on selected topics. This month, learn about “Colonial Foodways of New England” with Jeff Richards. The 1812 Sherman Windmill is also open for touring.

 

Stone Wall Workshop
Prescott Farm
October 13 / 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
$40, Advance registration required

Learn the art of traditional stone wall construction and repair from the experts. Join Master class instructors Chris and Dan Smith for their fifteenth year leading this hands-on workshop. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided for all participants. If you have work gloves, please bring them along. Please note: In the event of bad weather, the rain date is October 14.

 

NRF’s Golden Birthday
October 24 / Free

In October 1968, the Newport Restoration Foundation was officially incorporated – 50 years later we invite Newport to celebrate the work that’s been accomplished and the exciting road ahead.

9:30 am – 7:00 pm

Rough Point, 680 Bellevue Avenue

Admission to Rough Point, Doris Duke’s Newport home and the site of the earliest NRF’s annual board meetings, is free all day.

5:00 – 7:00 pm

Vernon House, 46 Clarke Street

Vernon House, one of the newest additions to NRF’s collection of 18th century buildings, will be open to the public for an evening of community and celebration. Drop in to say hello, explore one of Newport’s most fascinating buildings, and toast to the next 50 years! Light refreshments will be served.  Advance registration required here.

 

Workshopping the Collection: Newport’s Cabinetmaking Tradition
Whitehorne House Museum
October 14 / 1:00 – 3:00 pm
$50; advance registration required

Get up close and personal with the early American furniture collection at the Whitehorne House Museum. Jeffrey Greene will be turning his craftsman’s eye to the construction details and design differences that set Newport furniture apart. Expect hands-on experience and careful examination during this seminar-style workshop. We’re turning tables upside-down, removing drawers, and getting on hands and knees to study the distinct form of Newport ball-and-claw feet.

 

Workshopping the Collection: Identifying Legendary Newport Cabinetmakers
Whitehorne House Museum
October 28 / 1:00 – 3:00 pm
$50; advance registration required

Jeffrey Greene will be turning his craftsman’s eye to the minute details of a piece that help to identify the maker. Only a tiny percentage of high-end Newport furniture is signed or labeled, but craftsman’s markings and methods of work are as identifiable as handwriting and have yielded some surprising discoveries. Expect hands-on experience and careful examination during this seminar-style workshop.

 

Colonial Survival and Modern Revival: Newport in the 1960s
Rough Point
October 30 / 5:00 – 7 :00 pm / $15

Newport in the 1960s was a time-worn place, a city of many architectural layers. Some saw decay; others saw a sleeping beauty. Urban renewal celebrated modernity, and historic preservation revered the past. These two forces were engaged in an epic battle for the future of the city. Through period photographs and compelling news reports, journey back to the old colonial districts of the Historic Hill and Point and witness the explosive firmament of the 1960s when an important chapter in Newport’s history was being written. Doors will open at 5:00; the lecture begins at 5:30. We invite you to visit the special exhibition galleries before the program.

 

For more information on all events, visit www.NewportRestoration.org/events.

The month of August is jam-packed with fun activities that continue to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Newport Restoration Foundation. We’ll be looking back at — and sometimes reviving — what Doris Duke and others were up to around the time of its founding and much more! Please mark your calendars for special events including:

A Perfect Storm: The Collision of Hurricanes, Climate Change and Coastal Population Growth
Newport Historical Society Resource Center
August 1 / 5:00 – 7:00 pm
$10 – $5 NHS members & NRF tenants

Jeff Donnelly, a climatologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, will discuss the historical links between hurricanes, climate change, and the population growth along the coast. Please register for this event by calling 401-846-0813 x110 or email hrockwood@newporthistory.org.

 

Gene Smith’s Sink and the Mid-Century Underground Jazz Scene
Rough Point
August 2 / 5:30 – 7:00 pm
$15 in advance, $20 at the door

This talk follows the footsteps of legendary mid-century photographer Eugene Smith and his New York City “jazz loft,” which became an afterhours haunt for the likes of Thelonious Monk, Zoot Sims, and yes… even Doris Duke.

 

Gardening with the Masters: The Three Sisters Technique
Prescott Farm
August 5 / 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Lecture begins at 11:00 am
Free Event

Join the Master Gardeners for another special presentation this month at Prescott Farm. On Sunday, August 5 at 11 am, Betsy McClintock will speak about the “The Three Sisters Growing Technique”. In this lecture, learn the history, legend and practical use of Three Sisters Gardening and see a growing example at Prescott Farm. The Guard House and 1812 Windmill will also be open and staffed for public enjoyment.

 

Whitehorne House Museum Open House
August 9 / 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Free Event

A fixture of Lower Thames Street for almost 45 years, it’s time for some change at Whitehorne House Museum! Explore the collection of 18th-century Newport furniture for the first time or come back to hear about plans for the revitalization. The museum’s charming pocket garden will also be open for wandering.

 

Camelot vs. the Counterculture: Fashion and Society in the 1960s
Rough Point
August 23 / 5:30 – 7:00 pm
$15 in advance, $20 at the door

Jackie Kennedy in the White House and Grace Slick at Woodstock. This illustrated talk explores the tangled web of fashion, culture, and society in the 1960s. This event is sponsored by the Costume Society of America, Northeast Chapter.

 

Ask a Gardener
Rough Point
August 25 / 11:00 am, weather permitting
Included with admission to the house or grounds

Every last Saturday of the month, estate gardeners share their expertise on a range of topics from plant identification to organic garden care. Get insider tips on how to make your own garden as lush as the gardens at Rough Point.

For more information on all events, visit www.NewportRestoration.org/events.

This spring and summer, NRF will offer public programming that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Newport Restoration Foundation by looking back at — and sometimes reviving — what Doris Duke and others were up to around the time of its founding. Please mark your calendars for special events including:

Ask a Gardener
Rough Point
May 26 / 10:30 am, weather permitting
Price: Included with admission to the house or grounds

Every last Saturday of the month, estate gardeners share their expertise on a range of topics from plant identification to organic garden care. Get insider tips on how to make your own garden as lush as the gardens at Rough Point.

 

Gardening with the Masters
Prescott Farm
First Sunday of the month
June 3 & July 1 at 10:00 am -12:00 pm / Free

Whether you’re growing lettuce or lupines, the URI Master Gardeners are here to help! Bring in a soil sample from your home garden for free analysis. At 11:00 am, hear garden pros speak on selected topics. The 1812 Sherman Windmill will also be open for touring.

 

Whitehorne House Museum Open House
June 14 & July 12 / 5:00-7:00 pm / Free

A fixture of Lower Thames Street for almost 45 years, it’s time for some change at Whitehorne House Museum! Explore the collection of 18th-century Newport furniture for the first time or come back to hear about plans for the revitalization. The museum’s charming pocket garden will also be open for wandering.

 

Premier Of “I Dare You: A Musical Suite Dedicated To Doris Duke” 
Rough Point
June 15 / 7:30-9:00 pm
$25 in advance; $30 at the door

Doris Duke’s lifelong passion for jazz is reignited at Rough Point this summer. Composer and musician Francisco Pais has assembled musicians from around the world to debut an original contemporary jazz suite inspired by Doris. Listen to the imagined soundtrack of her life at this one-of-a-kind performance.

 

Party Like It’s 1968 Garden Party
Rough Point
July 11 / 5:00-7:00 pm
$25 in advance; $30 at the door

Back by popular demand! Come celebrate this big year for NRF in 1960s style. Join us as we get groovy with vintage cocktails, ocean breezes, genteel lawn games, and live music.

 

Closet Tour: Doris Duke’s 1960s Wardrobe
Rough Point
July 17 / 5:30-7:00 pm
$15 in advance; $20 at the door

Get a rare glimpse inside Doris Duke’s closet and the Rough Point costume collection. This curator-led experience will focus on Doris’s sartorial choices during the 1960s, including go-go boots and colorful caftans, and what we can learn from the garments she left behind.

 

Prescott Farm’s landscape is typical of rural Aquidneck Island in the 18th and 19th centuries, with gentle sloping land, good soil, fields lined with stonewalls, and areas of scrub trees and brush. The farm is fortunate to have water on the property in the form of a brook and two small ponds, manifestly desirable in a “country seat” for a wealthy colonial gentleman.

The URI Master Gardeners, who manage the gardens at Prescott Farm, are offering:

Whether you are growing vegetables, flowers or simply caring for your lawn, proper soil is the key to good results. The trained Master Gardeners will evaluate the texture and pH of your soil sample, provide advice on improving your growing conditions, and tell you how to get more detailed testing. In addition, the Master Gardeners will offer advice on any gardening, lawn care, tree care or other questions you may have. (Weather dependent.) FREE soil analysis and gardening information at Prescott Farm on select Sundays, April through October, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.

How to obtain a soil sample:

  • Using a clean trowel, take and combine several smaller samples in each separate area of your property that you want to test. Take a sample at a depth of 3-4″ for lawn, 6-8″ for vegetables and flowers and 12 -18″ for fruit trees. Do not sample recently fertilized, limed or very wet soil. You can take the sample from different parts of the lawn or garden.
  • Take approximately one cup of soil and spread it on a piece of paper to dry overnight.
  • Transfer the sample to a small zip-lock bag. Write on the bag your name and the type of plants you plan to grow and bring it with you.

Prescott Farm is located at 2009 West Main Road, Middletown, RI.

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