Otsego Master Gardeners Annual Plant Sale Set for May 16 at Fenimore Farm 

By AMY OENOKIDA
SUNY Institute for Local News
COOPERSTOWN

Gardeners across Otsego County will have the opportunity to shop for locally-grown plants and receive expert advice when the Otsego Master Gardeners host their annual plant sale on Saturday, May 16. 

The event will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fenimore Farm in Cooperstown and is one of the volunteer-run organization’s largest fundraising and community outreach efforts of the year. 

“We will have over 1,000 plants to sell,” said Carol Phelps, an Otsego Master Gardener volunteer and chair of the plant sale committee.  

The sale features a wide selection of vegetables, herbs, annual flowers, perennials and native plants, all grown locally by Master Gardener volunteers.

“We do not have other vendors at the sale,” said Phelps. 

Organizers emphasize that native plants are prioritized and every plant offered has been selected with the region’s climate in mind.

“All the plants we grow should thrive in upstate New York,” Phelps added. 

Tomatoes are a particular highlight of the sale.

“We usually sell out of tomato plants,” she warned.  

Tomato varieties are chosen for their success in the region’s relatively short growing season. Many of the plants are heirloom or bred for disease resistance, giving gardeners options that may not be available at large retail stores. 

“The tomatoes we sell are adapted to our shorter growing season and many are blight resistant or heirlooms,” Phelps explained.  

Unlike commercial garden centers, the plants offered at the sale are cultivated entirely by local volunteers, many of whom begin the growing process months in advance. 

“All of our plants are grown by local Master Gardener volunteers,” Phelps said. “About a dozen volunteers start them from seed under lights in our homes. Some are started as early as January and we enjoy nurturing them from seedling to the robust plants they are now in May.” 

Volunteers also aim to offer distinctive plant varieties that can be difficult to find elsewhere. 

“We try to choose popular varieties that might not be found at other outlets,” Phelps said. 

Proceeds from the plant sale directly support the educational and outreach programs of the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties Master Gardener program. 

“The funds we raise support all our other programs,” explained Phelps. 

Those programs include demonstration gardens at the CCESO Education Center on Lake Street in Cooperstown, where volunteers offer hands-on instruction in vegetable growing, composting and other gardening practices. The gardens also serve as the site for programs such as children’s gardening activities, tomato tastings and All-America Selections display beds. 

Master Gardeners also participate in community events, provide workshops for local organizations and support the “Seed-to-Supper” program, which teaches residents how to grow vegetables on a budget. 

“We donate the produce from our vegetable beds to the Cooperstown Food Pantry,” Phelps said. 

This year, the group is expanding its efforts with a new initiative designed to improve food access across the county. 

“This year we are starting a program called ‘Grow-a-Row,’ which connects home gardeners’ extra produce to food pantries throughout the county,” Phelps said. 

The Otsego Master Gardeners program currently includes 36 trained volunteers in the county who contribute to these initiatives. 

While fundraising is a key component of the annual sale, organizers say its educational value is just as important. 

“We also see the plant sale as one of our best educational outreach programs of the year,” Phelps said. “Gardeners have questions and we love to answer them at the plant sale.” 

Volunteers will be on hand throughout the event to offer guidance to both novice and experienced gardeners, helping attendees choose appropriate plants and troubleshoot common gardening challenges. 

“Gardeners love to share their wins and their challenges and expand their knowledge, and the plant sale is a place to do it,” Phelps said. 

For the volunteers themselves, the event is also a chance to celebrate months of work and a shared passion for gardening. 

“For the ‘Seed Starters,’ when we have all our plants gathered just before the sale starts, it is very satisfying to see the array of our offerings in one beautiful display,” she said. 

As the spring planting season gets underway, Otsego Master Gardeners are encouraging patience, particularly following recent cold weather. 

“Specifically for spring, patience,” Phelps responded when asked for advice she would give to beginner gardeners in the area. “For heat loving plants like tomatoes, peppers, dahlias, and zinnias, warm soil is key for faster blooms and fruit.” 

She stressed that gardeners should pay attention to soil conditions as much as air temperature. 

“After the cold of the last 10 days, wait for the soil to warm and not just the air,” she said. 

The group’s advice reflects broader gardening best practices in the region, where fluctuating spring temperatures can affect plant success. 

In addition to offering plants suited to local conditions, organizers are encouraging residents to consider the ecological benefits of buying locally grown and native species. 

“We will have a selection of native plants at the plant sale,” Phelps emphasized. “Native plants attract native pollinators. More native pollinators help any local habitat up and down the food chain.” 

She contrasted those benefits with plants often sold at large chain stores. 

“Larger stores sell plants which have a broad range of adaptability,” Phelps said. “They will look pretty but won’t attract the local pollinators.” 

Interest in both vegetable gardening and native plants has grown in recent years, a trend the organization hopes to support through its annual sale. 

“There has been more interest in vegetable gardening,” Phelps said. “People are interested in native plants, and we are here to help in getting them established in home gardens.” 

Otsego Master Gardeners is part of the Cornell Cooperative Extension system, a statewide educational network that connects university-based research with local communities. Volunteers complete training in horticulture and commit to sharing research-based gardening knowledge through public education and service. 

In Otsego County and neighboring Schoharie County, that mission takes shape through workshops, demonstration projects, and community outreach efforts aimed at promoting sustainable gardening practices and improving local food systems. 

For many residents, the annual plant sale has become both a practical shopping opportunity and a seasonal tradition. 

“We Master Gardener volunteers have a lot of fun putting on this community event each year,” Phelps enthused. 

With its blend of locally-grown plants, expert advice and community connection, organizers say the event offers something for gardeners of all experience levels—while helping sustain programs that benefit the wider community year-round. 

The plant sale will be held rain or shine on Saturday, May 16 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Fenimore Farm and Country Village Louis C. Jones Center located at 5775 State Route 80 in Cooperstown. Organizers recommend arriving early for the best selection, particularly for high-demand items such as tomatoes. 

This story was created by student reporters through the OnNY Community Media Lab, a program of SUNY Oneonta and the SUNY Institute for Local News.