The 2010 Spring Propagation Fair will be held on March 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Lane Community College (LCC) Cafeteria. The free, volunteer-driven event is a resource for home orchardists, vegetable gardeners and native plant enthusiasts in and around the Southern Willamette Valley.
Hundreds of varieties of scions (fruit-tree cuttings) and vegetable seed, will be shared by local fruit enthusiasts and seed-savers at the Fair. Rootstocks will be available for a nominal fee. Grafting assistance will be provided. Adventurous attendees are welcome to attend a grafting workshop at 1:00 p.m.
Attendees are not required to bring seeds or scions to participate. However, they are encouraged to ask questions of the experienced local gardeners and gardening education non-profits (see sponsor list below) or listen to the following speakers:
- 11:00 a.m.
Where to begin? From ground zero to feeding yourself out of a garden. Lauren Bilbao, a senior instructor at the Urban Farm Program of the University of Oregon.
- 12:00 p.m.
Heirloom Pear Varieties for the Southern Willamette Valley. Joseph Postman, curator of the USDA’s 2000+ varieties pear germplasm collection in Corvallis, will discuss pear heirlooms from around the world, well-adapted to growing hereabouts. Several of the difficult-to-find scions he will be discussing will be available at the exchange.
- 1:00 p.m.
Social Permaculture: Growing Our Food with Our Neighbors. A panel discussion by local residents discussing the current state of collaborative, neighborhood-based approaches to growing food. Jan Spencer (River Road Neighbors), Charlotte Anthony (Victory Gardens for All), Aleta Miller (Environmental Center of Sustainability), Anne Donohue (Friendly Neighbors).
- 2:00 p.m.
Locally Adapted Vegetables: What Are They and Why Do They Work So Well? Andrew Still and Sarah Kleeger of the Seed Ambassadors Project and Adaptive Seeds.
- 3:00 p.m.
Incorporating Native Plants into Food Gardens. Why and How? Devon Bonady of the Lane Community College Learning Garden and Fern Hill Nursery; Brian Basor, president, Emerald Chapter, Native Plant Society of Oregon.
The 2010 Spring Propagation Fair is sponsored by:
Eugene Permaculture Guild
Seed Ambassadors Project
Lane Community Learning Garden
The OSU Extension Service in Lane County
Home Orchard Society
Victory Gardens For All
School Garden Project of Lane County
Huerto de la Famila
ECOS
Springfield Transitions Garden
Gardens Program of Food for Lane County
Urban Farm Program of the U of O
USDA Agricultural Research Service National Clonal Germplasm
Repository, Corvallis
Native Gardening Awareness Program of the Native
Plant Society of Oregon, Emerald Chapter
Lane County Beekeepers Association
Eugene Tree Foundation
The North American Biodynamic Farming and Gardening
Association
Bus service to LCC is available from Eugene Station; Free parking is available at LCC. Spanish-language support will be offered.
For more information, visit Eugene Permaculture Guild or contact Charlotte Anthony.
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