The 2nd annual Taste & Tour was held yesterday, and many people came to learn what's new at the garden. Garden volunteers and Master Gardeners were on hand to provide information and answer questions on many topics related to gardening and sustainability. There were demonstrations on composting, bats and bat houses, and rainwater collection systems. There were foods available for sampling, such as pesto and kale salad, as well as Jason Gamble's famous garden-fresh pasta salad.
Ellen Chin explained herbs and native plants and their uses.
One of the fun learning opportunities for kids was making seed bombs. Seed bombs are small balls made up of a combination of clay, compost, and seeds. Click here for more information on this new and fun way to seed the earth. Gretchen McCormick, an IUP student majoring in Biology, showed children how to make their own seed bombs with native wildflower seeds.
Tom Nowak, a Master Gardener, showed children how a worm farm works. He explained how worms live and improve the soil, and how to maintain the worms.
Kids also made their own bee hotels. Native bees are essential as crop pollinators, and they overwinter in hollow stems. Bee hotels are a simple and quick way to help increase their populations. Click here for info on making your own beautiful and useful bee hotel. For an in-depth article on native bees and the tunnel-type nests they need, click here (you'll need to have Adobe installed on your computer to open and view the PDF). Bee hotels make great hand-crafted gifts for your gardening friends!
