Red Dirt Master Gardeners Tours July 29

The Red Dirt Master Gardeners Tour will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, July 29 at the Community Garden, located across the street from the hospital.

President of the Hot Springs County Red Dirt Master Gardeners Becky Hutson said the event will end around 8 p.m.

“We’ll start at the Community Garden, where we hope to have several of the community gardeners explain what they’ve been growing,” Hutson said. “Then, we’ll load up and visit three more gardens that we are hoping to tour.”

Though Hutson said the group does not yet know which gardeners will be part of the tour, it is of no cost to participants. However, donations will be taken that will be used for the Community Garden.

The Garden Tour will be an educational experience for participants, Hutson said.

“We’ll have refreshments, but mostly, it will be a kind of question-and-answer event,” she said.

“Gardeners will provide an explanation of what kind of methods they’re using.”

Hutson said gardeners are optimistic, and people should attend to learn about successful gardening.

“If they want to find out successful gardening tips, they should attend,” she said. “Gardeners are optimistic people. You plant seed and just hope to get a return for your effort. It’s always a surprise.”

Last year, the group did not host a Garden Tour, but they did the year before, Hutson said.

“It was a lot of fun,” she said.

Hutson said there is no sign up or cost to attend the Garden Tours.

“It’s kind of a kick off weekend for the Farmers Market, which begins on Saturday,” she said.

“We sponsor both the Community Garden and the Farmers Market.”

For those that wish to participate in the Garden Tours as an attendee or as a part of the tour, contact Becky Hutson at 864-3028.

Hutson said most of the crops in the Community Garden are organic, and that they are experimenting with a giant pumpkin this year.

She also said the Red Dirt Master Gardeners received a grant from the state this year to help with goat head weed and puncturevine mitigation.

The group also bought some new raise beds that they are working on for next year so there will be more beds in the Community Garden.

In the fall, the Red Dirt Master Gardeners do a cleanup, which the public is welcome to help with.

“Hot Springs State Park provides the water and the land the Community Garden is on,” she said. “That’s a really nice thing to do.”

The group is thinking about putting beds along the border of the fence for people to grow flowers free of charge also, Hutson said.

In addition, a Master Gardeners Class may be available if enough people sign up. Hutson said it’s a state six-week class, like a mini-agricultural class. Fees will be associated with the class.

For more information about the class or anything else concerning the Red Dirt Master Gardeners, contact Becky Hutson at 864-3028.