Sweet Repeat

April marks the beginning of spring. The garden is alive with pollinating insects and it is time for gardeners in Collin County to plant vegetables, herbs, annuals and perennials to give them a chance to establish before the heat of summer sets in. Another sure sign of spring is the Plant Sale, presented by The Collin County Master Gardeners Association. Savvy gardeners know the CCMGA Plant Sale offers some of the best plants at the best prices!

The 13th Annual Plant Sale will be held at Myers Park and Event Center on

Saturday, April 9, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Attendees can expect to find hundreds of varieties of beautiful plants recommended by Texas A&M

AgriLife Extension that will include annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, roses, vegetables, herbs and grasses that thrive in sun, part-sun and shade. There will also be an opportunity to tour the research and demonstration gardens.

Collin County Master

Gardeners will be on hand to answer questions and offer timely tips to help homeowners plant with confidence and success.

You may purchase these proven performers by cash, check or credit card (Visa or MasterCard only). Bringing your own cart or wagon is encouraged. Children ages five and up can participate in environmentally-friendly activities at the Children’s Discovery Area.

The plant sale will be held indoors, rain or shine, hot or cold, inside the stall barn at Myers Park, 7117

County Road 166, McKinney. To find out more about the plant sale visit www.ccmgatx. org or call the CCMGA

Information Center at 972.548.4232. u

Every year in April, McKinney hosts its annual chicken coop tour where you can get an up-close look at what it would look like to incorporate hens into a small scale, urban selfsustainable garden. Not only is having backyard hens a gratifying and rewarding hobby, simply put, the better one treats and feeds the hens, the healthier and more productive the hens become. Owning backyard hens is also a great way to teach young children to become more involved in their environment and become a responsible caretaker. Owning a small quantity of precious laying hens that a child helped raise from a baby hatchling will quickly teach a very valuable life lesson of “cause and effect.” Imagine the joy your child will experience when he runs to the coop to see if hens have laid any eggs.

At 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., Cathy Gleason, owner of Gleason Super Chicks and associate superintendent for the state fair poultry show with 20 years of showing and breeding heritage poultry, will present “Chicken Keeping Class 101 and Exhibition.”

Then, at 10 a.m. and noon, John Ramos, owner of Urban Chicken, a business providing various services to help the backyard poultry enthusiast be successful, will present “Learn How to Nurse Your Sick Hen Back To Health and Bio Security Tips.”

The tour begins at Chestnut Square Historic Village, 315 S. Chestnut St., rain or shine. Tickets are now available online at mckinneytourdecoop.com. u