The Tucson Organic Gardeners hosted its annual spring fair last weekend at the Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind, marking a final celebration at the campus before the school closes its doors.

Dozens of community members turned out for the free event, held March 21, featuring plant vendors, farmers and growers, a Buffalo Exchange clothing rummage sale and activities for kids, including a petting zoo.

The event was a place where people could both be educated and spend a nice afternoon, said Nicci Radhe, a member of the Tucson Organic Gardeners' board who manages PR and social media.

"(We sold) all sorts of stuff to get your garden growing, but we also (had) all of the farmers and growers there, so (people) can talk to them and ask really particular questions and pick their brains a little bit about how they grow," Radhe said.

Radhe said she has noticed an increased interest among people in growing their own food, not just for nutritional purposes, but for that connection to nature.

"It's an actual human need to cultivate plants. We've cultivated plants for our entire existence, and now we sit around in temperature-controlled rooms on screens all day, and we're very disconnected from nature," Radhe said.

Radhe also pushed back on the idea that growing food in the desert is difficult or impossible, noting that southern Arizona's lack of freezing seasons allows for a longer growing season and a wider variety of plants.

"I think the biggest misconception people have is that it is not possible to grow food in the desert, or that it is very expensive and high maintenance and fussy, and people, when people start growing, they can't believe how, not how easy it is, and not only that, but how much abundance there is," Radhe said. "If you grow one plant, you get enough seeds to share that plant with 50 people."

Founded in 1971, the Tucson Organic Gardeners is a nonprofit that promotes organic growing through monthly meetings, educational presentations and two annual plant fairs.

One of the organization's goals is to get more young people excited about growing. Radhe said she always hears young people talk about how their grandparents used to have gardens and hopes that soon people will be talking about their parents having gardens.

The fair had been held at the ASDB campus for the past two years, but with the school closing, the group is actively seeking a new location for future events, including a fall fair later this year.

"We're sad to leave the school, because it's a really beautiful campus, and they've been amazing partners, but I think (this was) a really good chance for people to come out and check out the campus before it gets sold," Radhe said.

In a February board meeting, ASDB Superintendent Annette Reichman said rising costs and declining enrollment forced the school to shut down its Tucson campus and relocate to a site in Oro Valley.

"Someone recently asked me 'What if we just kept the status quo?' That would be easy, just keep everything the same. The student count will continue to decline, the school's facilities will deteriorate, and we will run out of money," Reichman said.

The program has existed since 1912, and its departure has been a difficult loss for the community. The Tucson Organic Gardeners say they are confident they will find a new home for their events going forward.

Emma LaPointe is a journalism, political science and German Studies major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at emma.m.lapointe@gmail.com.

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