Gardening enthusiasts have heard him on the radio, read him in the newspaper, seen him on television. On Thursday, March 2 they can tap into horticulturist Gary Bachman’s expertise face-to-face in Columbus. Lowndes County Master Gardeners present the Southern Gardening host and columnist at 6 p.m. on the lower level of Trotter Convention Center, at 402 Second Ave. N. The program is free to the public.
Master Gardeners present a community-wide vegetable gardening seminar each spring.
“It’s kind of an outreach for the Lowndes County Master Gardeners,” said Extension agent Reid Nevins. “This year I thought Dr. Bachman would be a big hit.” Bachman is a research professor of horticulture at the MSU Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi.
“I’m really excited about this,” Bachman said about his Columbus visit. “I look forward to having some fun, and I’m going to bring a fabulous door prize with me.”
Garden paradigm
Bachman’s talk is titled “Changing the Garden Paradigm.” While most people start out with an idea of what a garden should look like, he said, often by mid- or late season, results don’t meet expectations.
“I’m going to try to change people’s ideas. We don’t need a big vegetable garden in order to have an ample harvest,” he said. A proponent of container gardening, the horticulturist will share tips on reaping a plentiful harvest, even if limited to growing on a patio or balcony. “If you live in an apartment, can you garden? I say yes,” he added.
Nevins remarked, “He’s really a good speaker and very knowledgeable, and this is a fun event, with lots of door prizes and refreshments.”
This seminar is especially timely. Recent unseasonably warm weather has jump-started garden planning.
“This year more so than ever, people are already calling me about what to spray and questions like that,” Nevins said. “Everybody’s got it on their minds,”
Master Gardener and Columbus Garden Club Council President Doris Ebner agreed.
“The warm spring-like weather definitely invites me into the garden,” she said. “I read each one of Gary Bachman’s articles and always have lots of questions — it will be great to get answers.”
For more information about Thursday’s free seminar, contact the Lowndes Extension office, 662-328-2111.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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