BY BARBARA STORZ
The Deep South Texas Master Gardener Association is holding its Spring Garden Festival from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at their South Texas Education Garden in north San Juan Park.
This year’s event includes two free workshops, a plant sale, a raffle and a silent auction, tours of the many themed gardens and a children’s garden workshops from 10 a.m. to noon. Children will make items they can take home.
Workshops begin at 9:30 a.m. with one on how to build a rainwater capture system, and at 10 a.m. there will be a workshop on composting. The Master Gardeners have a demonstration area with several types of compost bins so folks can see which system is best for their space. These workshops are free. However, if you would like to take home a rain barrel for your garden, the Master Gardeners will have some available for $50.
The plant sale will include fruit trees, hummingbird and butterfly plants and a nice selection of herb plants. Fig and guava will be available, along with several other tropical fruit trees. Additionally, the Master Gardeners have several types of flowering landscape trees available.
Raffle tickets will be available early in the morning on a wheelbarrow that is filled with gardening tools and a metal garden bench. They also have an extensive silent auction with items ranging from gardening books to garden tools and garden decorative items.
This garden is located at 509 East Earling Road in San Juan, which is part of the extension of Nolana Loop. Signs along the road will indicate the event in a park behind a Hidalgo County WIC Center. If you are traveling east on Nolana from Edinburg, watch for the county buildings after you pass Raul Longoria.
The Master Gardeners maintain a Facebook page at Deep South Texas Master Gardener Association.
You can pick up a flyer for this event today at the Growing Growers Farmers Market in McAllen’s Firemen’s Park, on the corner of 1st Street and Business 83. The market opens at 9 a.m. and will have information on the Master Gardener’s upcoming home garden tours, which will be in the Edinburg area on April 28, and will have information on their educational workshops scheduled in May.
Barbara Storz is a local horticulturist. You can listen to her garden radio show at 7 Saturday mornings on 710 KURV Radio. You can e-mail her at [email protected].
