Annual Worcester Spring Plant Sale Supporting Urban Agriculture Begins

WORCESTER, MA — If recent 60-degree weather wasn't enough, here's a sure sign of spring: the Regional Environmental Council's annual plant sale is going on now.

Local gardeners can place orders now for all types of fruits, vegetables and flowers, which will be ready for pickup and planting over two days in May.

Apart from filling gardens across the city, the plant sale doubles as a fundraiser for REC Worcester's urban and school gardens. The sale supports the donation of about 10,000 seedlings each year for the more than 70 urban gardens under the UGROW program. Thirty-one of those gardens are at public schools across the city, which local students tend during the school year.

The annual plant sale also offers a few ways to buy. Residents who receive SNAP benefits can use them to buy fruit, vegetable and herb seedlings. Those seedlings also qualify for earnings under the Healthy Incentives Program. REC Worcester also offers seedlings on a sliding scale with high, medium and low price points. Residents who purchase plants at the highest price point provide an extra boost to the program.

"The opening of our online plant sale is an exciting signifier of the start of spring! We invite the community to join us in planning for your gardens and supporting community and school gardens all over the city of Worcester," REC Director of Programs Grace Sliwoski said in a news release.

The seedlings will be available for pickup on May 17 and 18 at the REC farm at 42 Lagrange St.