Howdy from Belton in Central Texas. It's time to put on your happy face.

This Saturday is our Fall Plant Swap. We'll be meeting at the most awesome site... the Bell County Master Gardner Greenhouse - behind the classroom. This is next door to the Scott & White Clinic. Providing that you bring a chair, we'll be sitting behind the classroom and using their tables for our plants. Many Master Gardeners will also be coming, so bring your gardening questions at the same time. This is a pot luck plant swap... so bring whatever you have.

Please bring rooted plants and label them to the best of your ability so you know what you're trading. You'll be the expert on that plant since it grows in your own yard. You'll be sharing that information with others there. If you don't have any plants, don't let that stop you... bring some good potting soil, pots, seeds, tools and anything else that would cause a gardener to want to trade a plant for you item. You'll probably go home with more than you came with... it's just the gardener's nature to want to share.

For those of you who use Gardenweb.com, you know it's all free. For those of you who aren't familiar with this site, you'll want to spend some time wandering through it.

If you want to continue the visiting through lunch, bring something to add to the table: casserole, dessert, drinks, napkins, and so forth. Bring your good books on plants for Central Texas so everyone can look through them.

We'll start setting up at 8:30am and probably start winding down around 1:30pm. By all means, bring a friend or kids. We'll have access to see the Demonstration Vegetable Garden and check out the Master Gardener's Greenhouse while you are there.

You'll want to plan on coming back on October 21st to the Fall Plant Sale if you see something you want.

If you post your name here, others might want to arrange a trade with you ahead of time. Once you come the first time, you'll want to come back for the next one. Watch out... you might make a friend! Time is short so get busy potting up those plants.

By all means, please pass this email on to your other friends. If they'll write me back, we'll get them on a database so they'll get future invitations.

Here is a link that might be useful: Directions to Belton's Master Gardener Greenhouse