The Rare & Unusual Plant Sale Returns in 2024!
Saturday, May 18, 2024 & Sunday, May 19, 2024
10:00am – 2:00pm Plus exclusive, Members-only preview hour at 9am on Saturday
City Farm | 168 West Clifford Street, Providence, RI
The Rare & Unusual Plant Sale returns in 2024 for its 32nd year at City Farm and features 20,000 city-grown, city-sown vegetable, herb, and fruit plants, including a wide variety of medicinals. All plant starts have been grown with love, using organic and regenerative practices, from seed in our greenhouse at City Farm, Rhode Island’s longest operating urban farm. The Rare & Unusual Plant Sale also features hundreds of sought-after native perennials carefully curated and generously donated by local nurseries.
All are welcome! Admission is free and plant prices are kept low. We can accept SNAP/EBT, cash, credit/debit as payment for your plants.
Don’t miss special Member-only pricing and early event preview! The Rare & Unusual Plant Sale begins with an exclusive preview hour at 9:00am on Saturday, May 18. Exclusive early access is available only to SCLT Members! Members also receive a 10% discount on all plant purchases at the Sale. Other SCLT Membership benefits include 50 gallons of organic compost and discounts from beloved local retail partners. Learn more about membership and sign up today.
Plant Sale proceeds support Southside Community Land Trust’s mission and work to build equity and resiliency into Rhode Island’s food system. Your Plant Sale purchase funds SCLT’s farmer training, youth and apprentice, produce prescription, community gardens, urban farms programs which are designed to meet the food access and economic needs of historically underserved communities in Providence, Pawtucket and Central Falls.
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Thank you for supporting the 31st Annual Rare & Unusual Plant Sale
Held May 20-21, this year’s Rare & Unusual Plant Sale may be remembered as the wettest on record. The rain started off gently enough but, halfway through Saturday, it’s fair to say we had a downpour. But, Plant Sale shoppers continued to show up smiling. Our adult and youth staff and volunteers hung in there, knowing that Sunday would be beautiful (and it was).
We owe lots of gratitude to all who supported the 31st annual Plant Sale, including our many volunteers. Particular appreciation is owed to the active Plant Sale Committee for managing our popular perennial section and to the core group of volunteers who’ve been coming back to make the event run smoothly year after year. We’re grateful to the Sandwich Hut and Pizza J for feeding our hard-working crew each day. We thank Jenna Goldberg of Milkcan Industries for designing the t-shirts, sweatshirts, and bags available for purchase at the event. Southside Community Land Trust also wants to thank the fantastic musicians who performed throughout the weekend, and the nurseries that donated hundreds of gorgeous perennials to the Sale.
The Plant Sale not only helps SCLT’s programs financially, but celebrates and encourages backyard and community gardening. Cultivating and then sending out almost 20,000 plants throughout Greater Providence and Rhode Island supports local biodiversity, pollinators, earthworms, and the planet! As the area’s largest sale of sustainably grown vegetable, herb, and fruit plants, our Plant Sale continues to play an important role in growing our local food system.
Plant Sale donor nurseries:
- Blithewold
- Blue Moon Farm Perennials
- Briggs Nursery
- Central Nurseries
- Evergreen Tree & Landscape
- Homegrown
- Issima
- Stamp Farms
Plant Sale performances by:
- Bay Spring Folk
- Circle of the Drum
- Grass People
- Horse-Eyed Men
- Karen Isenberg
- Kate Mick
- Nico Jones
- Phil Edmonds
- The ‘Mericans
