246 Days of Gardening
copyright: chambersdesign
It’s nearly mid-February and we are getting excited about kicking off 246 Days of Gardening. For nine months, we will be doing lots of stuff to help people, towns and businesses get outdoors and find the pure joy of getting your hands dirty. In todays world with all of the troubles, it’s important to get active and go into nature.
Countdown to 246
The official start date for the 246 Days of Gardening is March 14, 2026. That’s a Saturday and we will be going to the Rain Park in South Orange, NJ to start getting it ready for spring. Our trip will include people from the Environmental Commission of South Orange along with volunteers from nearby towns. Gardens don’t always need help to spring back to life - but it does help. We will be removing the old growth from 2025 so the new sprouts of this year can easily find the sun and be healthy. If you are interested in gardening, this is a great chance to learn about proper cleaning techniques, what to do in late winter as a gardener and how to identify good plants vs weeds. Bring a rake, gloves and eyewear….yes, eyewear is highly recommended because all of the stems are pointy and can easily catch you when you’re not looking.
Pre-Game Events
We are so excited about this coming year that we are hosting a free webinar on Feb 17, 2026 at 12noon EST called Less Lawn = More Nature. The webinar will be about an hour long and we will go over all of the important points to transform your grass knoll front and/or backyard into a wonderland of perennials. We will focus on knowledge that aligns with the New Perennial or Dutch Movement. We believe this approach lets you have a rich biodiversity and an incredible aesthetic. All you have to do is login to the zoom meeting to participate:
Meeting ID : 841 7055 1834
Passcode: 281039
Or: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84170551834?pwd=weTouHKXvbY3qEa7qwu8dWuyg67kpF.1
And Then There’s More
copyright: chambersdesign
After March 14, we will be doing more events throughout the area and online. First, there’s the Everyday Gardener Program. This is an just what it sounds like - once a day, 6 days a week, we will venture to the Rain Park for the highly rewarding efforts of managing the garden. Typically, this entails weeding mugwort and other weeds - but it also includes learning about native-ish plants where they live. We will spend between 30 to 90 mins each day keeping the space moving in the right direction. This is a continuation of what we started last year called GIP-C (Green Infrastructure Perennial Care) - where the hard and yet beautiful work of maintaining landscapes is revived. I personally did this last year and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity as well as the absolute soul feeding experience. I spent around 150 hours of time in the Rain Park last year…mostly on my knees grabbing at an assortment of invasive in the heat and rain, and I loved every minute of it. There’s so many little specifics about botany, plant behavior and landscaping that can’t be learned any other way. You do need gloves, long sleeves and good mobility + eyewear. It’s not without its challenges. I did get poked in the eye a few times and got a few bee stings. For more info, please reach out.
Webinars
copyright: chambersdesign
We will be undertaking a few other webinars after the first. Topics that are currently being developed are: How to Create Rain Gardens, New Regulations for Green Infrastructure in New Jersey, Organizing Large Plantings and more. If you want to participate or partner, please let us know.
Back to Nature
copyright: chambersdesign
The goal for 246 Days of Gardening is to encourage people to take that next step into gardening. For over 30 years, I’ve been deepening my understanding and knowledge about sustainable topics from green building to renewable energy. The last decade has been exclusively been dedicated to landscape design, native-ish plantings, green infrastructure and outdoor experience. What I’ve found is that there is no substitute for getting your hands dirty. Though there is lots of info online and groups that bring people together - 246 is really about being a resource of real-world wisdom. Like the old saying goes “Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put them in a fruit salad”. We will be posting all of the events and other activities here as well as on instagram (@designfor nature) and Facebook. So follow, join and keep in touch.