The Ann Arbor Downtown Library will celebrate the 2019 Gardening and DIY Fest from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., May 18, with a host of free activities and exhibits sure to appeal to a wide cross-section of residents. An artisan market features handmade clothing, jewelry, bath products, art, flowers and plants. Attendees may talk to representatives from local organizations like Recycle Ann Arbor, Project Grow, Natural Area Preservation and others.

 Backyard Chickens with Gail Caird from noon to 12:45 p.m. is a fun and informative lecture about raising backyard chickens in Ann Arbor.

Grow Your Own Microgreens from noon to 12:45 p.m. will show how the library grows microgreens for their restaurant, Fresh Forage, so people  can do the same at home.

Tiny Indoor Herb Gardens from 1 to 4 p.m. includes a fun and easy gardening project—a teeny-tiny herb gardens in the Secret Lab.

Starting a Nature Journal with Clare Walker Leslie from 1 to 2:30 p.m. teaches tips and tricks for nature journaling. Part of the time will be spent observing and recording nature outdoors.

Growing Organic Vegetables with Erica Kempter, of Nature & Nurture Seeds, from 1 to 1:45 p.m. is full of tips on growing delicious, organic, homegrown vegetables.

Beekeeping Basics from 2 to 2:45 p.m., with local beekeeper Rebecca Wittekindt will teach the basics of bees, from what goes on in the hive to the basics of caring for bees.

Mushroom Foraging 101 with Suede Mobley from 3 to 3:45 p.m. features the biology, identification and medicinal qualities of mushrooms and fungi.

Engaging in the Local Food System: From Farmers' Markets to Growing Your Own from 3 to 3:45 p.m. explores Washtenaw County community supported agriculture (CSA) programs and farmers’ markets.

Vermiculture with Starr Valley Farms from 4 to 5 p.m. presents Advanced Master Gardener and Master Composter Jesse Raudenbush, as he introduces the red wiggler composting worm (E. fetida) and explains how to start a simple vermicomposting system.

Returning to Ourselves: Mending Relationships to Land, Kin and Self from 4 to 5 p.m. Describes how the Sacred Roots food sovereignty project is reclaiming ancestral knowledge and empowering community to produce food that nourishes the whole person. Shiloh Maples will show how the Detroit indigenous community is creating space and opportunities for land-based wellness in the urban landscape.

 

Admission is free. Location: 343 S. 5th Ave., Ann Arbor. For more information, call 734-327-4200 or visit aadl.org.