September 11, 2000 Farm & Garden Fall Plant Sale coming up September 15-16 By Jennifer McNulty Photo courtesy of the University of Cambridge Prepare your garden now for the glory days of spring and summer by planting perennials that will establish themselves over coming months and be ready to really take off as the air and soil warm up. To capitalize on this benefit of our mild climate, visit the UC Santa Cruz annual Fall Plant Sale on Friday and Saturday, September 15 and 16. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. The sale will take place in the Barn Theater parking lot at the intersection of Bay and High Streets at the base of campus. This year's selection will also feature an impressive array of organic vegetable six-packs, including salad mix, lettuce, peas, chard, broccoli, leeks, kale, bunch onions, and culinary herbs. For perennial lovers, there will be roses in gallon containers, lavender, and subtropical salvias. Herbaceous perennials like yarrow and delphinium will be available, as will a smattering of California natives, including blue- and yellow-eyed grass, and native currants. All plants are organically grown at the UC Santa Cruz Farm & Garden. Fall offers an unbeatable opportunity to prepare your garden because warm soil, mild weather, and relatively long days give perennials a chance to become established, said Orin Martin, manager of the Alan Chadwick Garden at UCSC. Vegetables like lettuce will produce three or four times longer than those that mature during the summer, noted Martin. Sponsored by the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, the sale will benefit the UCSC Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture. Members of the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden receive a 10 percent discount on purchases; memberships will be available at the sale. For more information about the Fall Plant Sale or the Friends of the Farm & Garden, call (831) 459-3240. Return to Front Page