Wild Ones daylong symposium explores benefits of native plants

It’s been impossible not to notice the boom in local farmers markets over the past few summers. The increasing number of stands selling locally grown produce reflects a national trend, says Tony Glover, a trend that is fueled, in part, by the growing number of producers trying their luck with fruit crops.

“The boom in farmers markets started slowly about 15 or so years ago, then exploded in the last 10 years in terms of the number of small producers growing a number of small specialty crops. That trend has been national – an amazing thing to watch,” says Glover, coordinator of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System’s Cullman County office.

“In the last 10 years, the number of farmers markets in Alabama has tripled. We currently have 150 registered markets, and that doesn’t include every day-market in church parking lots or roadside stands.”

Glover is one of three professionals who will speak at Plant Natives 2016, the annual symposium on indigenous plants sponsored by the Tennessee Valley chapter of Wild Ones. This year’s event is Saturday, March 5, in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga University Center – a day of informative seminars, growing advice, vendors, door prizes and book signings to educate local gardeners on how to include native plants in their landscapes.

Glover will speak on “Native Plants of the Southeast.” He was in the produce business for many years growing blueberries, muscadine grapes and blackberries, before selling that business and going back to work for Auburn University’s extension program.

“The small fruits have seen the largest growth, and we’ve seen a lot of growth in specialized fruits like persimmons, pawpaws and figs,” he says. “We haven’t seen as much increase in tree fruits like peaches and apples. Grapes, blueberries and blackberries are all native crops to the Southeast and, in general, they have less pest pressure than exotic fruit like peaches. Also, they need less specialized equipment to take care of them.”

Glover says while strawberry production is increasing, he’s seeing it done in small plots, such as quarter- or half-acres. He chuckles as he describes this as part of a savvy sales plan.

“Growers plant just enough to have some early fruit for sale at market before other fruits come in. These early fruits create customer loyalty at farmers markets, so by the time blueberries and grapes come in, the grower has already built a customer base. People are creatures of habit. It’s very likely if they buy strawberries from a favorite grower, they will buy his other products as well.”

The professional will cover growing these small crops as well as less-known natives such as mayhaw, American plum, pawpaw, serviceberry and crabapple. He’ll also throw in a couple of nut crops native to Tennessee, he says, such as black walnuts and pecans, before closing by taking questions from his audience.

“Serviceberry makes a small fruit like a small plum that’s found all over Tennessee. It’s an edible fruit that makes excellent jelly,” he says. “Mayhaw are kin to native Hawthorns that we see growing all over the woods. It produces a fruit about the size of a crabapple.”

Other symposium speakers will be Dr. Larry Mellichamp, who will discuss the best Southeastern natives for home landscape in his first session and “bizarre” natives in his second; and Ron Lance, who will tell how to identify 23 species of oak and 10 hickories found in Tennessee. Books written by all three speakers will be sold, with time allotted to get them signed at the end of the day.

Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.