I do not believe Mother Nature is willing to let go of her April Fools prank. The joke that came with snow last Monday was almost cruel.

The on again, off again spring-like weather has each of us all wondering what will be ahead of us in the coming days and weeks.

I am hopeful the threat of snow is now out of the picture, but I won’t rule out a late frost in May. Whatever comes our way, I am still planning on a garden this year and I hope you are too. We have two wonderful events coming up for your gardening enjoyment.

The first event is one I have already mentioned a couple of weeks ago. The annual Clinton County Master Gardener Plant Sale will be 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 30 at the Clinton County Fairgrounds sheep barn (watch for signs).

This will be a wonderful opportunity to get many of your vegetable and herb favorites as well as several choices of flowers and plants to spruce up your landscape for the coming season.

Plans are to have selections of cabbage, eggplant, lettuce, kohlrabi, many types of peppers (from hot to sweet), 15 different types of tomatoes (from traditional to cherry, for canning or just enjoyment), cucumbers, cantaloupe, watermelon, zucchini, and squash. We also will have many types of herbs including basil, cilantro, parsley, lavender, mint, oregano, rosemary, savory, tarragon, and thyme.

Plants to add color will include many types of alyssum, dianthus, dahlia, geranium, calibrachoa, coleus, impatiens, marigold, pansy, salvia, snapdragon, verbena and more. We will even have a few hanging baskets and patio pots that will make excellent Mother’s Day gifts.

Come support this event as funds from this sale are utilized for many gardener educational and community gardening projects throughout Clinton County.

Since we are talking garden plants, I wanted to announce the second event — the Victory Garden program.

History tells us that Victory Gardens originated during World War I, an answer to a severe food shortage at the time. People were encouraged to find any usable space, plop in some seeds and contribute homegrown fruits, vegetables and herbs to the effort.

The idea was wildly successful, growing an army of amateur gardeners and serving to boost morale and patriotism.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture and Ohio State University Extension have teamed up to revive the effort and once again inspire people to get their hands dirty, realize the fruits of their labor and share with others if inspired.

We believe a good day in the garden is good for the soul. So, get your garden on as some say and get inspired to plant a garden in 2022.

There are lots of ideas on how to put a garden out. Keep in mind, the basic tools you need are some garden gloves, a place to plant your plants, seeds to grow, and some tools to use for digging in the dirt.

The place could be an in-ground garden out in your yard, a container big enough to accommodate the plants you want to grow, or a raised bed garden. We can help get you started if you have not put a garden out before.

At this time, seeds will be available to pick up the first week of – May 3, 4, and 5 at the Clinton County OSU Extension Office, 111 S. Nelson Ave., Wilmington.

Seed pickup hours will be from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

We may have other locations to pick up seeds so just check in with us for other locations, dates and times.

There is a wealth of gardening information to be found at the Victory Garden website: https://u.osu.edu/ohiovictorygardens/ .

This website is filled with details on seed distribution, advice, and resources on every aspect of planting and harvesting produce.

For more information contact Tony Nye at (937) 382-0901 or email me at [email protected] .

Tony Nye is the state coordinator for the Ohio State University Extension Small Farm Program and has been an OSU Extension Educator for agriculture and natural resources for over 30 years, currently serving Clinton County and the Miami Valley EERA.