Courtesy photo Plant starts are shown at the Bay greenhouse.

ESCANABA — Bay College’s annual sale of native seedlings and vegetable starts from its greenhouse to the public will be held today — Friday, May 9, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the greenhouse and biology lab (room 106) in the Math Science Building on the Escanaba campus at 2001 North Lincoln Road.

The one-day sale is free to enter, and funds raised through the event will go to the Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) club, the annual STEM Colloquia Series, and the continuing operation of the greenhouse.

Gardeners and plant enthusiasts will peruse various plants and vegetables throughout the 800-square-foot greenhouse, including native flowers, perennials, tomatoes, cauliflower, peppers, and herbs.

According to Bay, “Native plants are indigenous to a particular habitat within a specific region. They are adapted to local conditions and have natural defenses to diseases and insect pests. Importantly, they provide habitat and food for butterflies, hummingbirds, songbirds, and beneficial insects.”

Bays’ inaugural plant sale occurred in 2001, spearheaded by Math Science Division Chair and biology and environmental science instructor Dr. Brian Black.

Students and volunteers work together to produce the various plants and vegetables.

“I have a number of long-term community volunteers who’ve been coming in for years that assist with planting and transplanting. I have a good crew of students who are on work-study who do watering and maintenance,” Black said.

Bay certainly wants to raise money, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be good deals on plants and vegetables.

“I think our prices are as good as you can get. I’m not out to make a lot of money just to make enough to support us and see that the greenhouse is serving the broader community,” Black said.

He added that the greenhouse typically sells a fourth of the plants produced, but that doesn’t mean they are going to waste, as they are donated to local groups and clubs.

In years past, the remaining plants were donated to multiple projects including Esky Grow, the Escanaba Migratory Bird Enhancement Initiative and monarch habitat restoration projects in the Hiawatha National Forest.

This year, the remaining perennial wildflowers will be donated to the local conservation district.

“The great thing about gardening with native perennials is once you get them established, they’re pretty much maintenance-free. They’re adapted to our environments and soils and climate, and (it’s) pretty hard to kill them,” Black explained.

Black encourages the public to come to check out Bays’ Greenhouse and support its programs.

“The greenhouse is a community facility, and there really is, I think, a need for both native perennial wildflowers for various garden projects as well as some of the vegetables, and I think it puts that facility to good use,” Black said.

For more information, visit www.baycollege.edu/news/2025/bay-college-greenhouse-2025-one-day-only-plant-sale.php.