2025 - 2026 Programming Calendar
Breakfast Social & Club Meeting
Monday, September 15th, 2025 | 9:30 AM
Bedford Library - McAllaster Room
The BGC 2025–2026 year begins with a breakfast social and club meeting. To streamline the number of breakfast dishes from last year, we are requesting that members with last names starting with R–Z please bring a breakfast dish to share with our members. Members with last names starting with A–Q are asked to sign up in the Richmond Room for one of the remaining months. The Hospitality Committee will offer coffee, tea, juice, and water. This meeting is an opportunity to re-establish friendships, get to know our newest members, and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow gardeners. The business meeting will provide a brief history of the club and discuss our community gardens, the year’s programs, events, and workshops, the proposed budget, and any important information that may need to be relayed to the membership.
What Determines The Bounty of Our Harvest? with Ayn Whytemare
Monday, October 20th, 2025 | 6:00 PM Social | 6:30 PM Program | 7:30 pm Meeting
Bedford Library - McAllaster Room
Ayn is going to delight us with her prowess on a most important ingredient for our gardens: Compost. On her Found Well Farm website, she informs us that she has earned the title, “compost swilling slut”! Ayn will utilize both her academic and practical experience to educate us on the benefits of this wonderful gardening ingredient, ultimately leading to a bountiful harvest.
Ayn is the founder and owner of Found Well Farm. In 2006, Found Well Farm was one of the first recipients of the NH Agricultural Innovations Grant for business start-up purposes. From 2010 to 2022, she was an adjunct instructor of Plant Biology at NHTI. She taught environmental science, ecology, and sustainable agriculture. She is also a member of Pembroke’s Conservation Commission and Historical Society.
Find out more about Ayn and Found Well Farm here.
Pollinator Pathways with Kathy Youzwak
Monday, November 17th, 2025 | 9:30 AM Social | 10:15 Meeting | 11:30 Program
Bedford Library - McAllaster Room
Pollinator Pathways is an organization of individuals working to spread the word on the supreme importance of our pollinators and what we can do to deter their rapid decline. After attending a Pollinator Pathways event in NH, Kathy decided to take an active role in educating the rest of us on what we can do. We have all probably heard about how to go native in our plantings and refrain from using pesticides, mow our lawns less, or have less lawn to mow! Kathy practices what she preaches by working to rewild her own two-acre property and will broaden our knowledge base on what more we can do. Who knew that a brush pile or fallen tree could be so beneficial for our ecosystem?!
Learn more about Pollinator Pathways here.
Holiday Wreath Decorating Workshop with Kathy Statires and Deborah Troy
Monday, December 1st, 2025 (snow date Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025)
12:00 - 1:15 PM Unloading and Sorting
1:30 - 3:00 PM Decorating
3:00 - 4:00 PM Distribution of decorated wreaths and pick-up of ordered wreaths
Bedford Library - McAllaster Room
Members will enjoy holiday music, refreshments, and fun while decorating wreaths for several Town of Bedford locations, including the town offices, Bedford Library, Police and Fire Department complex, and many more. Members who have pre-ordered wreaths may pick up their wreaths either at the workshop or curbside at the Town Hall from 3:00 - 4:00 PM. Members can also bring their own decorations to complete decorating their pre-ordered wreaths at the workshop.
Holiday Social
TBD
Members and their guests gather to celebrate the spirit of the season at our annual holiday social. Enjoy the holiday season while mingling and chatting with other members and their significant others. Members must RSVP when requested.
Stand Vigil over our forests, woods, farms, and gardens with Doug Cygan
Monday, January 26th, 2026 | 9:30 AM Social | 10:15 Program | 11:30 Meeting
Bedford Library - McAllaster Room
Invasive species have been arriving on our shores since the mid-1700s. The spread has become so extreme that it costs the US billions of dollars per year in lost agriculture, forest crops, impacts on natural resources, and the environment. Doug is here to inform us about the invasive species within our state and what is being done to control and hopefully eradicate these plants that are detrimental to our own native plantings. Doug is the Uplant Invasive Species Coordinator in the Division of Plant Industry within the NH Dept. of Agriculture, Markets and Foods.
Visit the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Invasive Species here.
Society for the Protection of NH Forests with Dave Anderson
Monday, February 23rd, 2026 | 9:30 AM Social | 10:15 Program | 11:30 Meeting
Bedford Library - McAllaster Room
Within the woodlands and forests of NH, we are lucky to have the maple tree. It not only graces us with its riotous colors in fall but also with the wonderful sap that flows in spring. Dave will be presenting “Maple Sugaring: Myth, Magic and Realities”. He will provide us with a humorous look into operating a maple sugarhouse with his family and the process of making maple syrup. He has promised to bring samples!
As senior director of education for the Society of the Protection of NH Forests, Dave teaches about NH forest ecology, wildlife, forest management, and land conservation. He is responsible for the design and delivery of a curriculum of statewide conservation education programs to Forest Society members, conservation partners, and the public.
Learn more about the Society for the Protection of NH Forests here.
UNH Master Gardener Program: Garden Strong with Doris Bucco
Monday, March 16th, 2026 | 9:30 AM Social | 10:15 Program | 11:30 Meeting
Bedford Library - McAllaster Room
We are lucky to have Doris, who has achieved the level of Advanced Master Gardener, share her wealth of gardening knowledge with us. Apparently, her parents are to blame for planting the gardening bug in Doris at a young age in their flower, herb, and vegetable gardens.
We all know, as gardeners, that all that digging, weeding, and planting can take a toll on our bodies. Doris is going to give us some helpful techniques to reduce the stress on our bodies so that we may enjoy the fruits of our labor without the aches and pains. She will also introduce us to some adaptive tools that will make gardening easier for everyone and extend our gardening endeavors for years to come.
Gardening Simplified: Plants and Design Solutions for Time-Pressed and Maturing Gardeners with Kerry Ann Mendez
Monday, April 20th, 2026 | 9:30 AM Social | 10:15 Program | 11:30 Meeting
Bedford Library - McAllaster Room
Whether we are busy raising a family, with job demands, and juggling a hectic schedule, or we are just aging gracefully, a simplified approach to gardening can benefit us all. Kerry Ann will give us easy-to-follow strategies for the right size garden and recommend low-maintenance plant material and design tips for stunning year-round gardens requiring little effort.
As Bedford Garden Club members, we are privileged to benefit from Kerry Ann’s expertise and years of experience. She is an author and award-winning garden educator who has presented hundreds of lectures in 23 states and Canada. Her gardens have been featured in numerous gardening magazines such as Better Homes and Gardens, Garden Gate, and Horticulture. She has been a featured speaker at the U.S. Botanic Gardens, U.S. National Arboretum, and Longwood Gardens, as well as a keynote speaker at Master Gardener conferences in eighteen states.
Read more about Kerry Ann here.
Annual Plant Sale
Saturday, May 16th, 2026 | 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Joppa Hill Educational Farm
The plant sale is our primary major fundraising activity to support all our charitable endeavors, education, and scholarships. Each member is asked to provide five labelled plants (either from their garden or purchased) or provide a $20.00 financial donation. All financial donations of $20.00 will be required by May 1st (checks or cash can be given to the treasurer at the April meeting or mailed to the BGC Meetinghouse Road address). The financial donations are used to buy annuals from a NH grower for sale. Members are encouraged to volunteer and help the digging teams to divide and pot plants from the numerous gardens of either members or Bedford residents. This can take place either in the fall or in the spring. The generosity of spirit, hard work, and support from our loyal members have earned respect and admiration from the community. Please join the Plant Sale Team to make the 2026 sale bigger than the previous year!
Learn more about the 2026 Plant Sale HERE
Membership Business Meeting (all members)
Monday, May 18th, 2026 | 6:00 PM Social | 6:30 PM Membership Meeting
Bedford Library - McAllaster Room
The BGC Executive Board encourages all members to attend the annual business meeting to elect the BGC 2026-2027 Officers, Board of Directors, and a 2027 Nominating Committee. The annual budget, fundraising results, and the May Plant Sale will be discussed, as well as the annual 2025-2026 Community Gardens’ Report. Summer activities will be announced - the June Luncheon sign-up, and sign-ups for Garden Hops and other planned events. Your enthusiastic participation is what makes our Garden Club blossom!
Annual Garden Party
TBD
Members gather for an annual garden party luncheon.
Mum Sale
TBD
BGC’s second major fundraising activity of the year, the fall Mum Sale, is typically held on the first Thursday after Labor Day. Proceeds from the sale help to support the club’s educational programs and maintenance of its nine community gardens. Our beautiful 9” potted mums are NH-grown. The Mum Sale is by order and pre-payment only, with a sale period from June to late August.