The Plant A Row/Grow a Row program is inviting Royal City residents to attend its annual spring gardeners' party.
Well-known local gardening experts will provide valuable tips on growing fruit and vegetables. The March 15 event also features giveaways and coffee, tea and goodies.
"It's going to be an extremely fun night, tons of giveaways, lots of exciting talks," said program coordinator Claude LeDoux.
GardenWise Magazine and West Coast Seeds will be providing giveaways, so people are advised to arrive early.
"We will be doing door prizes as well," LeDoux said. "As the speaker goes through we do giveaways related to that speaker."
The spring party is taking place at St. Thomas More Collegiate, 7450 12th Ave. in Burnaby, at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 15. The event will feature a mix of popular speakers from past garden parties and new speakers.
Brian Minter, national spokesperson for Plant a Row/Grow a Row, will start the evening, which also includes presentations by: Pasquale Morico, who will discuss mason bees; Conway Lum, who will talk about growing tomatoes without late blight; Arzeena Hamir, who will offer tips for seed starting; June Hewko, who will show some of the new gardening tools at Lee Valley; and Lyle Courtice, a New Westminster resident who will talk about growing vegetables in containers.
Now in its 13th year in New Westminster, the Plant a Row/ Grow a Row program encourages gardeners to plant extra product that can be donated to the New Westminster Food Bank to help local families to put healthy, fresh food on their tables.
"It all goes to the food bank and/or the Union Gospel Mission," LeDoux said. "The week the food bank is closed, we take it to the Gospel Mission. There is a collection every Sunday."
The collection program, which will get underway in May or June, accepts donations of fresh produce and fruit every Sunday morning at St. Thomas More Collegiate.
The program appreciates donations from all individual gardeners, as well as those from Langley Farm Market.
"They gave us boxes of food every Sunday," LeDoux said of the store located on Kingsway across from St. Thomas More. "It's very beneficial."
Everyone is welcome to attend the spring gardeners' party. Admission is free, but donations of non-perishable food for the food bank are appreciated.
