The following is a piece Beverly Beckham of the Boston Globe wrote about the plant sale. She spoke primarily to Evan, and we briefly met. She wrote this with what she learned from Evan so it's good but incomplete...she was not told about the army of people this takes to make work.


She called me an ordinary person doing extraordinary things...And I am not doing anything great... If we had talked I would have told her about all of you. I could not do this without a LOT of help, If you are getting this Email YOU are my help. You make this sale possible.


People like: Marlene O'Brien is my right hand woman, Thank you and bless your crazy heart for adopting this as your pet project. Lori Packard the fairy godmother of plants who wonderfully donated for the 3rd year in a row van fulls of annuals and hanging baskets EACH WEEKEND in May that make my sale look pretty and draw people in. Without her help this would NOT work. My Dear Husband who also enables this nutty project and is my partner in crime. He's the garden master, driver, the scheduler, adviser and best friend. All of you Connie for your past tomato plants, and this years seeds, Chris ditto! New England pottery. Massachusetts Master Gardner Association for your support in manning the tables with such knowledge and enthusiasm. And of course Costco for letting us do the sale at all and for all the wonderful support they provide to the sale.

I could go on and on and on...but you want to hear the total we made for 2012 and get to the real story here that Beverly wrote..... So the est for this year is around $9500.00 So in 4 years with all your love and support we have made about $39,500 Just in plant sales. The money we have raised this year is combined with the fund-raising efforts of Costco Avon, and Costco Corporate matches a percent of that combined donation. So with your help in 4 years we have done a lot of good. Thank you. I hope I can live up to the very kind words Beverly wrote about me.

(The following article is from today's Sunday Boston Globe, Globe South section, p 6.)




A lesson from a garden

By Beverly Beckham

In the book I have never written, “Everything I Need to Know, I Learned in My ­Garden,” I would have a chapter called “It matters where you are planted.”

Here’s why:

I bought six flats of annuals last weekend, two dazzler white impatiens, two maestro salvia, and two raspberry parfait dianthuses. That’s 288 hardy, but very little, plants.

I bought them from a woman whose name is ­Michelle Tarver, but who calls herself Crazy Plant Lady ­because she is so crazy about plants in all their guises that she not only grows them but also writes about them on her website crazyplantlady.org, which is subtitled “Chronicles of a Productive Obsession.”

I met her outside of Costco in Avon, where this North Dighton resident has been setting up shop every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in May — not to line her own pockets but to raise money for Boston Children’s Hospital.

Most of the plants she sells she grows herself. Her son, ­Evan, who helped me load what I bought into my car, said she starts them in early spring, watches them sprout, feeds them, and keeps them warm.

Some plants she gets as ­donations from other gardeners, which requires her driving all over the state to pick them up. She sends every ­penny ­people pay her to ­Children’s Hospital.

What she does consumes her time and is a lot of work, but here she is, with her family and friends helping her, one more ordinary person quietly doing an extraordinary thing.

I thought of her and her teenage son with every hole I dug last Sunday. I was careful with each tender shoot. I ­watered every plant right after I patted dirt around it. And then when I finished, I connected the hose and ­watered all the plants again.

Despite my care in planting them and the Crazy Plant ­Lady’s care in growing them, they won’t all survive. I know this. I plant flowers every year (except for last year, which I took off).

And I have learned that you can plant seemingly identical flowers one right next to the other, and one will thrive and grow big and look exactly like the picture on its identification tag and the other will wither and die.

What I don’t know is why.

Most plants are easy to grow. And they come with descrip­tions so you always know what you’ll be getting. Salvia: Fiery-red flower spikes, dwarf plants. Dark green foliage. Grows to 10 inches.

Plus, they come with directions: Use in borders, beds. How to grow: Plant in sun or part sun 10 inches apart.

It should be a slam dunk. Follow the instructions, and everything you put in the ground should survive.

But even in plant life there are variables. Too much sun. Not enough sun. Sandy soil. Silty soil. Too close to a tree. Not close enough. The morning paper lands on it. The hose uproots it. A child plucks it. An adult steps on it. The hedgehogs devour it.

I dug permanent homes for all 288 little plants that someone else grew from seed. And I was gentle. But I saw how the soil changed every few feet, how it was darker and richer near the trees and lighter and dryer near the street.

I felt the sun’s angle shift, too, as I moved around the yard, going from hot to warm, from sunshine to shadow.

I noticed, too, how some plants absorbed the water I fed them from the hose and how with others the water just ran off.

I don’t know which of the seedlings will make it and which will not. Maybe run-off water is good. Maybe these plants will like it near the street. All I know is that it matters where you’re planted.

Whether you’re a raspberry parfait ­dianthus, a dazzler white ­impatiens, or the person who plants them, you need to be tended to. You need to thrive to grow.

E-mail Beverly Beckham at bevbeckham@aol.com.


--
Michelle

Today I'm heading out to R&C Farms/Simons Greenhouses (Scituate, MA) to pick up a donation for the plant sale.  Thank you Ronnie Simons.

This year's sale (The 4th Annual CMN Plant Sale) is nearly upon us.

• The replacement tie down anchors came in today, so the sign/banner is going up in front of Costco's entrance either today or tomorrow. I'll post a picture when I get it setup.
• The old minivan is going to be converted back into "the plant wagon" this evening or tomorrow morning; I just have to gather up all of the shelving parts (that I stored somewhere in the basement). 
• Lori Packard (of Packard Farms, Brockton, MA) is once again on-board. I'll be picking up our first van-load of flowering plants, and maybe herbs, this Thursday. 
• Friday morning I will be at Costco (9am) to setup the racks in front of the store, so Marlene can begin selling the goods when she gets there at 10am. From there I will be driving to Loudon, NH to pick up a donation from Pleasant View Gardens. Perhaps I can persuade them to make an additional donation later in the month. 

Just a reminder that the sale is running through the month of May.  The official hours of the plant sale are Fri/Sat/Sun from 11am - 5pm (only 4 weekends this year, as opposed to 5 the past two years). These hours are just a guideline as we may actually start earlier and run later (depends how business is going).

BTW - A big thanks goes out to Susan G. of Newton, MA.  She invited us over and contributed numerous perennials from her garden; elephant ear hostas, Black-eyed Susans, Rose Campion and Ornamental Grasses to name a few.  (And thank you to Marlene for finding Susan on the Freecycle forums.)

If you know of anyone that might have something to contribute, please refer them to me.  If they have perennials to divide in their gardens I can provide pots to put them in.  Just let me know.

A way to join in the fun

Seasons Greetings Fellow New Englanders,
For the past few years when people ask me what I want for Christmas I ask that they make a donation to a charity. It used to be St. Jude's and I would get a very nice acknowledgement card from them. I think most large organizations do this. This year a good friend of mine got married (she is in her 50's) and although it was her first marriage, she, like me, does not need another "thing". I gave her her wedding invitation in a silver frame and a donation to the Childrens' Hospital in Boston. (She was also sort of styling her wedding on a lower scale Will and Kate version and that was along the line of what they requested as wedding gifts).
In response to my "Question Impossible", along with great responses from diggerdee and diggingthedirt, gardenweed sent me a lot of perennial seeds to wintersow for Michelle's (ontheteam) Childrens' Hospital plant sale in May. I've tried wintersowing before with mixed results and was wondering if there is anyone out there who would be able to help. This is what I propose - if you're in the greater Boston area (I live in Newton) select at least 2 seed packages from the list below and wintersow them for the plant sale and "give" the plants and your time and efforts as a gift to someone this year (just include a notation in a card). As long as there are at least 20 plants (or if you pick more than 2 seeds, at least 10 plants per seed package) in the Spring, I'll come pick them up. If your wintersowing efforts are not successful, at least you tried and you'll get some experience for the future. If you succeed, you'll be donating some plants to the plant sale but also get to keep some to give the remainder to family, friends or swaps. Either way, you've given the person who has everything a gift of yourself to benefit the Childrens' Hospital. I'm trying to make this a win-win for everyone so if you're interested or have any other idea, please send me an email.
Thank you for you time and patience reading my long winded message. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Iris sibirica - Siberian iris (at least 50 seeds)
Stokesia laevis 'Klaus Jelitto' - Stokes Astor (at least 25 seeds)
Dianthus barbatus - Sweet William 'Sooty' (at least 50 seeds)
Baptisia australis - False Indigo 'Starlite Prarieblues' (at least 50 seeds)
Baptisia australis - False Indigo (at least 25 seeds)
Verbascum chaixil var. album - mullein 'Milk Shake' (at least 100 seeds)
Gaillardia aristata - Blanket Flower (at least 50 seeds)
Lychnis coronaria - Rose Companion (at least 100 seeds)
Dianthus plumarius - Cottage pinks (at least 25 seeds)
Hosta 'Sieboldiana Elegans' - Plantain lily (at least 100 seeds)
Leucanthemum/chrysanthemum x superbum - Shasta Daisy (at least 50 seeds)
Lupinus perennis - Lupine (red) (at least 25 seeds)
Penstemon digitalis - Foxglove beardtongue 'Mystica' (at least 50 seeds)
Trollius ledebourli - Chinese globeflower (at least 50 seeds)
Aquilegia - Columbine (mix)(at least 100 seeds)
Aquilegia vulgaris - Columbine 'Winky Mix' (at least 50 seeds)
Phlox paniculata - tall garden phlox mixed (at least 25 seeds)
Livingstone Seed Co. - 2 packages Lupine - Russell's Prize Mix
Livingstone Seed Co. - 1 package Foxglove - Gloxinaflora Mix
Burpee - 2 packages Iberis sempervirens - Candytuft
Burpee - 3 pacages Painted Daisy Mixed Colors - Margarita Mayor

CMN Endorsement Letter for 2012 Sale ;)

Scroll down and click on the middle of the letter below to see a full screen view of it.  CrazyPlantLady.org is now specifically named in the letter.  Awesome!  :)

And 2012 plant sale prep starts!

So most of you are running around trying to tie up the 2011 loose and get set for Christmas... Well  ends here at Casa de cucoo.. We are gearing up for the 2012 CMN plant sale. Recruiting volunteers! Getting donation letters written,refining the address list. and choosing what seeds we are going to grow for you!  So Think warm May thoughts and think about how  YOU can help.

So I do not forget

Did I rember to tell you:

We with the Store did riaed over $30,000 this year ?!! 

About 1/2 of that is plants!

The rest of the post : It's not a sexy post..but I won;t loose it here...

NOW:

1. Write “testimony” letter to be endorsed by Packard Farm
2. Send Thank Yous to : Marlene, Rebbecca, Trudi, Packard Farm, Zabo, D&D, Pleasant View, Blanchettes, NE Seed Warren Shepard, Araujo’s, Connie, Chris, Carol F, MassHort MG’s, Lilone of GW, PlaysinDirt of GW and ???
3. Solicititations: Silva’s in Dighton, Blackmore, Griffin, Get hooked up with grower of herb plugs
4. Seed and divide perennials for 2012
5. Pot up all ddoanted seedlings and
6. pot up all  older perennials in to larger pots
7. Take cuttings of Bridal bush,beauty bush,Pink,white,blue,green Hydrangea,Nelly and jack clematis,forsythia,Red jap maple,

PRE SALE 2012

1. Jan

1. Start seeds/plugs for hangers, winter sow 2013 perennials
2. Send letters for donations

2. Feb

1. Start Herbs,
2. follow up calls

3. March

1. Start Toms and peppers
2. Arrange potting party better with warehouse ... save the date... April 15th.. Sunday before Patriots’ Day
3. Hang the banner in the STORE in March/April advertising sale

4. Going to need to extend sale hours to match store opening and closer to closing allowing us to get in on 2 very large waves of people. Add more days week of Memorial Day.

For sale:

1. MUST have visible price list with blurb that explains it is a fundraiser; prices listed as donations.
2. MUST do bench cards/picture book for items NOT donated by Packard Farm
3. Plants people asked most for :Mint, Basil, Lilly of valley, rosemary, thyme, geraniums. hangers, Rose bushes  (Keep basil under LIGHTS longer or bring back in under-lights)
4. Staffing: Need more Volunteers and more Costco Employees to get involved. Particularly if extending hours.
5. "adopt" local garden clubs Avon, Stoughton, Brockton, Holbrook, Randolph, Canton, Easton, Sharon, Quincy.
6. Ask marketers to focus on hort related groups for member drive.
7. Find way to collect email address
8. Incorporate as a lic charity

New url for Crazy Plant Lady

The new url for this blog will be www.crazyplantlady.org

pics 2011 plant sale

Things to do and lessons leared Plant sale 2011

NOW:

1. Write “testimony” letter to be endorsed by Packard Farm
2. Send Thank Yous to : Marlene, Rebbecca, Trudi, Packard Farm, Zabo, D&D, Pleasant View, Blanchettes, NE Seed Warren Shepard, Araujo’s, Connie, Chris, Carol F, MassHort MG’s, Lilone of GW, PlaysinDirt of GW
3. Solicititations: Silva’s in Dighton, Blackmore, Griffin, Get hooked up with grower of herb plugs
4. Seed and divide perennials for 2012

PRE SALE 2012

1. Jan

1. Start seeds/plugs for hangers, winter sow 2013 perennials
2. Send letters for donations

2. Feb

1. Start Herbs,
2. follow up calls

3. March

1. Start Toms and peppers
2. Arrange potting party better with warehouse ... save the date... April 15th.. Sunday before Patriots’ Day
3. Hang the banner in the STORE in March/April advertising sale

4. Going to need to extend sale hours to match store opening and closer to closing allowing us to get in on 2 very large waves of people. Add more days week of Memorial Day.

For sale:

1. MUST have visible price list with blurb that explains it is a fundraiser; prices listed as donations.
2. MUST do bench cards/picture book for items NOT donated by Packard Farm
3. Plants people asked most for :Mint, Basil, Lilly of valley, rosemary, thyme, geraniums. hangers, Rose bushes  (Keep basil under LIGHTS longer or bring back in under-lights)
4. Staffing: Need more Volunteers and more Costco Employees to get involved. Particularly if extending hours.
5. "adopt" local garden clubs Avon, Stoughton, Brockton, Holbrook, Randolph, Canton, Easton, Sharon, Quincy.
6. Ask marketers to focus on hort related groups for member drive.
7. Find way to collect email address
8. Incorporate as a lic charity

Notes to self for 2012

                                       PRE SALE

• :Jan 2012 Start seeds/plugs for hangers,winter sow 2013 perennials
• Send letters for donations
• ,Feb Start Herbs,
• follow up calls
• March Start Toms and peppers
•  Arrange potting party better with warehouse ... save the date... April 15th.. Sunday before Patriots day)
•  Going to need to extend sale hours (to match store opening and closer to closing allowing us to get in on 2 very large waves of people. Add more days week of Memorial day

• Hang the banner in the STORE in March/April advertizing sale

 For sale:
MUST have visible price list
MUST do bench cards
Plants people asked most for :Mint,Basil,Lilly of valley,rosemary,thyme,geraniums.hangers,Rose bushes  (Keep basil under LIGHTS longer or bring back in underlights
Need more Volunteers and more Costco Employees to get involved.
"adopt" local garden club( Avon,Stoughton.Brockton,holbrook,Randolph,canton,Easton,Sharon,Quincy) Get marketers to focus on hort related groups for member drive.
Find way to collect email address
incorporate as a lic charity

CRAZY is right.....

Ok So I have to get the King worker bee to post pics.. we have had so many frineds old and new from MassHort join us in the lsat 2 weeks. Lori Packard has given us beautiful plants Marlene has given blood sweat and tears. Costco's been super supportive and helpful The Cashiers they provide ( Mainly Heather B and Andrea_) have been SUPER. Aaron(King Worker bee,,,) The Twin towers and as Marlene has named my youning./. Stuffed Boy and Robot Girl...and my supernatural kid Sarah.. have all been awesome

Lynne at Costco donated alomst 200 worth of herbs last weekend. We have Tomatos of every k ind Shade and sun perennials annuals herbs, veggies..all we nned is ...
SUN.. and People, This weather does NOT put people in a planting mood... but..it is GREAT for planting. The Plats wold LOVE it any how
So YOU come one down to 120 stockwell drag your hubby your mom your kids your garden enabling friends and come support CMN and the last 7 days of the 2011 Plant sale~!
Last year combined with the plants this location donated $24,000 dollars to CMN. Right now we are not even half way to that...
So show some love ok? You can mail  or even paypal to Aaron if you can't come by plants....
The only good thing about all the rain.....
I do not have to water the farm....

2011 sale is under way....

So we have had our 1st weekend of the 2011 sale.  We made around $1200.00 dollars for CMN, and look forward to having that number grow!
 Rember the hours are 11 am to 5 pm Fri.  Sat, Sunday. at 120 stockwell Dr in Avon MA and you do NOT need a  Costco membership to support the sale.
Marlene and Aaron and Keiran were he star volunteers of the week. I have been s-i-c-k and they kindly ordered me to stay home and rest.
Heather was our Cashier duJour and she Rocks.
Connie and Chris..aka" the Tomato people" have made their donations of beautiful rare tomatoes plants and hot pepper plants. So come on and check em out.  
Carlos is the man in command of CMN this year and i am enjoying his support.

Here are a few  notes related to the sale:

• There will be a plant parking lot.
• Remember when selecting plant material, bigger and blooming is not necessarily better.
• Occasionally, a plant may be mislabeled. If this happens, please forgive us and feel free to ask for a replacement.

We grow the majority of our plants ourselves, so we can sell them to you at reasonable prices.

• $3 to $4 for starter-sized plants.
• $5 and up for shrubs, trees, large, rare, or prized varieties.

Our prices reflect the maturity, ease of propagation, or rarity of a plant. Our aim is to sell healthy, home-grown plants at reasonable prices.

We do have veggies: 6 kinds of Tomatoes.summer squash,green-beans,broccoli,Swiss chard,
Herbs and more veggies will be coming hopefully for mom's day weekend.

We will have a limited amount of Proven winners mixed hanging baskets starting Friday for Mom's day. Retail is $50.00 we are selling them for around $30.00

Ohh oh .. we have been chose by the "sisters plant sale" in Reading to receive the left over plants from their plant sale that benefits Make a Wish Foundation  http://sisterplants.com/welcome.html Please check them out and support them in their 15th year! .
 We will have their plants for the final weekend.

Also next week we will have  SEEDS for sale.. NE Seed Co has doanted a 48 pocket seed rack to us full of seeds.( Please do not let me buy it all myself!)  it's a mix of all the best sellers so come check it out and support CMN!

2011 potting party in pics.

A few of the pics of my wonder volunteers who spent the day at the farm getting everything all ready for the Plant Sale.  My heartfelt thanks to you ALL!!

Down at the farm

A few pics of the action at casa da crazy plant lady as I gear up for the 2011 edition of the Children's Miracle Network Plant sale.. This is the outside potting area. I have 800 lily bulbs that Zabo kindly doanted again that need to be potted up! Plus the divisions from my yard and the bagged collections that fell in to my cart at work...so about 2000 plants to get in to soil ASAP.











This is the 2 FULL low tunnels I have outside. Tunnel 1 is NEW plants from bulbs and roots for this years sale Tunnel 2 is perennials from last years winter sowing that will sell this year.







inside view of tunnel 1.............



































Inside view of tunnel 2
.















close up of a baby delphinium. indulge me. So proud I can get this sucker to GROW they have been HARD.














outside view tunnels 1 and 2 and Tunnel 3 waiting to be filled. That is getting a 1 1/2 foot layer of fresh horse manure 1st. ( Thank you Aaron honey I love you) So it will hold heat over night better and i can put the peppers tom's and annuals in it.

Last years pottingparty

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Never had to write a press release before.

So help.
Suggestions please?
Charity plant sale to benefit Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals in support of Children's Hospital Boston to be held Starting Friday April 29th Sat April 30 and Sunday May 1st from 1130 am to 5 30 pm.

At the Costco Avon Location 120 Stockwell Drive Avon MA 02322, 508-232-4000 behind Jordan's Furniture..

( Plant sale will also be open every weekend in May. 6th,7th,8th,13th,14th,15th,20st,21nd,22rd and final weekend Thursday 26th,27th,28th,29th,)

Why a Plant sale for a hospital some people ask??... Because it's a way to spread HOPE for the kids that Children's Hospital Boston serves,and the joy of gardening rewards all the people kind enough to donate to the cause. It's a great win win partnership where the giver gets as much as the receiver!

The Plant sale May 2010 raised $10,500.00. Goal is to raise $20,000 in 2011.

I am asking for your support in donating:

*

Any plant material such as :Aloe Vera plants, African Violets, and seasonal annuals, perennials,herbs,veggies,shrubs .Any plants you need to divide or need to move to make room for new ones are more then welcome!
*

propagation supplies such as soil,seeds,trays,pots,

Desperately need plant smart volunteers to share their knowledge and love of plants.This is a key component to making the plant sale work. Need Volunteers to help people select the right plants,.All set up tear down and watering will be done for you. You get to share your knowledge and love of gardening,inspire others to garden.. And help a very worthy cause right here in our area! Plus you get a free one day shopping pass to the Costco Avon store and lunch during your volunteer shift.


Also need volunteers Sunday April 17th from 1 pm till 5 pm in Dighton MA . Music,food,kid friendly,work day to get the 600 plants grown at Michelle's house ready for the sale. RSVP at Crazyplantlady@AaronTarver.org.


The sale will feature beautiful; plants donated by many area nurseries and grown by dedicated volunteers
.
Packard farms in Brockton is a very generous sponsor and donates many beautiful plants of all kinds to fill all your spring gardening needs for the duration of the sale. Lori Packard at Packard farms is the fairy god mother to this project.
Pleasant View Gardens in Louden NH has promised once again to donate beautiful hanging baskets for Mothers day weekend.
D&D Farms in Stow Mass has promised to provide plants to kick of the sale and we are exited to welcome them to the team!

The sale will have a large assortment of heirloom and hybrid tomatoes grown by various volunteers for the 3rd week of the sale.
More sponsors are expected! So stay tuned! Not able to Volunteer? You can still help! Come shop for your spring plants and support Children's Miracle Network Hospital!

The 6 Costco locations in MA and NH, partnering with the CMN Hospitals, raised over $147,000 for Children 's Hospital Boston in 2010. Please join us in helping a great cause that has tremendous impact on the lives of so many local children and families.


--

offical 2011 begging letter.. yours to use if you want to help

I am planning a charity plant sale to benefit Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals in support of Children's Hospital Boston (see enclosed) to be held this May 2011 . I would like your assistance.

I successfully facilitated a small-scale plant sale May 2010 and raised $10,500.00. I hope to raise $20,000 in 2011.

I am asking for your support in donating:

*

Any plant material such as Aloe Vera plants, African Violets, and more common seasonal annuls and perennials
*

propagation supplies (seeds, light carts, trays, plug cells, starting mix, plant tags, fertilizer, seed mats, etc)
*

Any staff that would like to spend a few hours sharing their knowledge of plants at the sale; monetary donations were always greater when a green-thumb was on hand to advise. Volunteers will receive a one day shopping pass to Costco Avon.
*

Any other items you think would be helpful in this endeavor would be welcome as well.

Costco Avon will provide one extra large CMN Hospitals Sponsorship Poster with your business information posted in a prominent location for any donation worth $500 at retail.

The 6 Costco locations in MA and NH, partnering with the CMN Hospitals, raised over $147,000 for Children 's Hospital Boston in 2010. Please join us in helping a great cause that has tremendous impact on the lives of so many local children and families.

This request can be validated by contacting Shannon Collins (Warehouse Manager) or Eric DeSatnick (Marketing Manager) at Costco Avon, 508-232-4001.

For any other questions, or to coordinate a donation, you may contact me (or my husband Aaron) directly.

Michelle Tarver

256 Kirk Terrace

North Dighton MA 02764

crazyplantlady@aarontarver.org

H 508-386-0759

C 774-273-0020

Someone asked for advice...

And that is flattering.... So I figured I'd try and walk them through the whole process and give some good advice...

1st advice I guess is this: Know it's going to be a LOT of work. It's NOT all going to go smoothly.And it's kinda stressful trying to get a living product to do what you want on YOUR time schedule. It gives a whole new level of respect to farmers.
Make sure your spouse/kids are on board. It's good to have the moral support and the extra hands.

How to get plants:
Wintersowing. Super simple way to start a lot of stuff.... Soil seeds old milk jugs and a paint pen to mark the kind of seeds in it


a short video that gives the gist of setting up the container...

The PERENNIALS: you sow now will be best for sale in 2012, If you can find perennials that bloom the 1st yr from seed those are good for this year..

Herbs of all sorts are GREAT to start this way.
Tomatos do really well...
I do my sale in May because I have to ..but if you can do Early June or your zone is warmer then me you have more options of what can wintersow well.And be ready in time for your sale . Pansys Petunias really anything can be winter-sown or spring sowed.

Due to my Early sale and zone 5 I start the peppers and tender annuals like impatiences indoors under-lights. My hubby made me a light-set up out of office shelves and fluorescent lights for about 200 bucks,

Low tunnels/hoop-houses are a good way to get the plants out of the lights and outside a lil sooner.
I have an EXTENSIVE list of places I ask for donations ..I mail all over the country. Do not limit yourself to just your area...And I get a good response rate. I have 3 categorize of letters one for nurseries,one for garden clubs and one for hardware-stores.
make sure your letter can be vetted. Provide your intended charities recipients information and let them know that they may get calls.
I do not take the 1st NO for a donation request. If they can not donate I ask for volunteers or to let me buy stuff at cost.

Keep GOOD RECORDS.
Your supporters deserve accountability in how their donations are used. and you need good records to send thank you notes and to build next years plans

May I ask you to consider sending me some seeds... I need a few specific ones: Green beans,summer squash,zucchini,broccoli,lettuce and cauliflower. I have people lined up to sow seeds for the plant sale but these are the requests I can not fill...