Fall Gardener’s Festival to feature 13 presentations

The Fall Gardeners' Festival features a variety of presentations, educational workshops, exhibits, wagon tours, garden vendors and opportunities to Ask-the-Expert. (Photo by Shalena Durkot, courtesy UTIA.)

(CROSSVILLE, Tenn.) -  As landowners and gardeners plan their fall landscapes and gardens, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is gearing up to provide valuable resources that will help them be successful. The annual Fall Gardener’s Festival, hosted at the Plateau AgResearch and Education Center in Crossville in conjunction with the Cumberland County Master Gardeners, will be in-person and feature a variety of presentations by UT AgResearch and UT Extension experts.

“We have a great line-up of presenters and are anticipating a successful day,” says Walt Hitch, director of the Plateau AgResearch and Education Center. “We look forward to once again hosting an in-person event. Mark your calendars today and plan to join us.”

 In addition to presentations, educational workshops, wagon tours, exhibits and opportunities to visit with garden vendors, attendees can visit with experts in a special Ask-the-Expert session. This year, Jeff Harvey, president of the American Conifer Society, will attend as an expert to answer questions.

 The 13 tent presentations include:

• Edible Landscaping
• Bountiful Backyard Berries
• Appalachian Natives and Folklore
• Tricky Tree Fruits
• Ground Covers: How Low Can You Grow?
• Managing Fruit and Vegetable Disease
• Best Management Practices for Woody Ornamentals and Trees in the Landscape
• Top 10 Landscape Mistakes
• Fall Lawn Care Tasks
• Pollinators in the Garden
• Rain Gardening for Tennessee Smart Yards
• Conifers for Today’s Gardens
• Iris and Pineapple Lilies: Two Great Perennials for the Sunny Spot

Pesticide recertification points are available during the following presentations:

• Managing Fruit and Vegetable Disease
• Best Management Practices for Woody Ornamentals and Trees in the Landscape
• Pollinators in the Garden
• Fall Lawn Care Tasks

Sign up at the presentation tents for the recertification points.  

The Fall Gardeners’ Festival takes place August 30, 2022, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. CDT. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the first program starts at 9 a.m. The event is free to attend and food is available for purchase.

The Plateau AgResearch and Education Center is located at 320 Experiment Station Road in Crossville, Tennessee. You can visit plateau.tennessee.edu to learn more about the center’s work and field day events. Online registration for the event is encouraged but not required.Through its land-grant mission of research, teaching and extension, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. utia.tennessee.edu.