DANVILLE, Ill. – Is the frozen landscape making you daydream about spring flowers and bountiful harvests? It’s time to shake off those winter blues with Illinois Extension and Danville Area Community College! The Vermilion County Master Gardeners are once again hosting their annual Garden Day Festival on Saturday, March 9, from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the Bremer Conference Center at Danville Area Community College, 2000 E Main St., Danville, IL 61832. An annual tradition for over 25 years, this year’s Garden Day will bring you entertaining speakers, unique vendors, a silent auction, donation baskets, and door prizes.

The full day costs $30, and your ticket will include access to the day’s four speakers, lunch from the DACC Culinary Arts School, a bag filled with handouts from the speakers, and more goodies. All proceeds go to help fund Master Gardener Projects in Vermilion County. Can’t commit to the whole day? The spring festival, with garden-themed baskets, vendors, and a silent auction, is open to the public throughout the whole day.

The event features four speakers from both Illinois Extension and local and national businesses to help you gain inspiration for your own garden!

Illinois Extension Educator Chris Enroth will present “Building Healthy Soil for Your Landscape.” Enroth will explain why soil is the foundation of every garden and starts with good management practices. He will discuss soil tests, the best way to mulch, compost, and soil amendments.

Extension Educator Jennifer Fishburn will present “Culinary Herbs and Pollinating Insects.” Gardening with culinary herbs is a great way to add interest and fragrance to the garden, with the added benefit of using herbs to cook and attract pollinating insects.

Marshall Dirks, Vice President of Marketing for Proven Winners, will help gardeners create their spring shopping lists with “What’s New with Proven Winners?” Before joining Proven Winners in February 2000, Dirks worked as a product manager for Ball Seed Company, where he handled multiple lines of vegetative products, including Proven Winners.

Toby Brown of Lingley Brothers Sweetcorn will present “What’s Wrong with My Tomatoes?” In addition to his famous sweetcorn and beekeeping business, Toby has grown and sold tomatoes for several years at local Farmers’ Markets. He will cover the basics learned through his own experience: Sanitation, Irrigation, Soil, Crop Rotation, Spacing, Diseases, and Pruning and he will have some nice visual aids.

To reserve your seat, visit go.illinois.edu/GardenDay2024. Your ticket will be reserved upon receipt of payment. This event has sold out in the past, so make sure to purchase your ticket early!

 Learn more about the Vermilion County Master Gardeners at go.illinois.edu/VCMG or contact Jenney Hanrahan at jhanraha@illinois.edu. You can also visit our office at 3164 N. Vermilion, Danville. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate, please contact our office at 217-442-8615.