Teaching & Learning in Our Hottest Months

Even though real fall, cool, lovely, hot apple cider fall, may be months away, August is the time to plan and prepare for a fall garden. E.A.T. South’s three Fall & Winter Gardening classes shared the ups and downs of convincing cold weather plants to get started in some of our hottest months.  Our workshops traveled to the Juliette Hampton Morgan Memorial Library, the Rolling Hills-Lakes Volunteer Fire Department, and the Montgomery Regional Office of the Alabama Institute for the Deaf & Blind and attracted lots of new & seasoned gardeners. We also found time for a garden planning workshop with a local church. We are here to help you and Montgomery grow!

Fall & Winter Gardening Workshop at the Juliette Hampton Morgan Memorial Library. (Image: Large indoor room with screen and speaker at the front and people in white chairs.) Photo: Capital City Master Gardeners

Fall (even faux fall) is also time to think about cold & flu season. What does that have to do with gardening? Herbs! We grow lots of things that boost the immune system: garlic, turmeric, rosemary, onions. When the Alabama Herb Society invited us to present at their August meeting, we knew we had to talk about Fire Cider. If you’d like to taste our version of this apple cider vinegar infusion, we’re planning a Fire Cider making workshop (with fresh turmeric from Shady Grove Road Blueberry Farm) for late October. Look for registration information at the end of September. 

Garden class at the Montgomery Regional Office of the Alabama Institute for the Deaf & Blind. (Image: group photo of twelve people. On person in front holding a shovel. Another person holding a potting soil bag.) Photo: Alabama Institute for the Deaf & Blind.

Your farmers also stepped away from E.A.T. South duties, but we never really seem to stray too far from the world of plants and farms, even on days off. Farmer Amanda took some time off but still managed to visit about five farms and compost operations in the northeast. Farmer Caylor found herself in bogs (very, very dry bogs) learning about the unique plants and ecosystems of the southern part of the state. 

Farmer Amanda visited Eastie Farm in Boston. (Image: Person watering pepper plants in two metal raised beds.)

September is here, and we’re planning more classes and ways to support gardening across our city. Join us!