Haddon Township Environmental Commission

05/12/2026

Our HTHS students are the best!

Big shout out to the Haddon Township High School Environmental Club for rolling up their sleeves to keep our community clean!

05/11/2026

Time to make your mosquito traps
🦟☠️🪤

05/11/2026

Well done! Great to see land preserved🌳

04/25/2026

Next HTEC meeting May 20 at 7pm at our Environmental Center. Come check us out 👀

04/25/2026

Try one of these next time you are buying plants for you garden. Plant once and they will come back each year.

A flat of petunias costs about the same as a pot of coneflower.

The petunias support a handful of pollinator species, die at first frost, and need replacing each spring. The coneflower supports dozens of pollinator species, returns for years, and never asks for another dollar.

🌿 Nine native perennials that keep working long after planting day:

- Purple coneflower — supports a wide range of bee species. Seeds feed goldfinches through winter. Returns reliably for years from a single planting

- Black-eyed Susan — self-sows into drifts that look better each season. Months of continuous bloom without deadheading

- Bee balm — hummingbirds and bees arrive on the same plant within minutes. Spreads to fill gaps. Leaves make a pleasant herbal tea

- Wild columbine — one of the first native flowers of spring. Red and yellow spurs shaped for hummingbird bills

- Butterfly w**d — monarch caterpillar host plant. One of the few milkw**ds that doesn't spread aggressively. Orange clusters attract passing butterflies

- Joe Pye w**d — tall with massive mauve flower heads that draw multiple butterfly species at once

- New England aster — fall specialist. Purple-blue bloom in September when most other flowers are finished

- Goldenrod — does not cause allergies, that's ragw**d. One of the last significant pollen sources before winter

- Blazing star — blooms from top down. Strong draw for monarchs during fall migration

One purchase. Years of return. The perennial costs the same and pays back longer 🌱

04/25/2026

Hmm clever

Stop throwing away your broken patio umbrellas and turn that metal frame into a free vertical garden tower that gives you twice as much food in a tiny space. Ripped or faded umbrellas are a common sight after a big summer storm, and most people think they are just bulky trash that needs to be hauled to the curb. Buying a heavy-duty metal trellis at a garden center can cost a lot of money, and many plastic versions are just too weak to hold up heavy vegetable vines. Letting a broken umbrella sit in the garage just takes up valuable room and leaves you with a mess you eventually have to deal with anyway.

Repurposing the metal ribs of an umbrella creates a rock-solid skeleton for climbing plants that will never blow over or snap under pressure. This vertical shape allows you to grow massive amounts of cucumbers or beans in a small corner of a raised bed, which keeps the rest of your soil open for other crops. You get a professional-looking garden feature for zero dollars while keeping bulky trash out of the landfill. It turns a frustrating household break into a creative win that makes your backyard look smart and incredibly productive.

To build your own garden tower, start by using a pair of sharp scissors to strip every bit of the old, ripped fabric off the metal ribs until you are left with just the clean frame. Dig a deep hole in the center of your garden bed and sink the main umbrella pole at least twelve inches into the dirt so it stays perfectly upright. Open the umbrella frame halfway to create a wide "teepee" shape and tighten the locking mechanism to hold it in place. You can even use small metal tent stakes to anchor the ends of the ribs into the soil for extra stability during high winds.

Fill the area around the base with a rich mix of organic compost and dark topsoil to give your seeds plenty of energy to climb. Fast-growing vegetables like Marketmore 76 cucumbers or Kentucky Wonder pole beans are perfect for this setup because they love to wrap their tendrils around the thin metal arms. You can also plant Sugar Snap Peas in the early spring for a wall of sweet green pods that are very easy to pick at eye level. Tuck in some Yellow Marigolds at the feet of the trellis to add a splash of color and help keep garden pests away from your young vines.

Lay down a layer of plain brown cardboard around the base of the pole before adding your wood mulch to keep the w**ds from stealing water from your climbing plants. If your vines are having trouble grabbing the smooth metal, you can wrap a bit of rough twine around the ribs to give the tiny tendrils something to hold onto. Wipe the metal frame down with a damp cloth every spring to keep it looking fresh and prevent any old dirt from touching your new vegetables. This simple hack ensures your garden stays organized and gives a second life to something that would have otherwise been wasted.

04/22/2026

01/23/2026

Join the Camden County Certified Gardeners and the Camden County Office of Sustainability for a networking event focused on building and strengthening community gardens. Participants will learn about expanding existing gardens, starting new community garden projects, and the importance of seed saving. A seed swap will take place following the main presentation, giving attendees the opportunity to exchange seeds and connect with fellow gardeners. This event is free and open to all.