East KY Plant Sales

Eastern Kentucky has very few resources for locally grown fruit plants at a reasonable price.  The Extension Agents of 22 counties and Wise County Virginia come together to each year to do a bulk order of strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, asparagus and candy onion transplants.   The combination of that many orders makes it possible for deep discounts to the customer.  
 For example if a customer only wants 50 strawberry plant and orders directly from the nursery the cost is $25, by ordering through our program the cost is $8.  I coordinate with the nursery each year in late November to ensure that the plants are available for delivery in April. A universal order form that is numbered was developed to serve also as a receipt.  The 2020 orders totaled over 50,000 plants, with a savings of well over $22,000 to home gardeners.  The plants were delivered to the Laurel County Extension Office on April 1^st.  The extension agents of the participating counties all gloved and masked up to divide the plants up among counties due to the Covid 19 epidemic.  We bagged our orders up and placed them on tables in alphabetical order and began handing them out in a drive thru fashion the next morning.  The customers drove under our awning were greeted by a gloved and masked employee who took their name and then either placed the order in their trunk or handed the order through the car window.  One customer commented on our Laurel County Agriculture and Horticulture page, “ It was a quick and easy experience this morning, thank you”.