The Chattanooga Area Food Bank’s Teaching Garden program will host its 25th annual Garden Tour event on Saturday, June 2, and Sunday, June 3. Six public and private gardens in the Scenic City are featured this year in the self-guided tour in and around Chattanooga. Tickets are $15 each and are available at any of the seven gardens during the tour or by calling 622-1800 for more information. Children under 12 are free.
Each featured garden is a unique representation of the gardening possibilities here in the southeast Tennessee community. This year’s gardens are located on Signal Mountain, East Brainerd, Downtown Chattanooga, at the Montessori World of Children School, and the Food Bank’s own Evelyn Davenport Navarre Teaching Garden. Gardens may be visited in any order on Saturday between 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and on Sunday between 1 -6 p.m.
This year, a special commemorative garden calendar featuring local gardens will be a gift to supporters who donate $20 or more to the Garden Program. The 18-month calendar features beautiful color photos of local gardens that have been featured on the Garden Tour over the past twenty-five years, as well as gardening tips and Teaching Garden event reminders. Calendars will be available on the Garden Tour, as well as by calling (423) 622-1800 or visiting www.ChattFoodBank.org. The commemorative calendar is generously presented by Holcomb Garden Center.
Proceeds from ticket and calendar sales will support the Chattanooga Area Food Bank’s Garden Program and help to sustain the growing of fresh produce for the hungry and educational outreach to the greater community. The Garden Program pavilion is host to educational workshops throughout the entire year on vegetable gardening, best gardening practices, conservation, cooking and preserving classes. In addition to the program’s outreach efforts, the on-site garden harvested more than 2,000 pounds of fresh vegetables last year alone, and distributed this nutritious food to the hungry through the Chattanooga Food Bank.
Special thanks to event sponsors Holcomb Garden Center, Master Gardener of Hamilton County, Scenic Cities Beautiful Commission and to calendar sponsors Holcomb Garden Center, National Print Group, Artistic Color Graphics, and Jane and George Diamantis.