FESTIVAL LETS SPA CITY GET A JUMP ON SPRING
Saratoga Farmers’ Market event features variety of workshops
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Outside was a wet, cold, snowy mess.
Inside the Lincoln Baths building, people’s thoughts turned to colorful flowers and bountiful vegetable gardens during the Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s second annual Spring Festival on Saturday.
The event featured a variety of workshops with helpful advice for people who can’t wait to get going with spring planting projects.
“We saw this was happening and said, Let’s go!” said Nathan Wannall of Central New York, near Ithaca.
He and his wife, Jean, are visiting their daughter and son-in-law, Amanda and Ben Tucker, of Greenfield Center. Spring Festival provided a fun family outing for them and a great way to escape late-
winter doldrums with timely, educational presentations. Topics included landscape design, composting, food preservation and live cooking and food sampling with chef Dan Spitz.
“It’s really tough when it’s 60 or 70 degrees and then you get dumped on with a foot of snow,” Jean Wannall said. “I like seeing all the fresh vegetables here.”
The market’s many farm vendors already understand the importance of knowing how to grow things on their own. The festival’s goal is sharing such information with the public, said Julia Howard, market administrator.
“That’s what Spring Festival is really all about,” she said. “It’s nice to have that community connection.”
However, in addition to energy and enthusiasm, a prerequisite for successful garden projects is knowing how to do things correctly.
Susan Schurman O’Donnell, of Saratoga Springs-based Dutch Girl Garden Design, outlined the many steps needed for planning, planting and caring for flower gardens using native plants, which preserve and protect habitat.
“Pussy willows are actually the first food for bees,” she said.
Goldenrod, which blooms in autumn, is the last. In between, there’s an almost endless array of native flowers to choose from.
“Perennials should be the backbone of your garden,” she said. “Plant some annuals as well.”
When designing a garden, one of the first steps is measuring the space. Then choose the right plant for the right place depending on whether there’s full sun, shade or partial sun.
Important questions are: When does it bloom? What is the full-grown size? How much size will it take up?
Also, plants must be properly suited to their growing zone. Garden centers sometimes sell flowers that aren’t right for local conditions, O’Donnell said. For example, one variety of hydrangea will produce large green leaves, but no blossoms if temperatures are too cool.
“These are things you have to think about with climate,” she said.
Previously, Saratoga Springs was in the 4B growing zone. As conditions have warmed, the local area has been reclassified to 5A.
“It’s based on the lowest temperature we have in winter,” O’Donnell said. “It’s shifted five degrees. As temperatures change, we also have a shift in pests.”
She no longer plants hemlock trees for clients because of an insect called the woolly adelgid that infects and destroys them.
Plants should be selected based on the amount of maintenance they require, too, and how much time and effort people can give them. In addition, people should consider the financial investment when planning gardens because plants can be quite expensive.
“Start small,” O’Donnell said. “Make a priority list. What do I need to work on first?”
The best planting times are from early May to early July, and mid-August till the third week of October.
“It’s hard to establish plants when it’s hot and dry,” she said.
“You need six weeks for plants to get established. Most important, always take time to smell the flowers.”
“That’s what Spring Festival is really all about. It’s nice to have that community connection.” — Julia Howard, market administrator