AUSTIN Texas Cooperative Extension and the Travis County Master Gardeners will sponsor “A Passion for Plants” garden fair in East Austin.
The fair will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 17 on the grounds of the Horticulture Building at Austin Community College Riverside Campus. The grounds are at the intersection of Grove Boulevard and Hogan Street.
The event is free and open to the public. Plants and seeds will be given to attendees while quantities last.
Activities will include hands-on demonstrations and how-to instructions for growing trees plants and vegetables, said Skip Richter, Extension horticulturist for Travis County.
“Both adults and kids can learn a lot from attending the fair,” he said. “Even people who aren’t familiar with gardening will be able to see how to prepare their soil and take care of plants in their garden and landscape.”
Educational topics will include composting and mulching, vegetable planting, preparing soil, growing plants from seeds and cuttings, and growing plants in containers. Other topics will be insects, plant diseases, native and adapted plants for East Austin, environmental awareness, tree planting, lawn care and weed control.
Children’s activities will include games and a display of live tarantulas and centipedes, as well as a giant cave cockroach, by “The Bug Lady,” Wizzie Brown, Extension entomologist. Experts from Extension and several East Austin gardening organizations will be available to answer questions relating to horticulture, Richter said.
Horticultural demonstrations and instruction will be targeted to those living on Austin’s east side, but those from other areas also can benefit from attending, he added.
For more information, call the Travis County Master Gardeners at 512-854-9600.
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