By Abbie Castriotta
Bluestem Goldenrod. Photo by Abbie Castriotta.
The Woodstock Union High School Agriculture Department will host our third annual Native Plant Sale this fall! The sale will run from 9am to 6pm Monday, September 21st, 9am-2pm Tuesday, September 22nd, and 9am-2pm on Wednesday, September 23rd. If these dates do not work for you, please contact Abbie (abbie.castriotta@mtnviews.org) to set up an appointment to shop for your plants.
We have over 40 different species for sale this year! New this year, you will also be able to place a pre-order for bare root trees and shrubs which you can pick up later in the fall. Students in the agriculture classes collected seeds for many of these plants last fall, planted them in pots to cold stratify over the winter, and cared for and divided them over the spring and summer. Now they are ready to be planted into your garden! Fall is a great time to plant native plants because the soil and temperature in the fall provide ideal conditions for new root growth without the stress of summer heat. You are also more likely to remember where the gaps were in your garden this summer. Next spring, the plants will come back strong and ready to bloom.
Native plants are the keystone species for our local food webs. By planting native plants, you are providing food and habitat for insects, birds, and other wildlife. They are adapted to live in our local ecosystems and, therefore, require less maintenance, less water, and no fertilizer. And they are beautiful! For more information about native plants check out the Homegrown National Park Project.
You can check out our tentative plant list and learn more about our CRAFT (Community and Climate Resilience through Agriculture, Forestry, and Technology) program at Woodstock Union HS visit www.wuhsmscraft.org. Click on the “plant sale information” tab to see the plant list. We are offering the native plants at a sliding scale cost ($0 – $15). We estimate that it costs us approximately $5 to grow each native plant though to buy the same plant through a nursery would likely cost $10-$20. All proceeds directly benefit the Woodstock Union Agriculture Department. Your support helps to ensure that our greenhouse and gardens are thriving spaces where we can continue to teach and learn about agriculture, stewardship, sustainability, and systems thinking through experiential learning. We take cash or checks. The sale will take place behind the Woodstock Union High School (100 Amsden Way, Woodstock, VT). Enter from route 4 and drive around the right side of the school to park near the bus barn and the football field. Please bring a cardboard box or tray.
And if you would like to dive deeper, we will be partnering with Sustainable Woodstock to have a native plant seed saving walk at King Farm on Thursday, October 1st from 5:30-7 PM. Join us to learn about how to ID plants in their fruiting/seeding stage, how to collect seed in a sustainable way, and seed storage and planting techniques.
What you can do:
- Attend the CRAFT Native Plant Sale on Sept 21st, 22nd, and 23rd
- Join us for a Native Seed Saving Walk at King Farm on Oct 1st: Register Here