The Ellis County Master Gardeners will be back in the Waxahachie Civic Center on March 26th!
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Tickets will be available for free at community sponsors and $5.00 at the door on the day of the Expo.
10:30 A.M. “Preserving Your Harvest: Freezing, Drying and Canning” with Liz Espie.
You have eaten and given away your fresh fruits and vegetables and still have more! Family and Community Health County Extension Agent Liz Espie will speak on enjoying your harvest throughout the year by learning how to safely preserve fruits and vegetables while retaining flavor.
11:30 A.M. Keynote “How Grandma Survived the Depression” with Jay White.
With a MS in Agriculture from Texas A&M, owner and publisher of Texas Gardener magazine,
Jay White has a passion for the science of horticulture which he combines with his experience in gardening at his Brenham home and with lessons from gardeners who pass along plants and share gardening wisdom. In his talk about “How Grandma Survived the Depression”, Jay will show how lessons from the past combined with current horticultural methods can help you contend with shortages at the grocery and rising food prices by producing food in your own yard.
12:30 P.M. “Raising Chickens” by Carolyn Ross.
Chickens are reasonably easy to raise and their eggs can provide a good source of protein. Their manure, when composted, is an excellent addition to your garden. A Master Gardener for 14 years, Carolyn will introduce you to raising healthy chickens, tending to them, feeding them and providing shelter. She will also provide resources to help you successfully raise your flock.
1:30 P.M. “A Quick Pictorial Walk-Through of Urban Homesteading” by Ginger Cole.
Ginger has been a Master Gardener for 13 years. Her topics will cover testing your soil, composting, choosing the right plants for our area with plant and seed sources, designing a garden, raising chickens and beekeeping. Attendees will receive a soil test kit, seed and plant catalogues, resource URLs for gardening topics and literature on EarthKind gardening, rainwater harvesting, and
how to reduce use of commercial herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers.
2:30 P.M. “Peaches, Pears and Figs – Oh My!” with Maureen Nitkowski.
There is nothing better than eating a ripe peach pulled from your own tree, still warm from the sun. With 20 years as a Master Gardener, 11 years as a Master Naturalist and training in biology and chemistry, Maureen can help you learn varieties of fruits that do best in Ellis County and how to keep the plants healthy and bearing fruit.
Children’s Workshops
Come join us as we explore how to identify and be “Heroes of the Garden”.
The children’s workshop at the Ellis County Master Gardeners Expo is a popular place for kids and their parents to visit. Both the children and adults enjoy the educational exhibits,… read more.