ITHACA, N.Y. -- If you want to manage your mint plants, tend your tomatoes, know why you should mow your grass high or how to cultivate cabbage correctly, then register for the first annual Cornell Gardening Day, March 23, from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., at DeWitt Middle School, Ithaca. The event is sponsored by the Cornell University's Department of Horticulture, Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Tompkins County and Cornell Plantations.

The day-long program will feature more than 30 lectures and workshops, plus a resource fair and free soil pH testing. Classes will be taught by faculty at Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, as well as by staff from Cornell Plantations and CCE educators, staff and master gardeners. Topics will include landscaping with perennials, shrubs and bulbs; growing fruits and vegetables; garden photography; water gardens; fertilizers; wildlife damage control; mulches; composting; soils and soil creatures; propagation; and pest management.

Frank Rossi, Cornell assistant professor of horticulture, will provide the keynote talk, "Ecological Lawn Care," at noon. Rossi examines ecologically based gardening as it relates to lawn care. He will discuss the characteristics of organic and synthetic lawn-care technology, and make homeowners mindful of how lawn care decisions have an impact on the environment.

Registration is $50 per person until March 7. Registrations received on March 8, and after will be $65. Registration includes lunch, four talks, a summary session, soil pH testing, a panel of experts, resource fair, and a certificate of completion. Registration is required by March 15 to guarantee lunch.

Also, workshops will be conducted by the Ithaca Children's Garden for a limited number of participants between the ages of 7 and 12.

For information on Cornell Gardening Day, visit , or contact Maxine Welcome at (607) 255-5439 or by e-mail at mw45@cornell.edu .

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