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Published on 12/16/10

Backyard fruit brings local food initiative home

By Sharon Dowdy

Home gardeners, or would-be ones, can start the year off right by purchasing and planting a fruit tree, vine or bush.

The Incredible Edible Grow-It-Yourself Fruit Tree, Vine and Berry Bush Sale is set for Saturday, Jan. 22, 2011, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Atlanta Community Food Bank located at 970 Jefferson Street NW, Atlanta, Ga. Purchases will benefit the Atlanta Local Food Initiative.

University of Georgia Master Gardeners will be on hand demonstrate how to plant and care for bare root trees.

The sale features 40 varieties of native, antique and hardy fruits selected to grow in Georgia’s climate and bred using sustainable methods. The plants available include blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, apples, persimmons, pomegranates, muscadines, figs and plums.

Fruit growers and home gardeners can also purchase their plants online Jan. 3-17 at www.atlantalocalfood.org.

Sharon Dowdy is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.