Master gardeners host a plant sale for the community

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- Garden management can be a difficult, and time-consuming task.

Some plant as a hobby, while others do it to grow seasonal foods. The Oktibbeha Master Gardeners and the Mississippi State Extension Office hosted a plant sale.

” We’re doing a plant sale to raise funds to sponsor a scholarship at Mississippi State University for a student in the horticulture department. All these funds that we get today will go to a good cause,” said the president of Master Gardeners Hampton Fowler.

Fowler said that despite the rain, the community was eager to pick up a few gardening tips.

“Even with the weather, it’s been a great turn out, and we’re seeing a lot of people picking up their vegetable plants and filling in all those plants they lost in the freezer, so it’s a great time to get out there and take care of that in quite a variety,” said Fowler.

Tables lined with plants, herbs, and variety of vegetables to choose from, and within the next week, the organization plans to host a tomato battle.

“You pay five dollars, and you pick up two tomato plants. You’re going to sit there and watch a video on how to plant them. We encourage them to grow, and in August you’ll come back, and we’ll weigh your biggest tomato, and the awards are 25 dollars for the biggest tomato,” said organization member Jim McKell.

The goal wasn’t to sell items but to share gardening tips with the community.

“We like to support the community with public efforts to improve the knowledge and skills and horticulture. We’d like to promote the profession of horticulture as well, which we can do through the scholarship program,” said organization member Ed Williams.

The Master Gardeners encourage anyone interested in joining their team to contact them through the extension office so they can join in on helping host events.