Garden fair set for March 18

You are going to dig this year’s Putnam County Master Gardener Association Garden Fair.

Learn and shop at this free event on Saturday, March 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Putnam County Fairgrounds. Come out and see three great educational presentations and more than 30 garden related vendor booths, many of which are new this year.

At 10 a.m., accredited horticulturalist Dolly Foster will be teaching attendees how to winter sow seeds. Winter sowing works with nature to prepare and germinate seeds for the spring planting season. By winter sowing you are taking advantage of the natural temperatures and length of day to trigger germination. This is an easy, inexpensive and highly successful way to start seeds without a lot of indoor space or equipment.

Sit in and learn from a group of award-winning, highly successful vegetable gardeners at 11:30 a.m. They will share their tips and techniques on how to increase yields, fight pests and avoid diseases. Bring your questions and make this year’s vegetable harvest the best ever.

Bees and gardening are interdependent. As bees collect pollen in our gardens, they pollinate plants and enable them to produce fruits and vegetable. At 1:30 p.m. Mike Seib of Seib’s Honey will be discussing how to draw bees into our garden and protect them so that the bees and your garden thrive.

We have expanded our shopping experience with many new vendors, as well as some old favorites.

Get your tools sharpened on site by Indy Cutting Edge. Pick up some dried mushrooms or a mushroom growing kit from American Mushroom Company. Everything Elderberry will have all kinds of locally made wellness products. Spruce up your garden with up-cycled metal artwork or your patio with new composite wood furniture or a cedar swing. Brighten your home with some new house plants from The Plant Van, or choose some cacti or succulents from S&S Creations. Tree Frog Gardens always brings interesting and oftentimes difficult to find outdoor plants. Learn about the power of native plants from the Indiana Native Plant Society and Native Plants Unlimited. The Bluebird Society will be on hand to educate.

Gift ideas include nature photography and botanical art. Meet local vendors who offer local honey, gardening and pruning services, stump grinding, pond designs and soil testing. With more than 30 vendors, fairgoers will surely find something new for their garden.

The first 300 attendees may pick up either a white pine or a red oak tree to take home and plant. We are grateful to the good folks at First National Bank who have once again sponsored our tree giveaway.

Bring the little ones with you to the garden fair. There will be garden-related kids’ activities to educate and a take home garden craft to hold their interest. It is never too early to get the kids interested in gardening.

The garden fair is a wonderful opportunity for gardeners and would-be gardeners to celebrate the end of winter and the coming of spring. Everyone is encouraged to come and make a day of it. Learn from the speakers, shop and interact with the vendors, and enjoy a tasty homemade lunch by the good cooks of the Putnam County Master Gardener Association.

Visit www.extension.purdue.edu/putnam or contact the local office at 653-8411 for more information regarding this week’s column topic or to RSVP for upcoming events. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Evening and lunch appointments are available, upon request. It is always best to call first to assure items are ready when you arrive and to RSVP for programs.

Upcoming Events

March 18 – Garden fair, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., Putnam County Fairgrounds

March 21 – Food preservation workshop, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Hendricks County Fairgrounds, register at 317-745-2555, ext. 3

April 4 – “Exploring 4-H,” 6-7 p.m., Putnam County Fairgrounds

April 13, 20, 27, 29 – Forestry management workshop series, 6-8 p.m., Ivy Tech, $20, register at https://tinyurl.com/ForestyMgmt23

April 18 – “Basics of Home Food Preservation (Freezing and Dehydrating),” 6 p.m., Hendricks County Fairgrounds, register at 317-745-2555, ext. 3