By Laura Allen

Rowan County 4-H Agent

Now is the perfect time to be planning some additions to your home landscape. Luckily for you, it’s also time for the Rowan County Cooperative Extension Spring Plant Sale!

We have an extensive list of plant varieties available during our spring sale.

Plants available for purchase in 1 gallon containers for $10 each include: bunch grapes, blueberries, blackberries, muscadines, goji berries, figs and pomegranates.

The following fruit trees will be available in 5-gallon containers for $25 each: persimmon, plum, apple, peach and pear. Plants are adapted to the Piedmont growing conditions and will be perfect for your yard or farm. 

You can view the plant sale item list, descriptions and prices at https://rowan.ces.ncsu.edu/2020/01/spring-2020-plant-sale/. You may also pick up a flyer at the Extension office. 

Grapes offered Niagara and Sunbelt. Niagara has large fruit, large tight clusters, white skin, good flavor and ripens mid- to late season. Sunbelt has large fruit, small clusters, blue color, sweet good flavor and ripens early to mid-season. Similar to Concord but ripens more evenly and better resistance to mildews. Does better in warmer climates than Concord.

Blueberries are Tifblue, Climax and Premier. At least two varieties must be planted to ensure cross-pollination. Tifblue ripens mid- to late season and is medium size with good flavor. Climax ripens in mid-June and berries have excellent flavor and good color. Premier ripens early to mid-season, with large fruit, and excellent color and flavor.

Blackberries are all thornless. Varieties are Arapaho, with medium fruit and good flavor; Navaho, a late ripener with superior fruit; and Quachita, which has large fruit, good flavor and a five-week ripening cycle.

Carlos and Nesbit are the muscadine varieties with Carloas a bronze color and heavy producer, and Nesbitt a black color that is cold hardy.

Gojiberries come in one variety, Goji, which produces a bright, orange-red fruit with a slightly sweet, mildly tangy flavor. These are used for eating, juice, wine and in herbal tea, or dried.

You can choose Celeste, Kadota or LSU purple figs. The celeste are common in this area, with small fruit and few seeds. Kadota are medium and lighter in color, bearing twice in most years. The purple are medium fruit with good flavor.

Pomegranates come in a dwarf variety which blooms in late summer and has slightly smaller fruit. Parfianka has larger fruit.

Apples available include Jonagold, Red Delicious and Red Rome. Peaches are contender and Red Haven.

Pears will be Moonglow. Plums will be Byron Gold or Methley.

The plant sale is pre-order only. Orders can be placed online at go.ncsu.edu/2020springplantsale or by calling the Extension office at 704-216-8970. Orders are due by Thursday, Feb. 27.

Plant pick up is Thursday, March 5 from 8:30 AM-4:30 PM at Rowan County Cooperative Extension. You must pay at pick-up using cash or check made out to Rowan CES. 

If you have questions regarding the plant sale varieties offered or have other planting questions, please call the Extension office at 704-216-8970.

Rowan County Cooperative Extension is located at 2727-A Old Concord Road Salisbury, NC 28146.