You are what you eat

edited by Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady

There’s nothing better than vegetables that come from the garden, especially if it is your own garden.  Learn to how to make this happen at Callaway Gardens’ new “Vegetable Gardening from A to Z” Gardening School on Friday, April 8, 2011.  Then, stay the weekend and learn more at either the Topiary Wreath workshop, Spring Watercolor workshop, or Digital Photography workshop.

NEW “VEGETABLE GARDENING FROM A TO Z” GARDENING SCHOOL

Join gardening guru Walter Reeves and Callaway Gardens Vegetable Garden Manager David Chambers for a day chock full of gardening basics and timely tips so that your own vegetable patch will perform to its full potential.  No matter if you are a beginner or a seasoned gardener, you’ll get take-home information – and plants – to ensure that your garden will be the envy of friends and neighbors.

Reeves, an Atlanta radio host and author, will discuss the latest research and tried-and-true techniques for vegetable gardening.  This knowledge will save gardeners time and money as well as produce plants that prosper and provide a bountiful supply for your table. His practical approach to the basics of gardening makes him a popular lecturer.  Reeves will have his books, including Guide to Georgia Vegetable Gardening, available for purchase and signing.

Chambers is responsible for the more than 400 varieties of vegetables, flowers, and seasonal plantings displayed in Mr. Cason’s Vegetable Garden, a 7.5-acre demonstration garden.  This garden serves as test site for new vegetable and flower seeds for the All America Trials program.  Mr. Cason’s Vegetable Garden has been the Southern filming site for The Victory Garden program for PBS’s WGBH since 1984 and is often the filming location for “Your Southern Garden with Walter Reeves.”  Additionally, Chambers lectures on vegetables and co-authored a book with Lucinda Mays entitled “Vegetable Gardening.”  He is happiest tilling the soil in Mr. Cason’s Vegetable Garden.

WHAT  YOU NEED TO KNOW

The schedule for the Callaway Vegetable Gardening School is:
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.  Vegetable Gardening with Walter Reeves
11 a.m. to Noon  Time-tested Tomato Growing with David Chambers
Noon to 1 p.m.  Lunch and Book Signing
1 p.m. to 2 p.m.  Q & A with Walter Reeves and David Chambers

Registration, which includes lunch, is $55.  To register, contact the Callaway Gardens Education Department at education@callawaygardens.com or 1-800-CALLAWAY (225-5292) ext. 5153.  Space is limited so register today. 

BEAUTIFY YOUR WHOLE LIFE

Make it a Callaway Gardens weekend.  On April 9th, attend the Topiary Wreath workshop and learn how to make a wreath that can be taken home and enjoyed year-round.  Or, learn how to capture your floral memories in paint at the Spring Watercolor Workshop or digitally at the Photography workshop, both April 9th and 10th.

Workshop fees include admission to Callaway Gardens. To register, call the Education Department at 1-800-CALLAWAY (225-5292), option 5, option 2; 706-663-5153 or email education@callawaygardens.com.  Please plan to arrive at least 30 minutes early.

For overnight accommodations for any of these events, ask for the special workshop rate in the Mountain Creek® Inn at 1-800-CALLAWAY (225-5292).  Based on availability, some restrictions apply.

Callaway Gardens® is in Pine Mountain, Ga., 60 minutes southwest of Atlanta and 30 minutes north of Columbus.  For additional information, visit www.callawaygardens.com or call 1-800-CALLAWAY (225-5292). 

About Callaway Gardens

For almost 60 years Callaway Gardens has provided “a place of relaxation, inspiration and a better understanding of the living world” for millions of visitors.  Owned and operated by the non-profit Ida Cason Callaway Foundation, Callaway Gardens includes a garden, resort, preserve and residential community on 13,000 acres in Pine Mountain, Georgia.  Highlights include a butterfly conservatory, horticultural center, discovery center, chapel, inland beach, nature trails and special events throughout the year.

In addition, Callaway Gardens offers nearly 100,000 square feet of meeting space, 923 guest rooms, restaurants, a full-service spa, shops, golf, tennis, fishing and more.

Five unique, close-knit residential communities with custom home sites, lakefront properties and cottages on the golf course –offer an ideal home away from home or full-time residence.

Callaway Gardens is home to a 4,610-acre forest preserve, which is under conservation easement.  This conserved, sustainably-managed land is used for biological studies and environmental education programs.

Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer who wanted to go to Callaway Gardens to see why the stories about their Christmas lights were always the most popular stories on www.travellady.com  in December. Once she saw Callaway Gardens she knew why. One visit there and you will understand, too.

Read her stories on www.travellady.com, www.yogayaya.com, www.carladynews.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.coffeeatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com