Major Education Events

Since 1994, Montgomery County Master Gardeners have maintained a Demonstration Garden at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. Every August, thousands of Fairgoers stop by to learn how they can improve their own gardens.

Master Gardener volunteers are on duty each day during the Fair to answer questions about the wide variety of plants in the Demonstration Garden and about the County's Master Gardener program. Volunteers also conduct tours through the garden, and provide helpful gardening information, including common problems with landscape and vegetable gardens, great choices for sun and shade native plants, proper use of pesticides and herbicides, and proper use of fertilizer to protect the water table and the Chesapeake Bay. Scavenger hunts for young visitors help them have fun while they learn about pollinators, good bugs & bad bugs, and cool plants.  You can see our garden first-hand via this video from the 2021 Fair.

You can find additional information about the Fair, including dates and directions, on the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair website.

The annual Fall Harvest Festival, co-sponsored by the Master Gardeners, is traditionally held on the first Saturday in October.  The Harvest Festival is open to the public and provides an educational and recreational celebration of Maryland’s rich agricultural heritage.  Master Gardener activities include children's garden-related games, tussie mussie workshop, tours of the demonstration garden, and a plant clinic.  The Fall Harvest Festival is held at the Agricultural History Farm Park located at 18400 Muncaster Road, Derwood, MD 20855.  

Students are unaware of the benefits agriculture provides, and of their responsibility to be good stewards of the land. Close Encounters with Agriculture (CEWA) provides a rare opportunity for these students to enjoy a hands-on learning experience, which has an impact on their lives. The children go home and teach their parents about the things they learned, increasing the benefits of the program even further. To volunteer for the program visit the Volunteer Opportunities page.