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A great garden doesn’t have to be ornamental; it can be beautiful and edible too. That's the message that Master Gardener Todd Roy will bring to the Alliance for the Arts' GreenMarket next Saturday, Oct 22nd, at 10 am. His presentation is one of the FREE gardening workshops that the GreenMarket has been hosting for the community.Mr Roy will talk about ways to get the most out of your yard. He will discuss some of the many fruit trees and shrubs available to grow here in SW Florida. He will address some varieties and options for container gardening, as well as utilizing the vertical spaces in your yard. This talk is meant to give ideas for using your yard in more productive ways. Todd grew up in a small mid-western town in Michigan with one traffic light, a working wheat mill and a community involved in 4-H and agriculture. He remembers some of his family being involved in dairy farming and raising corn, while others in his immediate family were very much into vegetable gardening. Todd also remembers many trips with his grandparents to the fields and orchards to pick fresh peaches, cherries, pears, plums, blueberries, strawberries and apples. He also helped them tend and harvest a large vegetable garden. Todd’s grandmother would can and freeze many of the fruits and vegetables that they harvested, thus enabling them to enjoy fruits and vegetables throughout the year.Todd attributes his interest in plants and horticulture to being raised in an agricultural and self-sustaining environment. He began gardening at home, but soon became involved with the Master Gardener program. Upon completion of the program he began doing volunteer work with the horticulturist at The Frederik Meijer Gardens. From there Todd’s garden began expanding and it was soon featured on the yearly tour of gardens. Being an artist himself, he also enjoyed painting the flowers he grew and invited other artist friends to paint in the garden too. Todd relocated to Florida in 2004 and was very excited to see all of the new plant options that he could grow. He eventually found a position with The Edison & Ford Winter Estates gardens that he had frequently visited and admired. Todd is now one of the horticulturists there and has since completed the Master Gardener program here in Florida. He enjoys working with plants, talking with others in the industry, as well as, a continued desire to learn more about the plant world. Todd has enjoyed working with all varieties and facets of horticulture, but his passion has been that of sustainability, organic gardening and the edible landscape. He hopes to teach others the knowledge he has acquired and share any new information that he continues to gain. So if you have an interest in growing at least part of the produce your family consumes right in your backyard, don't miss this FREE gardening class on Sat, Oct 22nd, at 10 am at the GreenMarket, corner of McGregor & Colonial in Ft. Myers.
