IF YOU GOSaturday• 10- a.m. Composting Basics with Bud Hines• 11 a.m. Yoga for Gardeners with Jennie Mac Merrill from Clearspring Yoga• Noon. Tour of Crabtree Farms• 1 p.m. Backyard Fruit Gardening with John Geerling of Home FlavorsSunday• 10 a.m. Irrigation Demystified with Joel Houser• Noon. Tour of Crabtree Farms• 1 p.m. Backyard Organic Gardening with Joel Houser
Visitors to the 12th annual Spring Plant Sale & Festival at Crabtree Farms this weekend may choose from thousands of vegetables, herbs and flowers. Gardening talks, live music and local vendors will add to the offerings.
According to Crabtree officials, more than 10,000 organically grown plants, including heirloom vegetable plants, culinary herbs, berry bushes and annual flowers, will be available for purchase. The sale offers plants suitable for a variety of growing conditions, including plants for containers and shade, but all are suited to Chattanooga's climate.
Vegetables for sale include Cherokee Purple tomato, Carmen sweet peppers and Zephyr squash.
Among the herbs are chocolate mint, Spanish Eyes lavender, lemongrass, St. John's wort and stevia.
Flower varieties include Empress of India nasturtium and Durango Outback marigold.
Vendors will have a variety of items including specialty herb varieties and herbal products from Possum Creek Herb Farm, lip balm and soap from 423 Balm and hostas from Silvers Elbert Nursery.
Hours are 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. Master gardeners will be on-site both days to answer customers' gardening questions.
The spring 2012 edition of the free TasteBuds guide to local food will be distributed.
Clark Williams, of The New Binkley Brothers, will provide live entertainment on Saturday, while local picker Lewis Oehmig will perform Sunday.
Admission and parking are free.
Crabtree Farms is at 1000 E. 30th St. Take I-24 to the Rossville Boulevard South exit. Go less than 1 mile south to East 30th Street and turn right. Stay on the center road, which winds through a residential neighborhood, until it dead-ends at the farm.