Master Gardeners' expertise: Available every Saturday at the Waxahachie Farmers Market
Do you have questions about best practices for flowerbeds, lawns, and gardens? Answers aren’t that far away. In fact, they’re available every Saturday at the Waxahachie Farmers Market.
Immediately to your right as you enter the market’s front door is the Ellis County Master Gardeners Association booth, where trained volunteers are on hand each week to assist people on topics including what plants are best to plant now and how to address a certain pest that’s popped up and more.
“We do this year-round,” association president, Elizabeth Green, said of the volunteers’ presence at the market. “We are here to give research-based information to the public.”
In addition to visiting with a Master Gardener, people can pick up a copy of the association’s free calendar that offers month-by-month planting information specific to the area. When available, the association also gives away free cuttings, plant starts, seeds, and bulbs. Copies of the Master Gardeners’ gardening journal are available for sale at $25.
“We are volunteers for Texas AgriLife through Texas A&M University,” said Green, a retired school administrator for whom the best part of the Master Gardeners having a booth at the market is how it fosters a connection with the community. “I have just enjoyed reuniting with families at the farmers market.”
Each Saturday, she said, the volunteers talk to people about different gardening options such as how to establish a butterfly garden and which plants are better suited to where they live.
“We give them great ideas,” Green said, noting that the association maintains several demonstration gardens, including one on the walking trail near the dog park and market and another at the entrance to Getzendaner Memorial Park. “They can see what grows well, from native to adapted plants.”
The Master Gardeners also advise people on how to set up community gardens, of which several can be seen at local schools.
“We can help with anything horticultural, from backyards to container gardening, and more,” Green said. “We’ve got people here every Saturday.”
For more information, visit https://txmg.org/ellis/, where you can sign up for the association’s free monthly newsletter as well as find information on the Master Gardener training program, which is offered once a year in the fall. Another primary activity for the association is its annual Lawn and Garden Expo held each March.
The Waxahachie Farmers Market’s summer season continues Saturdays through Oct. 17. Hours are from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Written by Jo Ann Livingston/In The Know Ellis
