Save the Date! Spring Plant Sale is April 28, 2019

The Penn State Extension Philadelphia Master Gardeners will hold their 6th annual Garden Day and Plant Sale on Sunday, April 28 2019 from 10am - 2pm at the Horticulture Center in Fairmount Park!

 
We will be selling a wide variety of affordable seedlings and house plants, as well as herbs, vegetables and more than 25 varieties of tomatoes.

This event is more than just a plant sale. Penn State Extension Philadelphia Master Gardeners will host workshops and demonstrations throughout the day. There’s something for the entire family!

Scheduled workshops and demos include: 

Science in the Garden (ongoing; 10:00 am - 2:00 pm): Science in the Garden features hands-on activities related to climate change, science and the superpowers of plants.


ColorWheels Make & Take (10:00 am - 1:00 pm): Get on the ColorWheels bus! Children of all ages will enjoy this arts and crafts activity that connects the world of the garden to artistic expression.



Edible and Useful Flowers (10:15 am - 10:45 am): Join the Philadelphia Orchard Project (POP) for a talk on the culinary and medicinal uses of the plants grown in their orchard. Take a guided tour at 11:00 am or 11:30 am, sample teas made from the fruit trees, and then check out the POP plant sale table.


Shake Up Your Salad! (sessions at 10:30 am and 11:15 am): Penn State Extension’s Nutrition Links Coordinator will demonstrate how easy it is to make a healthy, tasty and inexpensive salad. Taste the results yourself, and then visit the plant sale tables for ingredients to make your own.

Bugging Out! Know the Insects in Your Vegetable Garden (11:30 am - 12:15 pm): From pill bugs to mantids and butterflies to cabbage worms--share your insect pest management strategies and learn from others’ experiences too.


Indoor Plants: Beautiful, Beneficial, Sustainable (12:30 pm - 1:15 pm): Learn about the value of indoor houseplants! Have a plant you want more of? Bring it to the workshop—or purchase one at the plant sale—and learn how easy it is to propagate plants. We’ll provide the pots and soil.


Master Gardeners will also be available to answer all your gardening questions, and don’t forget to check out our Edible Landscape Garden and our Certified Pollinator Habitat Garden for inspiration when planning and designing your own home garden.

We hope to see you there! 


This event will be held rain or shine! For more information about the Penn State Extension Philadelphia Master Gardeners’ Garden Day & Plant Sale, visit https://extension.psu.edu/programs/master-gardener/counties/philadelphia/mggardendayplantsale2019

For directions and information about the Horticulture Center, visit https://myphillypark.org/explore/parks/fairmount-park-horticulture-center/

Plant Sale Success!

Marc Cappelletti

All smiles throughout the day. 

The morning sunshine shone warm and bright among the flowering trees, plants and display tables Sunday morning at the Fairmount Park Horticulture Center, as Penn State University Extension Master Gardeners set up for their annual plant sale. 

This annual sale raises funds for future outreach all while providing the public with expertly grown and cared for plants at very affordable prices.  

Learning about the power of seeds at the Science Fair tables.

Science Festival displays enhanced the event further, and were particularly intriguing to families and children curious about the soil beneath their feet and how science plays a part in their everyday lives. 

Container Gardening Presentation

Everything from succulents to herbs to tomatoes, peppers, edible greens, perennials, native plants and more were on sale. 

And as a bonus, the Master Gardeners were on hand to answer all gardening questions.

Almost time for tomatoes! 

Presentations ran throughout the morning as well, giving visitors a chance to learn about vermiculture (composting with worms), container gardening and the use of indoor plants to clean the air. 

A satisfied customer. 

City living--you have to get those plants home any way possible! 

A delicious salad dressing recipe to spice up our fresh greens. 

Teaching about herb pairings and salad greens. 

Visitors could also learn easy salad dressing recipes and herb pairings, possibly to use in time with their newly purchased plants!

The perfect "classroom" setting.

Everyone who came also enjoyed the chance to appreciate nature, our ultimate goal on this Earth Day.

Penn State Master Gardeners send a warm thanks to everyone that was able to attend.  Enjoy your plants!  

As always, we would love to hear from you.  How did you spend your Earth Day?

The Penn State Extension MG Edible Demonstration Garden at Fairmont Park’s Horticultural Center is expanding, again!

by Michelle L. Dauberman

Last year the edible demonstration garden expanded its footprint by adding five raised beds and this year the garden is adding four more!  

This fun expansion was spear headed by Lois Fischer and graciously supported by the Edible Garden Committee, Penn State Extension Master Gardeners & some philanthropic Drexel University students.

This is such an exciting time for the garden so check out the new additions while we celebrate Earth Day during the Penn State Extension Master Gardener Plant Sale on April 22, 2018.  Visit our location again over the summer when the garden at it peak!

Thanks to everyone who donated their generous time, materials and labor!

For more information on the Penn State Extension MG Garden Day and Plant Sale:

https://extension.psu.edu/programs/master-gardener/counties/philadelphia/news/2018/garden-day-and-plant-sale

For more information on raised beds:

https://extension.psu.edu/programs/master-gardener/counties/lancaster/idea-gardens/the-raised-bed-garden

Garden Day Plant Sale Update

Free Soil Sample 

How to take your sample is below

Speakers of the day will be on the following topics

11AM  Pollinator Habitate 

12 PM Tour of the Pollinator Garden

12 PM Container Gardening for Vegetables

1PM    Three season gardening. What How and Why?

11 to 2 Tours of the organic edible garden, orchard, and Award Winning Pollinator Garden

All Day  Ask the Master Gardener

Do you like to try unusual plants? We have a few.

Cuban Oregano                                             

•  Cotton Plant
• Vicks Plant
• Castor Bean (Toxic but beautiful climbing plant in the right garden)
• Jack in the Pulpit
• Strawberry Spinach
• Cress
• Triple curled Parsley
• Quinoa Brighest Brillant Rainbow
• Okra Clemson Spineless
• Lemon Grass
• Ascepias -Milk Weed
• Solidago ZIG ZAG 

We will also have divisions from our pollinator garden as well as divisions brought in by our Master Gardeners from their gardens. All a surprise until this coming week.

General Prices

4"pots  3.00

6 Pks.  4.00    

Scented Geraniums.  5.00 All a great size

Calendula    5.00

Larger pots of perennials 5 to 18

Pre planted Mixed Herb Garden       25.00

Wild Columbine 

Trumpet Honeysuckle    15.00