St. Francis County Master
Gardeners will host their annual
plant sale this weekend, May 1
and 2, at Vandiver Farms, offering
a selection of flowers, herbs and
limited vegetable plants.
The sale will take place from 8
a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, May 1, and
from 8 a.m. until noon on
Saturday, May 2, at the farm
located at 7596 Hwy. 284 North in
the Newcastle community.
Plant sale committee chair
Holly Bacon said this year’s sale
will look a little different, with
fewer plants available due to
limited growing resources.
“We will not have near the
variety or volume of vegetables,”
Bacon said. “We did not have
access to a greenhouse this year,
so some of us Master Gardeners
had to do some things at home.”
In previous years, the group
has offered as many as 1,500
plants. This year, Bacon said
they expect to have around 200 plants between vegetables and
herbs.
“We are working more on
perennials and we have started
some seeds on some annual
flowers,” Bacon said.
Available flowers are expected
to include marigolds, irises, day
lilies, amaryllis bulbs and zinnias.
Bacon encouraged those
interested in vegetable plants to
arrive early due to the limited
supply.
Proceeds from the sale support
scholarships for local students
pursuing agriculture-related
education, as well as a variety of
community service projects
maintained by the Master
Gardeners.
Those projects include upkeep
of flower beds at the St. Francis
County Museum, Newcastle Fire
Department, Forrest City Post
Office, the St. Francis County
Courthouse and the median along
North Washington near Interstate
40.
Bacon said the organization
has awarded $16,500 in
scholarships this year.
“This year we had two
reapplications and two new
applicants,” Bacon said.
Plant prices will vary by item,
starting at $2. Cash and checks
will be accepted. To help keep
costs low, organizers ask
customers to return tomato pots
for reuse in future sales.
Bacon added that the group is
also making improvements to
plant labeling this year to better
assist buyers.
“We are trying to do a better
job of having little tags with our
plants this year,” she said. “I’m a
Master Gardener, but if I get a
truck load of new plants, if I don’t
have something telling me what it
is, I don’t remember what is what.
So we are trying to place more
informative tags.”
SFC Master Gardeners holding annual plant sale May 1&2
