06
Feb
Cochrane & Area Gardening Expo – April 27, 2025
It’s the 2nd annual Gardening Expo! Whether you’re an experienced gardener, taking your first steps into gardening, or newly relocated to Cochrane and looking for a few tips for gardening in this zone – this event will get you excited about digging in the dirt!
SUNDAY, APRIL 27
11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Cochrane Lions Event Centre | Entry is free of charge
Here’s what you will discover at the Gardening Expo
- Vendors: 30+ vendors selling seeds, seedlings, and gardening related products
- Experienced Local Gardeners: take time to chat with subject matter experts about your gardening challenges
- Seed Exchange Table operated by the Cochrane & District Horticultural Society: bring your extra seeds to add to the exchange and/or purchase seeds (by donation) to fill the gaps in your garden.
- Guest Speaker Presentations: throughout the event you can take a seat in the speaker’s zone and have the opportunity to hear local gardeners share their knowledge, tips and tricks for making their gardens flourish. Please note that the speakers will extend past the close of the market – be sure to finish your shopping and time with the vendors before you take a seat in the speaker zone for the final presentation.
- 1:00 pm – EMBRACE THE SMALL SPACE GARDEN. Do you have a postage-stamp-sized yard? Perhaps a balcony or deck and nothing else? No problem! You can still grow a food or ornamental garden (or both)! In this presentation, you’ll receive advice and ideas to utilize containers to make the most of your small space. From selecting containers that suit your needs to choosing the best growing medium, as well as care and maintenance of your plants and ways to maximize harvest, you’ll come away with the inspiration and know-how to make small space gardening work for you. Bring your questions and let’s dig in! Sheryl Normandeau is the co-author (with Janet Melrose) of the ten books in ‘The Guides for the Prairie Gardener’ book series, as well as ‘Staying Alive: The Go-To Guide for Houseplants and the The Houseplanter: Your Go-To Gardening Journal’. Sheryl is the author of the children’s book ‘Save Our Seeds: Protecting Plants for the Future’ and the cookbook ‘The Little Prairie Book of Berries’. She has two more books forthcoming this year. Sheryl has written hundreds of articles for various international publications, and is an administrator and content creator for several plant-related social media sites. Sheryl volunteers for many different gardening organizations, including the Calgary Horticultural Society, and is the director of a community garden in southwest Calgary. She is a small-space gardener and especially passionate about growing food.
- 2:00 pm – PLANTING FOR PLENTY IN THE CHINOOK ZONE. The erratic growing conditions in our region can be challenging for those trying to grow more of their own food. In this session, Frankie-Lou Nelligan discusses gardening strategies and plant varieties that will help to feed your family even in the Chinook Zone.
- 3:00 pm – PRESERVING YOUR HARVEST. Got more garden bounty than you can eat? Canning is just one of many ways to make it last! In this session, we’ll explore simple, approachable methods—like freezing, drying, pickling, and yes, canning—to help you enjoy your harvest well into the winter. Whether your plants produce all season or all at once, preserving is a great way to capture garden freshness, reduce waste, and make the most of everything you’ve grown. Join Callandra Caufield, Founder of the Backyard Harvest Project blog, as she shares her insights on preserving your garden harvest and give you practical tips to get started.
Vendor List
The following includes vendors and community groups & organizations participating in the Gardening Expo. This list will be updated in the days preceding the event – check back for updates.
| Alberta Native Plant Rescue | Community awareness & information |
| Anything Grows Cochrane Garden Center | Gardening education; Gardener’s handbook; Plants; Gardening accessories website |
| Brittany Barabas | Vegetable Seedlings; Plants; Flowers; Garden Craft / Art (wood) |
| Karla Blonsky | Vegetable Seedlings; Plants; Flowers; Garden Accessories |
| Blooming Bee Gardening | Seeds; Plants / Flowers; Gardening Services website | facebook | instagram |
| Cochrane Community Gardens Society | Information / Awareness; Seeds |
| Cochrane & District Horticultural Society * | Seed Exchange Table; Information; Plants / Flowers; Books website | facebook group |
| Common Sense Seeds | Seeds (vegetable: tomato, peppers, and other veggies) website |
| Cultivate Cochrane | Solar Roller demonstration; Gardening and Food Sustainability; Passive Solar Energy website | instagram |
| Dan’s Creative Custom Woodwork | Garden Craft / Art (wood). |
| Linda Fee | Plants; Flowers; Garden Craft / Art (metal craft); Self-watering pots; 3D Printed Animals |
| Found Books & Shop | Nature, gardening & outdoor books website |
| Garden Soil-utions | Strawberries; Worm castings; Authored Books: ‘No Guff Vegetable Gardening’, ‘Gardener’s Gratitude Journal’ website |
| Gecko Grow | Hydroponic Gardening Supplies & Fertilizer for Soil & Hydroponic Gardening website |
| Gwen Jacques | Seeds; Plants; Flowers; Yard Antique Containers |
| Kate’s Gardens | Vegetable seedlings: tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, flowers, herbs, and more; Flower Seedlings; Garden Craft / Art (sewing / fibre) instagram | facebook |
| Living Through the Seasons | Karen Begg | Plants; Flowers; Garden Craft / Art (metal craft); Custom Handmade Concrete Patio / Garden Stones |
| Liza’s Plants YYC | Seeds; Seedlings; Plants; Flowers website | instagram |
| Megan Luscombe | Seeds; Plants; Flowers |
| Prana Garden Services | Plant Health Care |
| Plant Man Jack | Plants; Flowers |
| Steven Pollard | Vegetable Seedlings; Plants; Flowers |
| Summit Hill Farm | Vegetable Seedlings; Promoting CSA for summer veggies website |
| Sunshine Earth Works | Specialize in Edible Landscaping & Permaculture website |
| Guides for the Prairie Gardener | Gardening books for prairie gardeners, Sheryl Normandeau website | facebook | instagram |
| Totally Hooked YYC | Vegetable seedlings; Plants; Flowers; Garden Craft / Art (sewing / fibre craft) facebook | instagram |
| Tower Garden | Aeroponic, Hydroponic Growing Systems website |
| Town of Cochrane Water Conservation | Promotion & Awareness: Town’s water conservation rebate program website |
| Westgard Market Garden | Vegetable seedlings; Plants; Flowers website | facebook |
| Wildwood Flowers | Vegetable seedlings; Seeds; Plants; Flowers |
| Worm Worked Composting | Worm Compost; Vegetable Seedlings; Plants; Flowers |
Vendor Information
Are you a local gardener that would like to sell your seedlings, collected seeds, or plants? Perhaps you’re a maker of yard & garden handcrafts? If you grow or make the items you wish to sell, you may be a good fit for this event. Vendor fee is $15 for a 6′ table (provided).
Online Vendor application at this LINK
Questions? Email: cage@cochraneenvironment.org
The Cochrane & Area Gardening Expo is hosted by the Cochrane Environmental Action Committee (CEAC). Proceeds from the vendor fees and seed exchange table will be donated to a local organization to support environmental action in the Cochrane community.