April 9, 2019 - By Bob Labozetta (UC Master Gardener, Mariposa County) - Back by popular demand! The Annual Spring Plant Sale hosted by the UC Master Gardeners of Mariposa County is a-happenin’ on Saturday, April 27, 2019 in the Amigo picnic area of the Mariposa County Fairgrounds from 8:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. (or until sold out).
This beloved annual one-day plant and garden art sale offers exceptionally low prices for garden vegetables, landscape plants suited to our local climate, and varieties that are difficult to find at commercial nurseries. The exemplary selections include salvias, young desert willow, eastern redbud, mimosa, natives, and drought tolerant plants. Vegetable choices encompass multiple varieties of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, squashes, melons, cucumbers, basil, parsley, rosemary, and many more.
This year’s Plant Sale theme -- “From Our Garden to Yours” -- refers to the propagation locations and the Master Gardeners’ love of horticulture. Under the caring direction of UC Master Gardeners Helen Willoughby-Peck and Dan Horner, the vast majority of the 1,200+ transplants (plus native plants) were sown or propagated by UC Master Gardeners of Mariposa County volunteers in their own gardens.
Besides plants, the Garden Art Center will feature yard-art created by local residents, many of them our own UC Master Gardeners. In addition, there will be an Information Center featuring organizations having information pertinent to gardening and landscaping in the Sierra foothills. At the Information Center, you’ll find booths from:
- Cal Fire
- Fire Safe Council
- “Plant A Row”
- Mariposa Creek Parkway Project
- UC Master Gardener Community Garden Project
- Mariposa County Health Department’s grey water systems
- Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
- Resource Conservation District (RCD)
Environmental Health Services will supply beneficial mosquito fish for sale. These environmentally friendly fish will consume large quantities of mosquito and other harmful insect larvae as well as algae in ponds and animal troughs. If you are getting mosquito fish, be sure to bring a small ice chest to transport them home.
Although the gates open at 8:00 A.M. and close by 1:00 P.M., the Plant Sale has a history of selling out early. So, the sooner you can make it, the more likely you are to find what you are looking for. Past attendees know well to practice the dictum, “the early bird gets the worm” or, in this case, “plant.” Please bring a box or crate to carry plants to your car.
If you have gardening or landscaping questions, feel free to ask any of the UC Master Gardeners there for assistance.
UC Master Gardeners of Mariposa County are located in Mariposa at 5009 Fairgrounds Road. Visit our website at cemariposa.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardener/ and Facebook page (UC Master Gardeners of Mariposa County) for more gardening information and events. UC Master Gardeners staff a Helpline serving Mariposa County, including Greeley Hill, Coulterville and Lake Don Pedro (209 966-7078 or mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu).
