Plant sale supporting CMPL coming May 20

May 16, 2023

By Mike Riley

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A plant sale is coming up on May 20 at the Carlow Community Centre at 985 Fort Stewart Road from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with all proceeds going toward the Carlow Mayo Public Library. Carrie McKenzie, the CEO and head librarian of the CMPL comments on this upcoming plant sale.

The plant sale on May 20 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. will be held at 985 Fort Stewart Road, the Carlow Community Centre. The sale will feature tomato plants, cucumber plants, pepper plants, zucchini plants, basil plants, parsley plants, catnip plants and much more.

According to the flyer for the event, suggested prices will be posted for the plants, however they invite people to pay what they can. It will also operate on an honour system; there will be no attendant, but a money box for people to pay for their purchases. They will also have a limited supply of trays and boxes for people to transport their purchased plants, but they suggest that people bring their own in case they run out. All proceeds from this sale will go to the CMPL.

McKenzie tells Bancroft This Week that when the CMPL first did their library fundraiser community yard sale, a fantastic board member (who wishes to remain anonymous) offered to host a plant sale for them.

“She has been growing the plants at her home from seed. The last picture she sent me was her kitchen that looked like a green house. She was looking forward to when she could move them outside,” she says.

McKenzie says that this board member has generously donated her time, effort and supplies for this plant sale, and has run it for the last three years. The board member in question also wanted to acknowledge others who are donating plants to the sale and her friends and family who have helped transplant the hundreds of tomatoes.

Those who have attended the sale in previous years have written it in their calendars, according to McKenzie, and that the plants on sale are grown with such expertise that people come back year after year. She also says that her kids and niece are excited for more lemon cucumbers this year.

“The Carlow Mayo Public Library staff and board members want to thank everyone for their continual support for the library. A huge shout out goes to the board member and her family for putting together this sale. It takes countless hours of preparation and personal time,” she says. “We are ever so grateful to have your support for the library.”