Whether you're a seasoned gardener or embarking on your gardening journey for the first time, the first ever Cochrane & Area Gardening Expo promises a wealth of inspiration and knowledge this weekend. 

Organizer Mark Denton said they will have local speakers on hand that will focus on the different aspects of gardening in our area. 

"Especially out here in Cochrane where it's a bit more of a blood sport trying to garden versus say Edmonton where they get beautiful warm evenings. Some of these folks will lend their expertise, one of our speakers will even be talking about micro-greens and how to grow them. So that's more of a year-round gardening element." 

The expo will provide a great resource for local gardeners who are just starting out, or the more seasoned ones said Denton. 

"It is going to cover the full gamut because the folks that are starting their seeds and will be there selling seedlings, and we'll even have some seed sellers there, these are the experts, the seeds that they have are conditioned for our climate." 

"The best piece of advice a beginning gardener can get is start small. A lot of folks say well you know, I want to get rid of all this grass, I don't want to mow it anymore, I'm just going to put a big garden in the back and then they get overwhelmed. So this is a way to learn how to get some information on how to start small. Some basic things like lettuce, maybe some herbs, potatoes and carrots are great because they really don't require a lot of maintenance. So you'll have folks that don't have that expertise, specifically for growing in this climate."

The Cochrane & Area Gardening Expo will go on Sunday, April 28 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cochrane Lions Event Centre. 

For more details and to view a full list of the more than 40 vendors go HERE. 

Admission is free.