Driving through Point Loma, it’s hard not to be struck with inspiration by the multitude of visually vociferous gardens. These Peninsula oases can help inspire one to get home and sow their own seeds to leave others a little green with envy. To help fertilize the imagination with information and ideas — and just in time for the fall planting season — the San Diego Master Gardner Association will host its inaugural “Autumn in the Garden Tour & Market.” The self-guided driving tour on Saturday, Oct. 1 will feature eight Point Loma gardens designed and maintained by their resident Master Gardeners, along with the garden at Silver Gate Elementary created with the help of two Master Gardener consultants. Tickets for the tour are $20 in advance and $25 the day of the tour. The Marketplace will be held at Dana Middle School, 1775 Chatsworth Blvd., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Marketplace is free and open to the public and will feature Master Gardener hand-crafted garden art, as well as plants, books and food for sale. “People get the impression that gardens don’t look good in the fall. That’s not so in San Diego,” said Mickey Santina, tour co-chair. “Here, we’re fortunate to garden year-round. Our focus is on educating the public. There will be demonstrations in gardens, exhibits, plant lists, and labeled and numbered plants.” The tour will feature a variety of garden techniques, including grass-free design, companion planting, vertical gardening to add visual appeal to small spaces, and sustainable and water-smart landscaping with drought-tolerant plants, vegetables, herbs and fruit trees. Educational displays will focus on all things growable and desirable for the area climate, from composting to citrus care, birds to butterflies, and growing tomatoes. This seedling San Diego event, inspired by the annual Master Gardener tour in Sonoma County, has been in the planning stages for two years and will be executed with the help of 150 volunteers, Santina said. Preparation included a bus trip to Sonoma for the annual tour there in June. “This is new for the community and it is nice to have Point Loma on board,” Santina said. Master Gardeners are a unique hybrid who combine horticultural expertise with volunteerism. They are trained and supervised by the University of California Cooperative Extension. Upon certification, members of the San Diego Master Gardeners Association agree to serve the community by volunteering at least 50 hours in their first year to provide the public with research-based information and technical assistance in the areas of home gardening, noncommercial horticulture and pest management. Tour tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.mastergar-denerssandiego.org/gardentour, which includes a preview of all gardens on the tour. Tour maps and wrist bands will be available for pickup on the event day beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Marketplace at Dana Middle School. Proceeds from the tour benefit the nonprofit all-volunteer San Diego Master Gardener Association that has provided free home gardening advice throughout San Diego County for nearly three decades. Tour sponsors include San Diego Home Garden/Lifestyles magazine, Edible San Diego, Kellogg Garden Products, Coach America, Walter Andersen Nursery, Anderson’s La Costa Nursery, Native Sons, Briggs Tree Company and Greatsoil. For more information, call the Master Gardener Hotline at (858) 694-2860 Mondays through Fridays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., or visit them onlne at www.mastergardenerssandiego.org.