Fall is on display at JCC plant sale

Who doesn’t love to spend time outside on a crisp autumn day? At the fall plant sale, sponsored by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, you will find yourself immersed in mums, pumpkins, bulbs, garlic and cozy goodies to get you ready for the season.

The sale will take place on Oct. 20 behind the Dwares Jewish Community Center, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence.

Charlotte's Farm, part of Shewatuck Farm, in North Kingstown, will bring seasonal vegetables as well as garlic bulbs for culinary use as well as for planting. Now is the perfect time for planting garlic cloves in your garden should you wish to harvest your own next summer.

Seekonk’s Oak Hill Farm & Garden will be offering beautiful perennials to enhance your outdoor space.

A relative newcomer located on the East Side, Pothos, will be selling both indoor and outdoor plants including mums, a fall favorite of many.

Bootstrap Compost, which operates throughout much of New England including in Rhode Island, will have worm castings and compost to enrich your gardens.

Alpacas from The Lazy K Ranch will be coming from Foster. They are always a crowd pleaser. The Ranch will be selling natural fiber knit goods, including gloves, socks and beanies, made from its alpacas’ fleece.

Both children and adults will be able to to enjoy pumpkin painting, and pumpkins of various sizes will be available for purchase. Quality Fruitland, in Seekonk, is donating local pumpkins, and all money raised from the pumpkin sales will go toward the Jewish Alliance's Community Campaign.

To add another taste of fall to the event, the Alliance will sell both apple cider by the cupful and apple cider donuts from Jaswell’s Farm, in Smithfield.

URI Master Gardener volunteers will be on hand to answer your gardening questions, conduct free onsite soil pH testing and provide recommendations for actions to improve your soil.

How to take a soil sample:

1. Use a spade to collect a thin slice (about 1/2 cup) of soil from the root zone in several spots in the same area (e.g., your lawn or vegetable garden).
2. Then mix the soil from these spots together, and spread the soil out on a piece of newspaper or a paper plate.
3. Allow it to air dry completely.
4. Finally pour about one cup of the mixed soil into a clean plastic or paper bag. You may bring in soil samples from more than one area, but do not mix soil from different areas.

Adding to the festivities will be live music provided by the Rehoboth Sunday Night Jammers, who will play a variety of pieces including klezmer, marches, jigs and waltzes. The members of the Jammers, including a few from the East Side, will be playing an assortment of instruments including fiddle, mandolin, bouzouki, acoustic guitar, bass and keyboard.

The Alliance’s sukkah, located in the Holocaust Memorial Garden next to the rear entrance to the JCC, will be open to the community during the sale.

The plant sale will take place from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the parking lot behind the Dwares JCC.

For more information, contact Kendra Doe at kdoe@jewishallianceri.org.

LYNNE FREED BELL is a member of the plant sale committee and plays with the Rehoboth Sunday Night Jammers.