OLD TOWN – Eliot Coleman has been selected as keynote speaker for the second annual Garden Gathering planned for 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, at Rogers Farm in Old Town. The event will take place rain or shine.

Coleman’s 11 a.m. talk caps a morning filled with garden-themed discussions. He has chosen as his topic “The Twelve Month Harvest.” He is the author of several books about organic gardening, including “The Four Season Harvest” and “The New Organic Gardener.” A long time proponent of organic methods, Coleman practices what he preaches at his commercial market gardens in Harborside.

Subjects covered by other speakers in the morning sessions include weed identification and control, gardening with native plants, hummingbird gardening and the wonders of growing heirloom tomatoes.

The afternoon sessions include a talk on garden design and plants in colonial and Victorian gardens by garden writer and grower of heirloom plants, Diana George Chapin. Other topics covered in the afternoon include irrigation, seed saving and small fruit production. John O’Keefe, of Rocky Ridge Perennials will explain the mysteries of continuous bloom in the perennial border.

There will be walking tours of the Master Gardener demonstration gardens and some of the research plots at Rogers Farm. Throughout the day, opportunities will be available to learn how to identify weeds, diseases and insects that are of specific, personal interest. Soil testing and an antique farm equipment display also will be available throughout the day.

Activities for children will include Create-a-Bug, in which participants are given a bag of “stuff” from which they build “creepy crawlies.” There also will be puppet shows, a garden story walk, bean toss, an opportunity to create a snack, a session on making seed tapes – messy and lots of fun – and other projects to keep young gardeners entertained.

Visitors may see the new Proven Winner plants and All-America Selections Winners for 2004. There will be a chance to learn how to participate in the Plants for ME, a new program promoting Maine-grown plants chosen for their high performance potential.

Besides activities for home gardeners, there will be a Green Industry meeting and field day for the Green Industry and the UMaine Sustainable Agriculture program.

Garden Gathering 2003 is sponsored jointly by the University of Maine, Penobscot County Master Gardeners, University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the University of Maine Experiment Station Rogers Farm.

Food will be available on the grounds from noon to 1:30 p.m. Civil Air Patrol cadets will provide grilled snacks throughout the day. Participants also may patronize one of the nearby restaurants.

Garden Gathering has been planned with families in mind. Gardeners of all ages will have opportunities to ask questions regarding gardening problems, to view displays and to have fun. There is no charge for any of the gardening sessions or children’s activities.

Rogers Farm is located 1.6 miles north of Stillwater Avenue on Bennoch Road, or Route 16, in Old Town. For a complete Garden Gathering program and directions, call the Cooperative Extension Service weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 942-7396.