TURNER — The Turner Public Library is holding its third annual Gardening Seminar on from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 26, in the Community Room.

Presenters are Bonnie Brown of Shaker Barn Farms in Livermore, who will discuss cultivating cut flower gardens, and architect John Zocchi of North Turner, who will present growing warm climate vegetables in a cool climate atmosphere.

Brown’s personal experience as a Master Gardener Volunteer will serve her well as she shares her natural, down-to-earth methods for extending garden glory. Her topics include culture and preferred garden site basics; pest and pathogen prevention and maintenance; physical, biological and chemical IPM controls; plant materials we grow that attract beneficial products; harvest and post-harvest techniques, tips and tricks; homemade flower food/floral preservatives; and edible, tasty bouquets.

Zocchi’s focus will be raising warm climate vegetables. Because our season is so short, these crops cannot be grown directly from seeds. There is nothing new about the general principles, he points out, and will show seedlings are first raised inside, then grown outside under protection, and a final phrase will show grown, unprotected in the field. He will discuss the importance of timing and how interruptions to growth between the phases can be minimized. A series of slides from the 2013 season will illustrate the finer points. Melons serve as a primary example with a secondary emphasis on peppers and eggplant.

He will cover the following subjects: choosing varieties, raising strong seedlings, transplanting for continuous growth, types of plant protection and the uses and varieties of plastic mulch.

A round table discussion will follow.

Joining Brown and Zocchi will be Jody Goodwin, long-time gardening columnist for the Lewiston Sun Journal, and Barbara Murphy, Extension Educator Home Horticulture & Agriculture. Lin Gilbert, an accomplished gardener and one of last year’s presenters, will be the moderator.

Free coffee and doughnuts will be available with lunch available for purchase. Informative handouts will be distributed for home reading. There is no charge for the seminar.