OAKHURST – With near-future weather forecasts showing a series of sunny days and very little chance of rain, spring could be coming to the mountains sooner than planned. Fortunately, there’s still time to plan and plant a productive plot.
With that idea in mind, the garden gurus behind the Oakhurst Garden Club at True Value invite the public to a free workshop: “Get Ready for Veggies!” Sunday, Mar. 3, at 1 p.m., in the Garden Center.The workshop will cover topics ranging from small to large vegetable gardens, herb gardens and raised beds, according to Garden Center Manager Suzanne Jones.
“Stop in if you want to learn how to raise your garden, and for anyone who is interested in growing vegetables, it would be great just to come and learn,” says Jones.
“We will have vegetables in stock, whether seeds or starters. Right now we mostly stick with the lettuces and winter vegetables, but we will have a few tomatoes, like Early Girl.”
Led by blogger and Garden Coordinator Sue Langley, the free workshop will also cover composting and container vegetable growing. The program is held outdoors under a tarp with chairs for seating, and is expected to last as long as there are questions to be answered – usually about an hour-and-a-half.
The Oakhurst Garden Club offers free workshops, usually every month, and Jones tells S|N|O the events are drawing more visitors each time. Last month, Langely demonstrated some useful winter sowing techniques using recyclable materials, and talked about straw bale gardening.
“It was awesome. We ended up with more than 20 people. Each time, we’re getting a few more participants, so that’s wonderful,” Jones enthuses, adding that many of the workshop’s attendees are experienced local gardeners, with dirt under their nails and critical information at their fingertips.
“It’s nice because they want to share their knowledge, so if Sue doesn’t know the answer, somebody does. It’s like a meeting of the minds.” Novice gardeners and those new to the area are welcome, too.
Those who come by on Sunday can check out the progress of Langely’s winter-sowing from last month, and learn some new techniques for the planting season, which seems to be largely upon us.
Guests who attend will receive a 10% coupon, redeemable on select and related items. This is a fun, friendly group with a vast base of information. Arrive a few minutes early for a good seat and keep your fingers crossed… if it’s anything like last month, there may be free raffle, as well. Good luck and good gardens!
True Value Hardware is located at 40596 Westlake Drive, Oakhurst.
