Get ready gardeners! UW-Green Bay’s Heirloom Plant Sale celebrates 25th year; online and in-person shopping
Dabble with Bull Nose Bell peppers, Tommy Toe tomatoes, or the Teddy Bear sunflower
Green Bay, Wis.—The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Natural and Applied Sciences academic unit will be holding its 25thannual Heirloom Plant Sale again this year in support of student research.
Given the record success of online ordering last year, the plant sale website (https://www.uwgb.edu/heirloom-plant-sale/) will again be used to pre-order plants that can be picked up on Friday or Saturday (May 13 and 14, 2022). The Lab Sciences greenhouses will be open for browsing on Saturday, May 14, 2022 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for any plants that were not reserved in pre-orders.
Payment will be at pick up (cash or check only). Questions about the ordering process can be submitted by e-mail at uwgbplantsale@uwgb.edu. Wednesday April 27, 2022 is the first day for public ordering and the online shop will close by Sunday May 8, 2022.
Heirloom plants are unique and rare!
Unlike other vegetable sales, the UW-Green Bay sale features unique and rare heirloom varieties, held in part to introduce local gardeners to new varieties and protect agricultural biodiversity. Gardeners can dabble with “Bull Nose Bell peppers, Tommy Toe tomatoes, or the Teddy Bear sunflower.”
This year the sale features 60 different varieties of tomatoes and 41 varieties of peppers from sweet to scorching hot. Come try something new, like the Orange Hat micro tomato, perfect for growing in containers! Or a popular heirloom with local history such as the Wisconsin Lakes bell pepper. Also offered will be a variety of vegetables, herbs, several different basils, and a collection of flowers. There will be an expanded collection of native flowering plants excellent for attracting pollinators and other beneficial insects (UW-Green Bay received official “Bee Campus USA” affiliate designation last spring), including purple prairie clover, prairie hyssop and culver’s root. Overall, there will be approximately 220 different heirloom and open-pollinated cultivars and varieties for gardeners. (Details are available at the website.)
The annual sale, sponsored by the Natural and Applied Sciences academic unit, began in 1997 with 300 plants. The proceeds are used to bring scientists and specialists to the University, and to support student research projects and travel to conferences, where students can present results of their research and meet scientists in their fields. Over the past few years this fund has supported research on the genetics of wild rice and invasive Phragmites, a study of local aquifer composition and water quality, a survey of the emerald ash borer on the Cofrin Arboretum, collection and analysis of microplastics in the Bay of Green Bay, migration ecology of Lake Whitefish, and development of a website to understand fish diversity in relation to aquatic invasive species.
Professor Steve Meyer to hold salsa fundraiser for scholarships
Additionally, Prof. Steve Meyer’s homemade salsa (mild, medium, and hot) makes its return at the “checkout stand.” Meyer makes 300+ pints of salsa each year with donated proceeds going directly to the Katie Hemauer Memorial Scholarship. Hemauer was an exceptional student, and Meyer was a friend and mentor. She passed away in November of 2005 in a tragic car accident, killed as the result of someone driving while intoxicated. Meyer established the scholarship in her memory in 2014 to support future generations of students who shared her curiosity of the natural environment and commitment to campus and community. Meyer’s salsa (mild, medium, and hot) will also be available Friday and Saturday at the “checkout stand” if you wish to pick some up and make a donation to the Katie Hemauer Memorial Scholarship.
About the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Established in 1965, UW-Green Bay is a public institution serving 9,276 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students and 79,604 continuing education enrollees each year across all campus locations. We educate students from pre-college through retirement and offer 200+ degrees, programs and certificates. UW-Green Bay graduates are resilient, inclusive, sustaining and engaged members of their communities, ready to rise to fearlessly face challenges, solve problems and embrace diverse ideas and people. With four campus locations, the University welcomes students from every corner of the world. UW-Green Bay is the fastest growing UW school. For more information, visit www.uwgb.edu
