I’ve been busy organizing and having a ball doing it all. My garden is neglected. I am looking out at my Beauty plum in full bloom and watching for mason bees. So far, I’ve just seen bumble bees and hover flies. On top of working on the show in March, I’ve been creating an apple poster from my photographs of the last few years. I’m excited about it and hope to have them finished soon. Maybe for sale at our show!
The final stages of planning are happening for the March 14th Spring Fruit & Grafting Show! It is evolving into another wonderful show for us. I can’t wait! Volunteer time slots are filling up. I’ve been wanting people to have time to stroll the show and hear lectures so the volunteer time slots are short – Saturday Set Up 3pm to 5pm, Sunday Set Up 8am to 10am, Sunday 10am to 12:30pm, Sunday 12:30pm to 3:00pm, Take Down 3pm to 5pm, and we are done. We still have a few openings so email me. seattletreefruitsociety@hotmail.com
Things to keep in mind that day is that it is on a Sunday and the first day of daylight savings time. So it will seem like an hour earlier than usual. Also, Seattle Tree Fruit Society has no credit card sales so bring your check book or cash. Prices are now set – Tools Sharpened for a $1 donation please. Grafting for $10, Rootstock $3-4, Scion Wood Free – please limit to five free then $1 each. The Northwest Fruit Fertilizer will be $20 for a 20# bag. Please bring all your plastic bags from home, we need your extra bags in the grafting area.
We have food vendors for this event. We will have ‘Got Soup?’ from the local farmer’s markets, offering ~4 different soups using fresh, local, organic produce and local artisan breads. Also, we have ‘Espresso First’ with beverages and bakery items. They will set up out on the patio and the food containers will all be composted. The only non-composted items would be the recycle and plastic spoons. Very cool!
In our Educational booth area we will have: our Literature Dept, Membership & Information table & Maggot Barrier Sales. Marilyn and Dick Tilbury are preparing to try and answer questions on biology, cultural, and chemical control of insects and diseases of common tree fruit & berries. They will have trap samples on display. Roger Ledbetter is setting up a Mason Bee display with a few products for display with his friend Steve Brustkern. There will also be Mason Bee houses, grafting knives, and finger protectors available from the Peninsula Fruit Club. There will displays by Chinook Compost Tea, Western Washington Fruit Research Foundation, City Fruit, PlantAmnesty, Seattle Tilth, and Friends of Piper Orchard. The South Sound Fruit Club will be selling a few of their blueberry plants (varieties Blue Crop, Jersey, Collins, Northland) in mixed bundles of 5 @ $50 to WCFS members, that mean us. These plants are ~3′ tall, making this a great price!
I just took a break to go out and get the Sunday paper and see our ‘free’ ad, a bonus from advertising in the Flower & Garden Show Guide this year. Here it is in the Pacific Northwest section, page 20 top. I’m excited. See you there. Email me to volunteer. Lori seattletreefruitsociety@hotmail.com