Citizens of Hale Farm holds early-bird plant sale

by Laura Bednar

The Citizens of Hale Farm will hold its annual early-bird plant sale on May 19 from 4-7 p.m. and May 20 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the parking lot of Hale Farm & Village on Oak Hill Road. Admission is free.

The Citizens of Hale partnered with the Bath Gamma Garden Club to grow a variety of plants in an empty greenhouse at Hale Farm. Growing began in late February, as some plants like rosemary and lavender need a longer growing period and more time to germinate, according to Citizens of Hale Chair Pam Reitz.

All the plants start from seed, and Reitz said the group uses organic methods when feasible, including an organic soil mix. Some perennials need a cold period for growing and began in milk jugs outdoors until the sprouts were ready to be potted and moved to the greenhouse.

Plants for sale include herbs like oregano, sage and thyme and what Reitz describes as “old-fashioned” annuals, which include zinnias, snapdragons, hollyhocks and hyacinth beans. She said these plants are “not what you’d find at an everyday garden center.” There will also be native pollinators for sale, such as milkweed.

Flowers and perennials grown in the greenhouse are planted at gardens throughout the Hale Farm campus. The remaining plants are sold at the May sale and Hale’s Sow and Grow event June 11-12.

All proceeds from the sales go toward projects at Hale that aren’t in the annual budget. “[These are] little projects that aren’t part of the big picture,” said Reitz.

This year, the group is planning to replace warped picnic tables and replace oak trees on the Village Green that were removed due to disease. ∞