•  Annual Plant Sale  •

Time: The annual Spring Plant Sale is usually scheduled for the third Saturday in April. The sale starts at 8:00 A.M. and lasts until sold out. Location: The Farmers Market on Green Street in Athens. Goal: To raise the funds needed to support our many projects and provide the community an opportunity to obtain healthy plans adapted to the local area. This is our only fundraiser during the year and all proceeds go to support our community projects. What we do at the Plant Sale: We donate our excess plants from the previous growing season. Usually this is from dividing our plants either in the fall or early spring. Sometimes we put in extra plants the previous year specifically for the plant sale. Other plants are donated by several local nurseries and by the Limestone prison. We also volunteer to help anyone who has plants to donate but may need help digging and transporting them. How you can help: Divide and donate plants from your yard or greenhouse. Be available to help others dig up donated plants. Be there for the sale to help carry and load plants. How this Project benefits the Community: We offer quality plants along with advice on planting and care.

•  Ask a Master Gardener Helpline  •

Time: 9:00 - 1:00 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. March through September. Location: At the Limestone County Extension Office on Market Street across from the Post Office. Goal: To personally meet and assist community gardeners by answering questions about home horticulture. What we do at the AAMG booths: Answer questions when we can, or research answers and get back with the customer later. How you can help: Bring your favorite reference books and join us for an hour or two. How this Project benefits the Community: This is a natural extension of our on-line Ask a Master Gardener program. It provides an opportunity for home gardeners to seek advice and allows the Limestone County Master Gardeners to interact in a very positive way with those we are committed to serve. It is a wonderful way to meet people with shared interests and, in addition to helping folks, we usually learn something new ourselves.

•  Community Garden  •

Time: Flexible, throughout the growing season. Workdays are set based upon what needs to be done in the garden, as the weather allows. Location: The Community Garden is located at Easter Ferry Road. The 1-acre garden is sited on land donated by Ed Hall. The Master Gardeners are extremely grateful for all of his contributions and efforts. Goal: The garden project produces vegetables for county non-profit agencies and serves as a hands-on learning environment for interns and members. What we do at the Garden: We garden… - along with all the effort that goes into it; preparing the soil, planting, weeding, pest control, harvesting, and delivering the produce. Planting is usually mid/late April and harvest beginning July. How you can help: Tilling and preparing the soil, planting, mending hoses, picking and harvesting, delivering the vegetables to the various agencies in town. How this Project benefits the Community: The garden supplies fresh vegetables to Community Non-profit Organizations for their clients. In 2004 we were able to donate 143 gallons of beans, 119 dozen ears of corn, 153 gallons of tomatoes, 13 gallons of squash, and 55 gallons of peas.

•  Compost Demonstration Site  •

Time: Spring through autumn. Location: Athens High School Greenhouse. History: In 1997, we were asked to do something at the Recycling Center. A plan based on the compost demonstration site at the Huntsville Botanical Garden was drawn to fit the entrance to the Recycling Center. The Botanical Garden gave the LCMGA permission to copy their signs and literature. The seven original demonstration sites include a simple pile of leaves, a garbage can composter, a wire fence container, a four-sided enclosure of used pallets, a three-bin enclosure of used pallets, a three-bin enclosure of concrete blocks, and a worm bin. Each site has a mail box with information sheets detailing material needs and estimated cost of construction, so home gardeners can choose the method best suited to them. Mayor Dan Williams conducted the Grand Opening on November 12, 1998. Since then, we have added a stone flowerbed, plantings of crepe myrtle and buddelia along the road, and gourd martin houses on poles. The site is currently being moved to Athens High School adjacent to the green house. Goal: To encourage the recycling of yard waste, thus keeping it out of the landfill. What we do at the Compost Site: MG'ers continue to maintain the site by recharging the bins, pruning and mulching the shrubs and cleaning the martin houses. We offer training for community groups and individuals in the recycling of ‘landscape leftovers’. How you can help: Moving the old compost bins and building new ones. Setting up the various stations to show the variety of composting methods and materials. General clean-up in the spring and fall. Present lectures and demonstrations. How this Project benefits the Community: Yard waste makes up a significant portion of the material going to the landfill. Encouraging the community to compost their leaves and grass clippings prolongs the useful life of the landfill and provides the home gardener with free garden soil amendments.

•  Donnell House  •

Time: December. Location: Athens, AL Goal: We are modifying the landscape around the historic Donnell House to better reflect the mid-19th century. It is a challenge because of its school-campus location. To create a garden more in keeping with mid-19th century style while keeping its appearance acceptable to modern eyes. What we do at the Donnell House: Plan, plant, and maintain a landscape about the size of a modern suburban yard. How you can help: Ideas and a helping hand. How this Project benefits the Community: Master Gardeners learn about, and then teach, some horticultural history.

•  Highway 31 Triangles  •

Time: Throughout the growing season. Work days are set up based upon the weather and what needs to be done. Location: At the intersection of Hobbs Street and State Highway 31. History: The Athens Street and Sanitation Department and the Clean Community started maintaining the planted triangles in Athens in 1987. Annuals were first planted by Buster Williamson's horticulture class from the Limestone Correctional Facility. William and Sarah McElyea, Leann's Florist, Bonnie Plants, and Bo Russell from Beasley Produce donated the plants for that first planting. After Williamson's class planted the triangles, the inmate litter patrol took over the care of future plantings. This group weeded, fed, and watered all of the triangles in Athens until 1992. In 1993, Rick Burnett, the Auburn Extension advisor, and the first two classes of Master Gardeners landscaped the triangles and developed a long-range plan. The Master Gardeners implemented that plan. In 1994, The Master Gardeners adopted the two triangles at Hobbs Street and Hwy 31 as a project. Goal: To enhance the cityscape and demonstrate our pride in the Athens-Limestone community. What we do at the triangles: Master Gardener volunteers plant, water, weed, and maintain the triangles. We have a major effort in the spring to clean the areas and plant annuals color. There is periodic work done throughout the summer to keep the areas looking good. In the fall we have another work day to plant pansies for cool-season color. Occasionally we must repair damage to the plantings from vehicle accidents. How you can help: Planting, mulching, weeding and watering, and general maintenance. How this Project benefits the Community: This is the first major intersection as travelers enter Athens from I-65 exit 354. It is the primary route to Athens State University and the business district. This project provides an aesthetically pleasing first impression of welcome to folks coming into town.

•  Newsletter  •

Time: Pen something for the newsletter at your best time, assist in proofing, printing and distribution. Excellent advancement opportunities available. Location: Kitchen table, desk, living room, work, garden, meetings, road trips, etc. History: Vol. 1 Issue 1 published June 2003. Bi-Annually published Spring & Fall. Goal: Document our growth and encourage same through inspiring groundbreaking news journalism. What we do at the Newsletter: We edit and publish Sprigs & Sprouts. How you can help: Write articles. Take pictures. Keyboard articles written by others. Contribute ideas about layout and features. How this Project benefits the Community: Provides a venue for coordinating and recognizing the activities of Limestone County Master Gardeners; thereby, enhancing the service we are able to provide to the folks of the Athens-Limestone community.

•  Secret Gardens of Limestone County  •

Time: Flexible. No set schedule. Location: Travel to the homes of gardeners throughout the county. Goal: To recognize the secret beauty hidden in the backyards in our community. What we do with the Secret Gardens: Go out to homes and interview the gardener and take pictures. Then an article is written for the newsletter and the website. How you can help: Go along to help interview and take pictures. Help writing the articles. How this Project benefits the Community: Highlights the beautiful and productive gardens maintained by our neighbors. Offers insight and tips on how to garden successfully in north Alabama.

•  Website  •

Time: Before & after all meetings and MG events. Updates 2-3 times a month. Location: Somewhere in the virtual reality of the Internet. History: Our website began in the spring of 2003 as a simple, single page with the purpose of providing a way to more efficiently disseminate information to all of our members. Through the help of a great many folks, it has grown like Kudzu in a cotton patch to well over 25MB of information and pictures, with an added pinch of dry humor, that we hope has been educational and maybe just a bit entertaining, also. Goal: This project has two primary objectives. First and foremost is to provide useful information for the home gardeners of Limestone County. Additionally, our website serves to inform Limestone County Master Gardeners about events, volunteer activities, and continuing education opportunities. What we do at the website: Write informative and sometimes humorous (?) articles and vignettes about gardening. Receive information from the LCMG members about events and work days and post it to the website. How you can help: Write articles, take pictures, prepare written material for uploading. How this Project benefits the Community: Provides a source of information on local gardening activities and growing conditions, care and maintenance for plants adapted to Zone 7, and offer tips on the control of pests, insects and weeds.