You can explore Tucson Botanical Gardens’ Barrio Garden, seen above, for free at Saturday’s Plant Geek Festival and Sale. More than one dozen nurseries and growers will be on-site.

Tucson Botanical Gardens will be a one-stop shop for the green thumbs among us this Saturday, September 21.

More than a dozen local nurseries and growers, including Harlow Gardens, EcoGro, Planta Del Sol and Starr Nursery, will be on-site, selling their living inventory as part of the garden’s inaugural Plant Geek Festival + Sale.

The event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., is being held as kind of a welcome party for the fall season, says Robert Elias, spokesman for Tucson Botanical.

β€œIt is a great time of year for people to start thinking about their gardening,” Elias said. β€œWe wanted to bring all of the resources that they might need to our central location in Tucson.”

There will be food trucks, the gardens’ CafΓ© Botanica will be open for business and a DJ will be spinning tunes.

In addition to vendors, Tucson Botanical has also recruited several community organizations to help with any plant-related questions attendees might have.

Among the participants will be the University of Arizona Campus Arboretum, the Rare Fruit Growers of Tucson and the Tucson Bonsai Society.

β€œPeople want to share what they know,” Elias said.

If that doesn’t pique your interest, here’s the kicker: Admission to the festival and the garden grounds will be free all day. General admission to visit the garden is usually $15.

Elias said Tucson Botanical is expecting an estimated 1,500 people for the this weekend’s event.

His pro-tip: Bring cash if you are looking to buy.

β€œMost nurseries do take credit cards, but some do not,” he said.

Visit tucsonbotanical.org for more information.


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Contact reporter Gerald M. Gay at ggay@tucson.com or 573-4679.