Master Gardeners stay busy in the community

Greetings, Rhea Countians!

Fall is in the air and like most of you all, we are excited for a new and different growing season. Now is the time to plant those new bulbs, divide the old ones for those beautiful blooms next Spring.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our many supporters of our organization. We have had several community outreach events recently that we would like to highlight complete with a few photos.

First, the Scopes Monkey Trial festival we set up an information booth on our program, we answered any gardening questions that participants may have had and as a bonus we gave away monkey grass (liriope) plants to those who stopped by; we also had a monkey face picture board for the folks to have their picture taken in.

Second, we had an awesome week for the Rhea County Fair. Kids’ Night was a big success with all kinds of crafts for the kiddos; our silent auction and plant sale did not disappoint this year either. We gave out popcorn, water and we invited all to enjoy our air conditioning! We gave tours of our raised beds and answered questions from our visitors.

All proceeds from our events go back into the community through Master Gardener projects. We also took a field trip to the Barn Nursery in Chattanooga and visited the rain garden at the Aquarium, put in and tended by Hamilton County Master Gardeners; our speaker there was Haley Treadway, Hamilton County Extension Agent.

Lastly, we participated in the Spring City Fall Festival, with an information booth on our organization. We gave out punch and answered many questions on gardening issues in our area.

Thank you again, to everyone who came to our booths and at the fair. We would not exist if not for our community to back us up. Upcoming events for us are the Farm City Day for Rhea County third-graders and Pumpkin Fest on Oct. 26. Hope to see you there.

We are excited to announce that we will be having a new Master Gardener class start on Oct. 5, 2024. For more information on how to join in on the fun of gardening, please contact Chasity Phillips, our Rhea County Extension agent, at (423) 775-7807, or stop by the extension office located at the address below. We look forward to seeing many new faces to join in the fun of learning to garden here. Happy Gardening!

Send questions to Rheacomg@gmail.com or write to us at Rhea County Extension Office, c/o Master Gardeners, 125 Court Street, Suite 3, Dayton, TN, 37321