The Heirloom Plant Sale is back
UW-Green Bay Natural and Applied Sciences will be holding its annual Heirloom Plant Sale again this year in support of student research.
Steve Meyer’s salsa (mild, medium, and hot) will also be available at the “checkout stand” if you wish to pick some up and make a donation to the Katie Hemauer Memorial Scholarship.
The process will look a little different than in the past to ensure social distancing and the safety of the community due to the continued impacts of COVID-19, but the impressive selection of plants grown at the Green Bay Campus hasn’t changed.
The new website (https://www.uwgb.edu/heirloom-plant-sale/) has an online shop for you to place an order that you will pick up later. At checkout, we will collect some contact information from you and you will select your pick up time. Pick up times will be available on Thursday, May 13, Friday, May 14 and Saturday, May 15; and your plants will be ready to go for you. Be sure and print out your order (there is a handy print button) to keep a record for yourself. Payment will be at pick up (cash or check only).
The shop will be open only to those with a UWGB login for the first week, so act early, especially if you are looking for something specific! You will be prompted to login when you click on the shop link. If you have any questions about the ordering process please contact the sale committee directly at uwgbplantsale@uwgb.edu. There will still be an (outdoor) sale for browsing on Saturday, May 15, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. outside the Lab Sciences greenhouse, but only those plants that haven’t been pre-ordered will be available at that time.
Unlike other vegetable sales, the UW-Green Bay sale features unique and rare heirloom varieties. One of our goals is to introduce local gardeners to new varieties and protect agricultural biodiversity. Whether you just picked up gardening last year or you are a master gardener, we have something for you!
This year the sale features 59 different varieties of tomatoes and 41 varieties of peppers from sweet to scorching hot. We also have a variety of vegetables, herbs, several different basils, and a collection of flowers. This year, we are offering some native flowering plants that will benefit pollinators and other beneficial insects. Overall, we have 202 different heirloom and open-pollinated cultivars and varieties for you to try in your garden. You can read descriptions of the varieties in the shop (just click on Details for each one).
The annual sale, sponsored by the Natural and Applied Sciences academic unit, began in 1997 with 300 plants for sale. Students benefit from the proceeds that are used to bring in scientists and other speakers that students otherwise would not be able to meet, and to support student research projects as well as travel to conferences where they can present results of their research and meet scientists in their fields. Over the past 2-3 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. The funds also allow students to travel to scientific meetings and brought internationally recognized scholars to UW-Green Bay for our seminar series.
