NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton Education Foundation’s annual plant sale returns for its 25th year this coming weekend.
The in-person event will take place on Saturday, May 7 from 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School at 80 Locust Street. The event raises money for books and online resources for the Northampton Public Schools.
“It’s a hallmark of spring to get people out and get people thinking about planting and growing,” said organizer Mandy Gerry.
The event did not take place in 2020 because of COVID-19 and had an online component last year.
“This year we are going back to the traditional plant sale where all the plant sales happen on the day of the sale,” Gerry said. “The big part of the preparation of the sale is connecting with anyone who wants to donate their plants to us.”
The event will include the sale of perennials, annuals, shrubs, vegetable starts, herbs and hanging baskets. For those who are interested in donating plants, they should be labeled and potted before drop off and well-watered so that they look fresh for the big day.
Donations can be dropped off at 373 N. Farm Rd., Florence; 36 Wilson Ave., Northampton; and, 31 Forbes Ave., Northampton. Plants also can be dropped off the day before the event, Friday May 6, between 4 and 7 p.m. at Smith Voc.
The event will include a raffle to win a botanical themed quilt, created by Lyn Heady and quilted by Linda Zeitler, and a trellis. Raffle tickets are being sold at the transfer stations on Saturday mornings, and starting April 19, at the Tuesday market downtown.
The event also will feature a pot exchange where people can bring their pots and exchange for other ones, Gerry said. Vendors will be selling plants and other gardening accessories.
Donors D.A. Sullivan & Sons, Keiter and Lashway Logging have helped offset the costs of the event. “Everyone is very much a part of this,” Gerry said.
For those interested in volunteering to provide plants, help with digging, potting and picking up potted plants can contact Amy Levine at alevine7@gmail.com for more information.
Organizers are still looking for volunteers to collect and organize the donated plants on Friday, May 6, before the event and work the event on Saturday, May 7, to provide and answer gardening questions. For more information on that contact Mandy Gerry at mandygerry@gmail.com.
“There is an army of people who help out every year and we are very grateful,” Gerry said.