ESCANABA — Bay College’s annual sale of native seedlings from their greenhouse to the public will be held this Friday, May 3, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Math Science Building on the Escanaba campus at 2001 N. Lincoln Rd.

The sale is geared towards area gardeners interested in growing plants endemic to the region and vegetables that do well in the local climate. Included in the sprouted selection are native wildflowers, perennials, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs.

Bay College Math Science Division Chair and biology and environmental science instructor Brian Black said that the seeds were mostly collected from within Delta County, and all of them were propagated in the Bay College greenhouse, which has 800 square feet of growing space and a small pond. There are some student volunteers who care for plants in the greenhouse, but most of the support workers are affiliated with the Central Upper Peninsula chapter of Wild Ones, a group that promotes “environmentally-friendly, sound landscaping to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration, and establishment of native plant communities across the United States.”

From the selection of seedlings, people can buy either single potted plants or flats in a number of sizes — for these multi-celled flats, there is the freedom to mix and match. The sale, which can be found in room 116 (the science and biology lab) of the Math Science Building, supports gardens on campus and at area schools, in addition to around the community. Leftovers are given to groups such as Scouts, MSU Master Gardeners, and the National Forest Service.

“Most of the native perennials usually go to restoration projects on public lands, many associated with the Hiawatha National Forest,” said Black. “Recent projects have been in the AuTrain area and at Peninsula Point on Stonington.”

Black relayed that about a third of the plants grown in the greenhouse usually end up being sold and that the rest are donated to the above-mentioned parties.