COLUMBIA, SC – Celebrate the arrival of the fall season on September 28-30 at the Greenville State Farmers Market’s seventh annual AutumnFest, the Upstate’s premier fall festival.
Hugh Weathers, Commissioner of Agriculture, says, “Veteran gardeners tell me that fall is the ideal time to plant all kinds of things from cool-season veggies, turf grasses and perennials to both evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs. Yet, strangely, when it comes to planting, many homeowners think only of spring.”
“The ideal period for fall planting is roughly six weeks before the first hard frost,” says Jackie Moore, Festival Coordinator. “Generally, the window of opportunity for most folks is during September and October. That’s why we host AutumnFest. It’s prime time for fall planting.”
The Greenville State Farmers Market, a facility operated by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, will be filled with vendors selling all types of plant material. Veteran and novice gardeners can select from fall favorites such as hardy pansies, ornamental cabbages, snapdragons, and mums.
The three-day event will feature locally grown produce as well as plants and flowers. Apples, muscadine grapes, and sweet potatoes along with honey from beekeepers of the Piedmont will be for sale as well as handmade candles, baked goods, outdoor furniture and uniquely handcrafted items.
To get ready for fall, there will be an abundance of pumpkins, decorative gourds, cornstalks, and sugar cane. Choose just the right pumpkin for Halloween or a decorative flag for the front porch.
“We encourage everyone to come out and take advantage of a variety of farm fresh products and seasonal produce,” said Commissioner Weathers. “The State Farmers Markets are places to find Certified SC Grown products almost year round. Nothing’s fresher. Nothing’s finer.”
In addition to daily retail sales throughout the year, many local farm families are represented during the fall and early winter at the Greenville State Farmers Market on Friday and Saturday mornings.
The festival will be held on Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Greenville State Farmers Market, 1354 Rutherford Road in Greenville. Parking and admission are free.
For more information about AutumnFest at the Greenville State Farmers Market, call Ardona Summerall, 864-244-4023.