Cultivate knowledge at annual plant sale
Mar. 29—It shouldn't be surprising that a big component of the Buena Vista Edible Schoolyard's annual Spring Plant Sale is about education.
Saturday's sale will also include two workshops for home gardeners — Gardening 101 and Soil Fertility and Compost — which are a first for the event.
Dylan Wilson, executive director of the Edible Schoolyard Kern County, said the sessions allow them to highlight what they already do — agricultural education — but this time for adults.
"We're focusing on what's best for the local gardener. We can share our knowledge as educators and gardeners as well."
Wilson said hearing from the community, including Garro Ellis of the KERN-AM 1180 program "The Moneywise Guys" who told him "I can never get my plants to survive," that they knew the need was there to educate.
"We have to be able to not just hand you a plant and expect you to be able to plant it."
The introductory class, taught by Wilson and Adolfo Briseno, agriculture program manager for Bakersfield College, is full (a waitlist is available), but the soil workshop, led by Joel Kirksey, coordinator for the Edible Garden at Cal State Bakersfield, is still open.
Even if you can't attend a workshop, you can still pick up tips on how to have a successful summer garden from Edible Schoolyard educators who will be on-site to answer any questions about the plants.
Speaking of the plants, this year's sale will have a bumper crop of seedlings, aided by the facility's new greenhouse, which was unveiled earlier this month.
"The quality is a new level because we have this new technology available to us," Wilson said of the greenhouse. "We were able to produce transplants that are equal in quality to what you see at major nurseries."
That also includes a new addition of artichokes, which have been the most-requested plant at the sale.
Wilson said, "It was a matter of making sure that we could have the appropriate climate in those colder months (for the seedlings)."
Other plants up for sale include those that will thrive in a spring/summer home garden: Beefsteak, celebrity and other standard tomatoes, red and gold cherry tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini and a variety of squash.
"We'll have hot peppers — jalapeno, serrano, shishito," Wilson said. "Shishitos are good in a stir-fry. Eating shishitos when they're stir-fried adds a lot of variety to the dish.
"We'll also have sweet bell peppers and lunchbox peppers."
Fresh herbs, including parsley, cilantro, basil and marjoram, as well as chamomile and a variety of flowers will also be for sale.
Individual plants will be sold for $4 or $6 per six-pack depending on the variety. (Cilantro, parsley, marigolds, zinnias and lettuce will be sold in six-packs.)
Attendees are encouraged to bring a wagon or box to carry home their green treasures.
Food will also be sold with coffee and pastries from Cloud 9 Coffee Co. in the morning and, starting at 11 a.m., fresh salads made with garden ingredients, wood-fired veggie pizzas and chocolate chip cookies, prepared by students from the culinary arts department at Bakersfield College.
Some hardcore gardeners line up before the start of the sale aiming to get the best of the seedlings.
"If they know what they want, I encourage them to go early," Wilson said. "It gives them time to get them in the ground that day if that's the plan."
Stefani Dias can be reached at 661-395-7488. Follow her on Twitter at @realstefanidias.
