Master Gardeners’ Plant Fair drew crowds, carts, and 13,000 plants — with tomatoes topping everyone’s shopping list.
Washington State University Master Gardeners spend a year preparing for their annual Skagit County Master Gardeners Plant Fair, held the Saturday before Mother’s Day. This year, more than 500 people were in line for the fair before the gates opened at 8 a.m.
Experienced shoppers brought their own boxes, carts, and wheelbarrows and came armed with lists of the plants they hoped to procure.
The tomato starts are always the star of the show, with some 3,600 plants grown from seed by Master Gardeners. An additional 10,000 perennials, native plants, vegetables, shrubs, trees, and annuals are also grown by the all-volunteer group, who spent two days loading and organizing the plants they hoped would go home with customers. The fair also includes some 40 vendors.
All proceeds from the sale go to support the educational outreach programs for Master Gardeners, who offer science-based gardening advice free to the public and host plant clinics to troubleshoot plant issues.
Nancy K. Crowell: nancy@laconnercommunitynews.org. Nancy is a photographer, photo editor, and a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News. Nancy has also been a Master Gardener for 10 years.
