We’re having a Spring Faire 

While I don’t normally like to blatantly promote my own business, occasionally we are doing something so fantastic that I feel compelled to let everyone know about it.  Such is the case with our upcoming Spring Faire, this Saturday, March 21^st from 11am to 3pm.

This event is really an educational fair for the gardening public with a focus on growing your own fruits, herbs and veggies.  We have assembled an array of commercial vendors, community non-profit organizations and even some northwest artisans for a little fun and frivolity.  And just incase you get hungry; we will be barbequing hotdogs too.  Here is the lowdown on what we have planned.

Looking for information on growing fruit trees?  Members from the Western Washington Fruit Tree Research Foundation will be here armed with their vast knowledge of how to successfully grow fruit trees west of the Cascades.  No question is off limits.

How about blue berries?  Everyone loves blueberries so we have brought in Carolyn Kellogg from Briggs Nursery to fill you in on the ins and outs of growing these tasty little treats.  And for an added bonus, the first 300 attendees to see her will receive a free blue berry plant.  (One per family please)

No matter what you are growing in your garden, you always need some compost and organic fertilizer.  Brenda Sage from the E.B.Stone Company will be sharing her knowledge of composts and fertilizer and how they help northwest gardeners be successful.  And I think she has got some deals up her sleeve that you won’t want to miss out on like free bags of compost when you buy some organic fertilizer.

Container gardening has been big for several years now and to show you how to grow veggies in containers we have brought in Dean Peterson from the Earth Box Company.  These guys have developed a growing system that is all self-contained where once you have planted all you need to do is just add water.  Dean will explain how it works and how much produce you can actually grow in these containers.

There will be a rep from Cascade Sales, the company that makes "The Worm Factory", a tidy composting bin for decomposing kitchen wastes and generating worm castings.  They will be demonstrating how these worm bins work and educating you as to all the benefits of using worm casting in your garden.

How about growing herbs?  Skagit Gardens in Mt. Vernon, our supplier of herbs will have someone on hand to help you navigate through the spicy maze of herbs.  Nothing like some muddled mint in your Mojito or fresh cilantro with the ceviche.  You’ll be clipping and snipping herbs all summer long after this event.

We will have representatives from the community to talk to attendees about growing veggies for the community food banks.  Doug Buell from Marysville will represent the Healthy Communities program. Joyce Zeigen from the Marysville Food Bank will be giving away seeds and letting attendees know what kind of fruits and veggies they are looking for.  Several Master Gardeners will be on hand to talk about their Growing Groceries mentoring program. And finally, the students that were involved with our Food Bank garden last year will be here to share their experiences and their plans for this season.  Be sure and give them some kudos for their efforts.

Last but not least, just for fun there will be about a dozen artisans from the Puget Sound area showing off their creative talents because after all, all work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy.

Come celebrate the beginning of spring at Sunnyside Nursery on Saturday, March 21^st as we go back to our roots and focus on helping you grow your own fruits, herbs and vegetables.  There will be drawings every hour for gardening merchandise, plants and more with a grand prize at 3pm of an Earth Box planting system worth over $60.00.  And don’t forget that barbequed hotdog.  Yum, yum.

Of course I will be there as well, ready and willing to answer all your gardening questions about fruits and veggies and about what to do in your yard this time of year, especially after this nasty winter we just had.  Bring the kids, the neighbors and the neighbor’s dog and plan on getting educated and informed about what you can do to grow your own produce and also what you can do to support our local food banks.  In these difficult times we all need to work together for the common good.