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As part of the upcoming Cotton Street Gallery exhibition “Seed to Fashion: Then and Now,” Chuck Simon, county extension director for Covington County, and local 4-H students planted cotton seeds outside the gallery on Thursday, June 5.

While fields of fluffy white cotton are a familiar sight in South Alabama, the different species of cotton sown at the gallery will come up in a variety of colors, including green, yellow, and brown.

Cotton is typically planted between late April and early June. Seedlings should emerge in less than 10 weeks, with the first real leaves forming two to four weeks after planting.

Cotton is ready for harvesting in the autumn. In total, the students planted 10 galvanized buckets, which will be part of the exhibition that opens to the public on Thursday, September 4. The Kiwanis Club of Andalusia will serve as a sponsor for the exhibit.

“We’re very excited to find other species of cotton that we’re not familiar with,” said Sue Wiggins, founder and director of the Cotton Street Gallery. “I think it’s fun, and it adds to the exhibition.”

Cotton Street Gallery, located at 104 North Cotton Street in Andalusia, celebrates Southern textile art and artists and offers textile-related classes and demonstrations for adults and children throughout the year, as well as special cultural exhibits. Proceeds from the gallery benefit AIR Artists, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization.

To learn more about Cotton Street Gallery, visit https://cottonstreetgallery.com/. To learn more AIR Artists, Inc, visit https://airartists.org/.