2019 Fall Flower & Garden Fest

Announcer: Farm and Family is a production of the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Amy Myers: Today, we're talking about the 2019 Fall Flower and Garden Fest. Hello, I'm Amy Myers, and welcome to Farm and Family. Today, we're speaking with Dr. Rick Snyder, Mississippi State University Extension vegetable specialist. So Rick, the Fall Flower and Garden Fest is super popular, and always draws a large crowd. Tell me about the Fall Flower and Garden Fest.

Rick Snyder: Well, Amy, it's a fantastic event for anybody who likes plants, who likes being outside, who likes to enjoy seeing fantastic gardens, and also for people who like to garden. You'll learn a lot. You'll pick up a lot of pointers and listen to excellent speakers.

Amy Myers: And who does come to the Fall Flower and Garden Fest?

Rick Snyder: Everybody. Some people just want to take a walk outside and other people take notes voraciously in the seminars, so they know exactly what to do when they get back home.

Amy Myers: Speaking of learning things, what will folks learn here at the Fall Flower and Garden Fest?

Rick Snyder: We have about a dozen seminars and another 10 or so walking tours every day. For example, the garden seminars, which are just a half hour to 45 minutes each. Some of them are designing a low maintenance garden; butterflies and pollinators; how to grow blueberries for your yard; managing diseases in your garden; medicinal plants; container food gardening, that's with Nellie Neal; floral arrangement with Dr. Jim Del Prince.

One of the new talks this year is foraging for wild plants in Mississippi. And in our environment, we have a lot of plants out there that you can eat, but let's just eat the right ones. Apple varieties from Mississippi and herbs in the garden. And Amy, the foraging talk, the one on apple varieties and the talk on herbs are more of a hands on workshop outdoors.

In addition to the seminars, we have a bunch of walking tours. If people would like a guided tour of the garden, some of the topics are flower gardening or herb gardening. Garden steaming demonstration, how to clean your soil without chemicals; plant diseases; exciting plant pics at the Fest; insect identification. And one of the new things this year is the drone demonstration. That should be fantastic for everybody.

Amy Myers: Is there anything else that you'd like to add about the Fall Flower and Garden Fest?

Rick Snyder: Yes. Some more new things this year, we will have an antique tractor display with about 50 antique tractors lined up along the pond. Also, all of the flower beds have been rebuilt. You'll enjoy seeing new flower beds. I mentioned the drone demo. We also have a blackberry demonstration this year. We've never done that before in the garden. People also like to come for the enormous plant sale. There are thousands of plants and yard art to look at and to purchase; and the container gardening will be on display all day, both days, with the popular salad tables.

Amy Myers: And of course, there'll be garden furniture also. And let me also emphasize the fact that you can be a garden or vegetable professional in the industry or you can just be someone who enjoys gardening. And if you want to bring your family, this is a great family event to come to to bring your kids too.

And let me also add that this is a free event and it is a wonderful, wonderful place to get Christmas presents and birthday gifts for friends and family. I have probably been 13 years in a row myself, and I always stock up on Christmas and birthday gifts. And there will also be really great concession stands on site.

So tell me when and where or will the Fall Flower and Garden Fest be held and where can we go for more information?

Rick Snyder: Sure. The Fest will be October 11th and 12th. That's a Friday and a Saturday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, both days. All of the information is on our website, extension.msstate.edu/fallfest and it's also on our Facebook page. Just go to Facebook and look for Fall Flower and Garden Fest.

Amy Myers: And as always, the location is the Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station in Crystal Springs, Mississippi.

Today we've been speaking with Dr. Rick Snyder, Mississippi State University Extension Vegetable specialist. I'm Amy Myers and this has been Farm and Family. Have a great day.

Announcer: Farm and Family is a production of the Mississippi State University Extension Service.