Garden Fest @ BC

Celebrity Tomato

There's junk to do this weekend.  Junk in the garden.  Stuff's blooming.  Weeds are sprouting.  Junk needs to be done.  Since it's going to be H O T, the early morning and evening are the only tolerable time to get that junk done.  However...

The Horticulture Department at Bakersfield College (BC) is pleased to present their seventh annual Garden Fest on Saturday, April 21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the college’s Environmental Horticulture Gardens, now called Renegade Park, which are located on Mt. Vernon Avenue north of Memorial Stadium. Garden Fest will celebrate the horticulture and agriculture programs at Bakersfield College for the seventh year.

“The event is an information outreach event to tell the community about our programs,” said Lindsay Ono, Environmental Horticulture faculty at Bakersfield College. “We started our first year as a simple plant sale with nursery seminars in partnership with Kern County garden clubs.   Since then, though, we’ve become bigger and better.”

Bakersfield College’s Garden Fest has grown to become Bakersfield’s premier springtime garden event for seasoned greenthumbs and novice gardeners alike.  Garden Fest is an open house, featuring Bakersfield College’s Environmental Horticulture and Agriculture programs, and draws thousands of visitors annually.

Events scheduled for this year’s Bakersfield College Garden Fest include Country Garden Seminars on the California Landscape Contractors Country Garden Stage, hosted by Dale “Sultan of Sod” Edwards and Lindsay “The Plant Professor” Ono.  Along with Ono and Edwards, industry professionals will provide valuable tips and information on gardening, floral design, pet care, cooking and more. The popular “Build-a-Pond” seminar from Buck’s Landscape Materials and Pond Shop will return again this year, too.

Vendor booths will be available with information on gardening, pets, cooking, outdoor leisure, arts & crafts, and environmentally-friendly home improvement ideas. The annual farmer’s market, by the Bakersfield College Renegade Ranch and Murray Family Farms, will have fresh fruits and vegetables ripe and ready for purchase. Bakersfield College’s Culinary Arts Department will have freshly-prepared food available throughout the event.

New to Bakersfield College’s Garden Fest is an interactive gardening exhibit called “The Country Garden Experience,” which features several gardening vignettes sponsored by local landscape and nursery businesses.

Returning again this year is the Mean and Green Car Show, featuring muscle cars and industry-produced hybrid automobiles, and is hosted by the Bakersfield College Agriculture Ambassadors.

For more information: Amber Chiang, 395-4256, 794-9684.

I'm going early.