Sebastian, Lillianna (white hat), mom Nicole Botten and James pay the piper, Terri, at REAPS plant sale. Photo 250News

Prince George, B.C. – It’s a fundraiser that pays the rent, and the fact it is so well-received isn’t lost on the people at REAPS.

Executive Director Terri McClymont says there were “45 or 50 people lined up and chomping at the bit to get in” for the 10 a.m. Saturday opening of the Plant Sale at the REAPS Compost Demonstration Garden on Gorse Street.  “From our plant sale we look for donations, and we will come and dig them up for you or pick them up for you, and the donations go for our plant sale and it helps to pay for utilities and our rent every year.  And if there’s anything left over it goes toward our insurance.”

“This is our big fundraiser and we always do it the Saturday after the long weekend in May, and we’ve been doing it for 20 years.”  And that’s how long Terri has been with REAPS.  In fact she was the originator of the plant sale idea.  “And the other fundraisers we have is Junk in the Trunk, which happen in May and October.”

What kind of plants do you sell and accept, we asked.  “We accept anything”, says Terri, “as long as its legal!  We accept any plants,” she chuckles, “and we have perennials, bi-annuals, annuals, herbs, shrubs, fruiting trees, vegetables, grasses, roses, hanging baskets, planters we have as well.”

Now the sale is a one-day thing but Terri says donated plants will be accepted at any time of the year.  “We’ll over winter them too, so if they have plants that they’re digging up their beds later on in the summertime, we’ll happily take the donations and then we’ll over winter them for the next plant sale.  And if we do have a bumper crop of donations after this plant sale, then we’ll host another one late fall, because late fall is also a good time to plant you gardens as well.”

How are prices set for the plants you sell?  “Depending on my mood” she quips in an instant.  “Um generally they’re a dollar to five dollars and then our planters and our trees are $10-$15.  It’s really reasonable because we really want it to go and that really helps with our insurance and our lease.  So they’re priced to go.”

McClymont also says “when people come down here we have the composters and the rain barrels for sale and we encourage them to get a membership as well because as our members go up, they get an idea of what happens in our newsletter, what we’re doing in the community.  We’re always looking for feedback on other initiatives that they want to be part of within the community.  There partnerships that are happening all the time so we’re looking for members and that helps us with our funding proposals because they want to know how many members you have, so if we have a strong membership base it looks favorably.”

The membership fee at REAPS is $5 for seniors, $8 for individuals, $15 for a family and $25 for a business.