COLTON -- Local Living Venture has created a get-together with local gardeners to visit their plots, share information and advice, swap stories, and perhaps arrange mutual assistance for projects.

The kick-off event is on Sunday, June 8, from 1-3 p.m.

This group will meet informally every other weekend for the Summer into Fall seasons. The events will rotate from one household's gardens to another over that time. Future hosts are sought.

The first tour is at Dwight and Joya's home in Colton. It will feature a food-forest garden in its infancy, on a plot that had gone unmaintained for a decade or more. There are young locally-sourced fruit trees and shrubs for berries and nuts, and a small raised veggie garden.

The garden is set against mostly maple woods with a spring-fed pond nearby. You'll see a way to create raised beds for almost no materials cost, learn a surprising use for Virginia Creeper, and see what cardboard and wood chip mulch looks like after composting down for three years.

Demonstrations are possible of an electric wood-chipper and battery powered lawn mower, chain saw, and string trimmer.

After the garden tour there will be light potluck snacks,  a discussion of what was observed in the gardens, and what you would like to see from the group in the future.

There is space for up to 15 people, and an RSVP is needed to reserve a spot and receive directions.

Reach out to LocalLivingVenture@gmail.com or text to (315) 347-4223 to sign up for this free "rain or shine" event.

Local Living Venture notes that there are many other garden-related events coming up, including food forests on June 15 and home composting, featured on June 21. All of their programs can be seen on the Events Schedule page of their website, www.LocalLivingVenture.org.