The qathet region is considered to be in the Zone 7 planting region for gardening, because of moderate winters and warm summers, making it suitable for a wide variety of plants.
For those who garden, each month is a time for different actions, such as garden preparation, seed starting, planning and planting.
Powell River Garden Club (PRGC) is gearing up for its annual plant sale on Sunday, May 4, at Powell River Curling Club (PRCC). In Zone 7, the month of May is the perfect time to get plants into the ground, such as peppers, corn and tomatoes.
This year's plant sale director, Leeanne Barr, who has also been a plant vendor and is a member of the garden club, said the space [for the sale] is secure, volunteers are getting organized and sellers are in place.
"They're all [plant vendors] focusing on what they're going to be selling, and sowing the seeds and dividing the plants," said Barr. "Generally, there are shrubs, flowers, sometimes small trees, but that's rare, and lots of food plants."
Most of the plants for sale are for outdoors, but some vendors will have some indoor plants available as well.
"The range is huge, from succulents to tomatoes," said Barr. "This year we have 16 sellers signed up."
The annual sale is the largest fundraiser for the garden club, emphasized Barr.
"With the money that is made, it covers the cost of things like our meeting hall rental and guest speakers," said Barr. "We have speakers at almost every meeting."
The garden club also has a scholarship fund and has raised money for projects, like the Four Tides Hospice Society (FTHS) future sanctuary garden.
PRGC was started in 1967 and is a member of the BC Council of Garden Clubs. It offers a plethora of information and ideas about all things gardening, from members and resident master gardeners.
The group meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month from September to June (excluding December), at Cranberry Seniors Centre.
"The plant sale is widely anticipated and very popular amongst the locals," said Barr. "Plan to get there early, and be patient, because there will be a lot of people, and they need a little bit of elbow room."
Barr said the plants are usually sold at below market value and people can usually find a wide variety of great plants for a reasonable price.
"One of the things we're doing [differently] this year is we have plans to make sure the lines will move really quickly," said Barr. "This year we're introducing Square [debit, credit] as a payment method; in past years we have only accepted cash."
For Barr, vegetable plants are her go-to.
"I'm a vegetable gardener; I look for things like [plant] starts, because the seeds are fun, but it's quite time intensive and space intensive in your home."
The Powell River Garden Club website has many online resources available, including links to: The Lazy Gardener, Tips and Tricks; Brian Minter: Ten Lessons I've Learned and Vegetable Container Gardening for Beginners.
The plant sale on May 4 begins at noon and ends at 2:30 pm at 5750 Crown Avenue.
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